Five weeks  have passed since I posted. This is quite a long time since I have had good internet most of that time.  In brief, the first couple of weeks of December flew by with the usual routines of life in our coop. Finance Committee and the Board were going through the steps of preparing for a new fiscal year to be launched as always a month late with our annual meeting the first week in February. My role as Treasurer has been working with Finance to put in place a revised draft budget and preparing to support several proposals we have made for changes to the parks bylaws we have proposed. 

December 22 we boarded Konigsdam, a Holland America ship, in San Diego. The cruise was 7 days with three in port days and 3 sea days. This was a good balance for our first ever cruise. Crossing the North Atlantic on the Queen Mary in 1964 hardly fits in the category of cruise, at the time it was travel. We enjoyed it, mostly. Carol is not thrilled with the pampering, I enjoyed it. I got to play Bridge for three sea days and Carol heard music, lectures, had her hair done, danced and was exposed to repeated jewelry sales approaches, they did get tiresome. The first four nights were the last four nights of Chanukah and a room was reserved for candle lighting and we met many of the Jewish travelers including a wonderful Rabbi from San Diego whose synagogue I am sure we will visit. Whether we will cruise again is an open question.

Our return brought us back into the thick of activity in Jojoba Hills. Bridge had resumed the Board is on a busy schedule with regular biweekly meetings and executive meetings to discuss stuff that is not open to the general membership, member discipline,  employment issues and contracts.  I am also liaison to 5 active committees which means I attend their meeting, offer guidance when their work requires Board guidance and bring their motions and programs to the Board when asked. Needless to say lots of one on one time goes into this work. It keeps me busy and I have always enjoyed working with people, even those with whom I might disagree. 

We also had a wonderful New Years Eve dinner Dance, with lots of good Rock’n’Roll to dance to. Two hours of dancing. This was also a wonderful virus spreader event. We have been on lockdown lite until today to give us a chance to clear the air so we can have our annual meeting in person.  

I have not gotten lost. When I have more to write about you will see it here. In the mean time I feel the need to call out to some friends who are in need of support. Toby, we are thinking of you now as you have your procedure tomorrow. Judy B, your loss of Dave after so long an illness, both stings and I am sure bring a sense of relief that he is no longer suffering. We have missed him over the past couple of years. The trials of advancing age have taken on a new meaning as more of our friends find their lives changing and as we start to think of 60 year-olds as kids – we have a daughter-in-law getting there now. Our eldest grandson is 31, the youngest will be leaving the teens behind this year. 

Carol is chairing a project to rehab the next oldest building in the park and preparing art to display in the new gallery space that opened up with the remodeling of our activity annex. She has a new Ukulele and paints as well. 

I plan to write again in less than 5 weeks.