Dear Friends, Family, et al,
Well, it’s that time of year again: the Solstice approaches,
New Years lurks in the distance, and St. Nicholas looms
large in the imagination of all. Yup...it is Christmas Letter
time! But this time ‘round it is electronic Christmas Letter
time! We’re hoping that this is a better this way…you have
less trash to worry about, we have to purchase fewer
stamps…all around better. At least that’s what we're telling
ourselves. Plus, this is more ecologically friendly...think of
all of the carbon we're saving on postal delivery, after all.
But enough about the method of delivery! We know you're
demanding all of the facts and trivia for which our Christmas
letters are famous. So on we go…the Texas Greenlee year
in review.
Last January we declared this to be "The Year of the
House". We make proclamations like this from time to time,
but we were especially prescient this year. We put lots of
good work into our home. JW finished his map mural that
covers a whole wall of the study, and built a new front porch
for the house. We bought a new front door, and a great
desk for the study. We painted the outside of the house a
nice white with black trim...a great improvement on the pre-
existing dirty salmon colour. And we actually finished our
kitchen cabinets. 4 years later. But it's done! Lastly, we
had to replace our air conditioner / heater this fall. Year of
the House indeed!
And it rolls on. Not only did we make lots of improvements
to our home but we also purchased a second house in
Kerrville to use as a rental property. We spent several
months fixing it up, and then rented it out without too much
trouble. We have recently changed over renters with no
major problems. So we’ve been slum-lording it for a year
now, with good results.
But this was not just a year of renovations and shady real
estate deals. Once again, we took advantage of our free
summers to travel. Vanessa spent the month of July in
Costa Rica, studying at the University of Costa Rica. She
took classes in teaching Spanish as a foreign language, and
lived with a family of Ticos (as the Costa Ricans call
themselves). She had a fantastic time, learned lots, and
enjoyed seeing the country. She was sad to have to leave
San Jose at the end of the month.
JW stayed home during July, but he traveled to Utah in
June to ride in the MS 150 with his parents. He had a great
time, riding 175 miles over two days and raising close to
$500 for the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. The whole
event raised several million dollars, and was a great
success.
Vanessa also took a weekend trip this fall down to Corpus
Christi with her mom. They walked on the beach, lounged
by the pool, and ate delicious seafood. JW's parents spent
some time in Kerrville, as well. They came down in the
early Fall and purchased a tri-plex. They intend to rent part
of the house and use the other part as a base of operations
for extended stays in the Hill Country. We're looking
forward to seeing more of them.
Well, it’s that time of year again: the Solstice approaches,
New Years lurks in the distance, and St. Nicholas looms
large in the imagination of all. Yup...it is Christmas Letter
time! But this time ‘round it is electronic Christmas Letter
time! We’re hoping that this is a better this way…you have
less trash to worry about, we have to purchase fewer
stamps…all around better. At least that’s what we're telling
ourselves. Plus, this is more ecologically friendly...think of
all of the carbon we're saving on postal delivery, after all.
But enough about the method of delivery! We know you're
demanding all of the facts and trivia for which our Christmas
letters are famous. So on we go…the Texas Greenlee year
in review.
Last January we declared this to be "The Year of the
House". We make proclamations like this from time to time,
but we were especially prescient this year. We put lots of
good work into our home. JW finished his map mural that
covers a whole wall of the study, and built a new front porch
for the house. We bought a new front door, and a great
desk for the study. We painted the outside of the house a
nice white with black trim...a great improvement on the pre-
existing dirty salmon colour. And we actually finished our
kitchen cabinets. 4 years later. But it's done! Lastly, we
had to replace our air conditioner / heater this fall. Year of
the House indeed!
And it rolls on. Not only did we make lots of improvements
to our home but we also purchased a second house in
Kerrville to use as a rental property. We spent several
months fixing it up, and then rented it out without too much
trouble. We have recently changed over renters with no
major problems. So we’ve been slum-lording it for a year
now, with good results.
But this was not just a year of renovations and shady real
estate deals. Once again, we took advantage of our free
summers to travel. Vanessa spent the month of July in
Costa Rica, studying at the University of Costa Rica. She
took classes in teaching Spanish as a foreign language, and
lived with a family of Ticos (as the Costa Ricans call
themselves). She had a fantastic time, learned lots, and
enjoyed seeing the country. She was sad to have to leave
San Jose at the end of the month.
JW stayed home during July, but he traveled to Utah in
June to ride in the MS 150 with his parents. He had a great
time, riding 175 miles over two days and raising close to
$500 for the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. The whole
event raised several million dollars, and was a great
success.
Vanessa also took a weekend trip this fall down to Corpus
Christi with her mom. They walked on the beach, lounged
by the pool, and ate delicious seafood. JW's parents spent
some time in Kerrville, as well. They came down in the
early Fall and purchased a tri-plex. They intend to rent part
of the house and use the other part as a base of operations
for extended stays in the Hill Country. We're looking
forward to seeing more of them.
| The Greenlee Christmas Letter Page 1 |