Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukah! Joyous Kwanzaa!
Or whatever solstice event you’re celebrating!
2016 was The Year We Found Out If We Built the House Big Enough, because we are, once again, all living together.
Arthur moved back to the Bay Area from Bellingham, Washington to pursue new opportunities, while Caroline graduated from Hogwarts, well, the University of Glasgow.
But it could’ve been Hogwarts: Warner Brothers asked to film the Harry Potter films there, but the administration declined.
It’s a lot of fun having everyone together again!
Not to mention we’ve gained a truly marvelous baker and all-around chef, Arthur’s instincts in those departments being quite impressive.
Barbara continues to work hard at making sure Mellon Capital Management gets paid completely and on-time.
She’s also become the treasurer for a local non-profit group, Sustainable San Mateo.
Arthur is doing para-legal work at the County Counsel’s office. He enjoys working with the attorneys and other staff, and finds the subjects he’s tasked with researching fascinating in their own right.
Caroline is at Barnes & Noble, where her work ethic and quick-on-the-uptake problem solving skills are making her a go-to resource for supervisors and other new hires alike.
Her interest in music has led her to apply to a sound engineering program at San Francisco State.
Ray, Barbara’s dad, continues healthy, and still enjoys living at The Elms in San Carlos. It’s nice to have him over for Sunday dinners, and to grab the occasional cup of coffee with him “downtown”. We should all be so lucky to be as hale as he is at age 95.
At approximately 2:20 PM, California time, on December 28th Ray will be 3 billion seconds old. We plan on helping him celebrate the event. Although finding a cake big enough for all those candles is proving to be a challenge.
Barbara spent a beautiful long weekend in Ft. Collins, remembering her wonderful Aunt Margie, who passed away this Fall, and catching up with her Colorado cousins.
Mark continues to enjoy serving on the San Carlos City Council, although he wishes there was more focus on how to move the community forward, rather than just holding onto what’s here.
He also enjoyed doing his first-ever paid IT gig during the Fall election season, helping a buddy who’d, sadly and unexpectedly, lost his long-time “computer guy”.
He still continues to enjoy the occasional motorcycle jaunt, broken-but-healed ribs and all.
Barbara and Mark will be attending California’s Electoral College session, where Mark will be casting his vote for Hillary Clinton. He’s excited and proud to have been chosen for this duty by our local Congressional representative, Jackie Speier.
He just wishes that history would be in the making, by electing the first woman President of the United States.
Have a great year, and drop us a line when you get a moment. Better yet, stop by if you’re ever in the Bay Area.
It’s a particularly good destination for those of you concerned about the recent national election, as it’s a certified MTA (Minimally Trump-like Area)
- mark@arcabama.com
- barbara@arcabama.com
- 650-596-3460
Peace!
