Merry Christmas
John & Eleanor Coulthard
December, 2009
(Click on a picture to see a larger version - use the back key to return to this page).

It's that thyme of year to send greetings to all.

Each year that passes leaves us a bit more appreciative and a bit more tentative: We are endowed with such riches: a wonderful family and good health and a bundle of fine friends and comforts.

Music continues to be an important part of our retirement, our "raison d'etre", around this season. We sang in Cuba last January and will do so again this year. We are also busy practicing for the Galiano Christmas concert on the 19th. This will be our fifth year singing with Coro Galiano. John, with his rich baritone voice, will be singing solos on both occasions.

Our spring "project" to improve our panabode cabin was to upgrade all our windows from single pane to double pane. This dragged on into August and in fact is not yet complete. (the "island way"?) We quickly covered the windows with decals and stained glass hangings to prevent the small flocks of birds from bashing themselves on the clean glass. Our windows were not clean for long however as the salty air soon left deposits. But we do enjoy looking through them at the barrow eyes, buffleheads, wood ducks, cormorants, oyster catchers, as they feed and rest in our calm bay throughout the winter.

There was no extended cruise on Galiander this summer but shorter trips around the Southern Gulf Islands, including several pleasant sorties with our friends Tom and Sheila aboard "Spiritus". In September we spent a memorable weekend with them and dined at Hastings House on Saltspring. We also spent a memorable day at Scott Point on Saltspring Island with Dave and Emma aboard "Midnight Sun", a perfectly appointed 80 foot seiner refurbished as a workboat/yacht.

Two significant family events graced our lives this year. The first was a Coates Family Reunion here at Galiano,the first in seven years. The weather was great in late August and the ocean water warm enough to swim and play in. Families came from Ontario, Kamloops, the Okanagan,Vancouver and the Islands. We all enjoyed lots of delicious home made food and had great fun together. The picture on the left shows all the cousins, who are now the elders, except for Grampa Jack, 100, the ancient patriarch of the Coates family and his sister Winn, 91, living in West Vancouver.

Jack is amazingly healthy and happy at one hundred years of age. He was born in Golden B.C. October 19 , 1909. Approximately 100 family members, friends and neighbours helped celebrate the big day at the Fairview Golf Course in Oliver. Most were local but some guests came from a distance, for example Kathy and Brian Marsh from Sarnia, Ontario and Dorothy Budge, his eldest niece from Rawdon, Quebec.

In the photo at the right he is surrounded by some of his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Jack is still well and enjoying life. His friend Kathy Parker who is also nearly 100 herself also attended and graciously read the congratulatory message from the Queen. We hope that Kathy and Jack will both be able to visit with us for a few days after Christmas this year.

After Jack's party we drove south to enjoy the desert, stopping at Salt Lake City, then Phoenix and finally Borrego Springs which is south east of Palm Springs. The picture below was taken at sunrise at a place called Font's Point which is between the Salton Sea and Borrego Springs. We are sitting in the middle of the picture enjoying breakfast and the sunrise with our hosts, the Saltons. A very special morning as were the many hikes, bike trips, golf games, swims, hot tubs, yoga sessions, aquacize classes, bonfires and shared meals.


Cheers.

John & Eleanor

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Dec. 11/09