Thank you first to Kathy for putting together a wonderful dinner party that included cooking under a hot umbrella! The internet cake was delicious. You can borrow my teflon umbrella any time, especially after Grandad’s comment.

Thank you to Mom and Dad for making my birthday possible in the first place. The custard will be much enjoyed. Have to finish off before Saturday.

Thank you Sistuh Carol and Bruthu Grant for calling. Jake’s barbershop quartet(quintet? sextet?) is always a treat.

Thank you Bruthu Ted for coming over with your 24 (different) friends named Sam. We missed Susan. (We did not miss the Fishhouse punch.)

Thank you Nico for driving in to celebrate with Fatherman. I took two of the giant cookies to work for a snack today. Yum yum.

Thank you D.C. for helping your Mom cook in the rain. If the 12 new Stouts were your idea, then Stout and I thank you.

Thank you Kelly and Mary Claire for the beautiful paintings. They will definitely help dress up my office. You both get first ride in the new hammock.

I have run into this photo journal before showing an annual snapshot of a family. It continues…

http://zonezero.com/magazine/essays/diegotime/time.html

This is a request from two friends. I’m not sure I’ve written this kind of advice to my own kids, so it is going to take some work. However, the easiest one for me was #3. Feel free to reply with comments, and I’ll pass them on!

Dear Family and Friends,

Our son, Kevin will be turning 13 years old on December 22, 2004. He will become a teenager, beginning the transition into adulthood. In today’s world, being a teenager can be very challenging and sometimes overwhelming. We would like to help prepare Kevin for this exciting transition from childhood to young adulthood, and we are asking for your help in doing so. We would like to provide Kevin with a keepsake of a treasury of messages to live by. A book of words that he can look to for inspiration, advice, love that will help guide him on life’s journey.

We would be most grateful if you would help contribute to this book by writing something, drawing a picture, sending a family recipe or favorite photo or postcard. Some ideas are: 1) Tell Kevin, the most important thing(s) you ever learned; 2) The three (or five or ten) most important qualities a man should have; 3) Some thing(s) you wished that someone had told you when you were 13; 4) A special memory you have of Kevin; 5) What you wish for him; 6) A favorite quote, poem, prayer, or song and why it is special to you; 7) A top ten list of the things you love in life and why; 8) What you believe about life.

These are only suggestions, please feel free to add your own ideas. You can send your contribution to us via e-mail or mail by December 10 (late arrivals will still be accepted). We graciously appreciate your time and effort in making this keepsake book for Kevin. Young people today need positive influences in their lives. They need reminders that they matter and that others love and believe in them. Thank you for helping to make a difference in Kevin’s life.

With love and gratitude,

Andrea and Jim

Comments welcome!

Do take time in your busy schedule to remember Brother Bob who is currently over seas. You may want to print out his schedule so that you can think about what he and his Rotary buddies are doing at any given time of the day:

Oktoberfest Trip Summary

September 21, Tuesday:

Afternoon: Leave for MUC.

September 22, Wednesday

9:00 Arrive into Munich, leave for Nuremberg

11:45 Arrive in Nuremberg, lunch at the oldest Bratwurst house

13:00 Visit the old Castle and Church in the old city

15:00 Leave for Streitberg (about 30 miles north)

16:00 Arrive in Streitberg, check-in, nap, shower, etc.

18:30 Dinner at Altes Kurhaus, followed by Schnapps at Kuespert

22:30 Lights out, night in Streitberg

September 23, Thursday

8:30 Breakfast at Altes Kurhaus

9:30 Leave for Bamberg Airport for flights in small airplanes over the region

10:00 Arrive at the airport, flying for about 2 hours

12:00 Light lunch at the airport, leave for the breweries

12:30 Arrive in Bamberg, guided tours of the breweries

15:30 Head back to Streitberg

16:00 Nap time!

18:00 Leave for dinner at an historic hunt house, 20 miles north of Streitberg

18:30 Dinner

22:30 lights out, night in Streitberg

September 24, Friday

8:30 Breakfast at Altes Kurhaus

9:30 Leave for Nuremberg Courthouse Visit

10:30 Arrive at the Courthouse

11:30 Leave for lunch at a Biergarten on the way to Munich Airport Marriott

14:30 Check-in at Marriott, nap time

15:30 Leave for Minister Huber’s Reception at the Bavarian Ministry

17:00 Reception by Minister Huber

18:00 Leave for tour of the oldest Brewery in the world

18:45 Arrive at the brewery, dinner at the brewery’s restaurant

22:30 Lights out, night at the Munich Airport Marriott

September 25, Saturday

8:30 Breakfast at the Marriott

9:30 Leave for Chiem See

10:30 Arrive at Chiem See, visit the Schloss Herren

12:30 Lunch at Schloss Herren

16:00 Leave for Aschau

17:00 Go to Bavarian shop for Oktoberfest cloths, they’ll specially open for us

18:30 Dinner at the World famous Residenz Winkler

20:00 Leave for Village where we are sleeping near Aschau

22:30 lights out

September 26, Sunday

8:30 Breakfast

9:30 Leave for Munich

10:30 Sight-seeing in the city

12:30 Lunch at the Chinese restaurant in English Garden

14:30 Check in at the Grand Hotel Arabella Sheraton, nap time!

16:30 Leave for Oktoberfest grounds

17:00 Arrive at the grounds, check out other places before heading to Kaefer tent

18:00 Dinner, Beer at Kaefer Tent

1:30 a.m. (the next day) leave for the hotel, spend night at the Grand Hotel

September 27, Monday

9:30 Breakfast

10:30 Leave for Salzburg

12:00 Visit Mond See

13:00 Lunch at Mond See

15:00 Visit Eagle’s Nest

16:00 Visit Mozart’s house

17:00 Visit Salzburg, Monastery Brewery

20:00 Dinner at Sacher

22:30 Night at NH Hotel

September 28, Tuesday

8:30 Breakfast

9:30 Leave for Schloss Neu Schwanstein

11:00 Arrive at Neu Schanstein

11:30 Visit Neu Schwanstein

1:00 Lunch around there

14:30 Leave for Tegern See

15:30 Sight Seeing in Tegern See, visit Brewery

19:00 Dinner at Tegern See

22:30 Lights out, night at a hotel near Tegern See

September 29, Wednesday

6:45 Breakfast

7:45 Leave for Munich Airport

9:15 Arrive at MUC to head back home.

Got this e-mail from my powerful younger brother. He has arranged to keep traffic down for our trip to Florida.

I told the DOT construction people down in Tifton to make sure they

Georgia DOT Office of Consultant Design

I don’t have much power. I can’t even help my mom get her check order printed correctly…