Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles
In laughter, in strife
— Jonathan Larson, "Seasons of Love," 2005
The song is now 20 years old, but we’re in both a reflective and anticipatory mood, so we’ll go with it (even if we’re using a little out of context). We hope you see at least some of your year in the lyrics too.
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles
In laughter, in strife
— Jonathan Larson, "Seasons of Love," 2005
The song is now 20 years old, but we’re in both a reflective and anticipatory mood, so we’ll go with it (even if we’re using a little out of context). We hope you see at least some of your year in the lyrics too.
BON VOYAGE ... and it was
Our beach villa for the afternoon at Half Moon Cay
Rewinding to the beginning of the year, we took a Caribbean cruise on Holland America’s Rotterdam for a partial passage of the Panama Canal. Amazing history — highly recommend David McCullough’s The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870–1914. Great sights — Half Moon Cay (a private island owned by the cruise line); Falmouth, Jamaica; Cartagena, Colombia; the Panama Canal; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; and Georgetown, Cayman Islands.
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We traveled with Elaine’s sister Suzie and her husband, Ian (Zeke), plus new friends for us — Les (Sparky) and Donna Nelson from Zeke and Suzie’s hometown. We had a great time together. The weather was fabulous, and the ship experience was more than we expected — especially with three dedicated live music venues (the Billboard Piano Lounge, the Rolling Stone Rock Room, and the B.B. King Blues Club) plus Elaine’s new favorite group on the big World Stage, the Island Magic Steelband from Trinidad and Tobago.
The cruise ended back in Fort Lauderdale with an airboat ride in ’gator country. Paul had seen too many episodes of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom as a kid not to give it a try. |
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MISSED MANITOBA LAST SUMMER BUT WE'LL BE BACK
An airline strike in July canceled our annual trip home to Manitoba, but we had plenty to do back here. We took on two big projects. The first was a kitchen remodel with resurfaced cabinets, a new peninsula with added cabinet space, new countertops, and some nice modern touches. Completely outsourced. And it was done in a week. We took a more active role installing a new deck rail system and making needed adjustments to the 18-year-old deck. It was a weekend project … but we lost count of just how many weekends. We could not be happier with the results.
James and Leanne Hill, Elaine, Dani Hill, Joe Allison and Paul
Both projects were ready in time for a visit from the Hills of Calgary and a pyrotechnicians reunion party just after Labour Day. We got to know a number of fireworks folks about 15 years ago. Changes in that business scattered the regulars to other parts of the state, so it was a lot of fun getting the gang back together again for some BBQ and fresh-made Chinese food - and to retell stories of things that go boom in the night.
milestone birthdays
Still on the social front, Elaine was a lead co-conspirator on a pair of 90th birthday parties for longtime friends over the summer. Fun facts: the year they were born, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the US President, the Canadian Prime Minister was R.B. Bennett, Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night won the Academy Award, and everybody was singing along to Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.
A NEW PRESCRIPTION FOR THE NEW YEAR
Speaking of people getting a little older, Elaine is preparing to retire from a 45-year career in health care on Aug. 5, 2025. (She has a countdown clock running on her phone.) Thirty-two of those years have been at University of Washington Medicine based at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, split between bedside ICU nursing and clinical informatics, working on UW Medicine’s ongoing modernization of its electronic health records systems. (Another fun fact: the 2005 ABC television medical procedural Grey's Anatomy was based on Harborview.)
There is also a milestone birthday for her in July, which we plan to celebrate with 65 candles here in Olympia. We plan to celebrate the beginning of her next life adventure during the Routledge Camping Weekend at the family farm on its new dates in August. She has a long list of things she plans to do in the next phase — not surprisingly, much of it revolves around family history and hospitality (including helping to cater weddings, memorial services, and showers through the church). Time allowing, she may sneak in a nap or two.
There is also a milestone birthday for her in July, which we plan to celebrate with 65 candles here in Olympia. We plan to celebrate the beginning of her next life adventure during the Routledge Camping Weekend at the family farm on its new dates in August. She has a long list of things she plans to do in the next phase — not surprisingly, much of it revolves around family history and hospitality (including helping to cater weddings, memorial services, and showers through the church). Time allowing, she may sneak in a nap or two.
turning the page
Paul wrapped up 23 years at e.Republic — better known by its media brands Governing and Government Technology — in December. In January 2025, he joins Washington state’s public affairs television network, TVW. The nonprofit outlet provides live gavel-to-gavel coverage of the legislature, courts, and executive branch — on cable, on air, and streaming. Paul will be part of the original programming unit, producing TVW’s weekly flagship public affairs program, Inside Olympia. It promises to be a good fit. The new role takes him back to his broadcast roots. It is also the culmination of a career in and around journalism, public policy, and the campaign for open government.
BACK ON THE BOAT FOR THE NEXT ADVENTURE
Our next five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes will begin back on a boat. We are going to cruise the Baja Peninsula with port calls at La Paz, Loreto, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We also plan to visit friends in San Diego and Escondido, California.
We are grateful for the journey to date and are excited for what comes next. The core of that gratitude is to you for staying in touch over the years and across the miles. Much love to you all.
Peace and grace,
We are grateful for the journey to date and are excited for what comes next. The core of that gratitude is to you for staying in touch over the years and across the miles. Much love to you all.
Peace and grace,