Dear Family, Friends and Fellow Weirdoes,
Wow. Could another year have passed already? We have been busy, filled this year with lots of wonderful adventures, spending every minute we could together, and wasted too much time doing none of the above.
This year started out with us celebrating New Years Eve onboard the Holland America’s Ryndam in Mazatlan, Mexico. On New Year’s Day we were in Loreto and they had a harbor full of pelicans. Watching them dive head first into the water was spectacular… and a little frightening! We had most of the Jones family with us, celebrating Christmas 2008 in Acapulco, Mexico, where Tim & I swam with the dolphins!
Swimming with the dolphins!
In February Tim and I had the awesome experience of going behind the scenes at the San Diego Zoo’s Big Cat Show. We got a chance to meet all sorts of critters, some of which I had never heard of. The highlight was meeting Karroo the cheetah and her buddy Sven Olaf the dog.
At the Zoo with the critters
This summer we once more boarded a cruise ship, but not until we had traveled for 26 hours from San Diego to get to Stockholm, Sweden. Our ship was the Oceania Regatta, a much smaller ship than we had ever been on was and all the better for it! I think Oceania is the best cruise line we have ever sailed on and hope our next trip will be with them as well. If you ever get a chance, they are the ticket!
For the next 18 days we traveled aboard ship, but our first full day was spent in Stockholm where we went to the Vasa museum. The Vasa is an intact 17th century ship that sunk less than one mile from where its maiden voyage began in Stockholm.
The rear of the Vasa looking forward.
Vasa from the front side.
In Tallinn, Estonia we cruised the cobbled streets and poked our heads in an ancient church, spent what seemed like hours looking for a bathroom as we wondered about the Blackhead Society and balanced on unusual playground toys. Tim and others sat on the pier with their jackets over their heads so they could see their computer screens while they checked e-mail.
Outside a church in Tallinn. Great little town.
For three days in St Petersburg, Russia we saw Catherine’s Winter Palace, spent a day at the Hermitage (including a room filled with taxiderimied horses with full coats of armor in the saddle) and wished we had another week there. We saw Saint Isaac’s Cathedral and the Church of the Spilled Blood which is beyond belief in its many details and decoration. There is even a section of the original street in the church where the father of the son who commissioned the church died. We even celebrated 4th of July with our ship moored right in the thick of things in downtown St Petersburg.
Government building with statue of Stalin.
Armored horses and knights.
Jen and Dad taking photos at Catherine’s Palace.
Beautiful arched hall at the Hermitage.
Church of the Spilled Blood. A true sight to see.
Church of the Spilled Blood interior.
Church of the Spilled Blood interior.
Just a little gold in Catherine’s Palace!
The inside of St Isaac’s Cathedral is a wonder to see.
St Isaac’s was just fabulous.
Jen outside another palace – the wedding palace I think.
Fun garden designs at Catherine’s Palace.
In Helsinki, Finland we ate reindeer, visited the many stalls set out by the water filled with handmade crafts, purchased a reindeer pelt which we learned from the seller is raised like cattle is in the US for food, and walked to a nearby church. In Gdansk, Poland we took a taxi into the historic area with a cabbie that spoke a little English and dropped us off next to the world’s largest brick church. Here we found an interesting statue of a boy with an erect penis in his pants (what we’d have given to have had the plaque written in English!), visited the many shops and watched the traffic on the river. In Copenhagen, Denmark we visited a fabulous museum, ate $20 hamburgers as well as visiting the shopping district. In Warnemunde, Germany we walked down to the Baltic Sea and I waded in the water as the sand blew in our faces just so we could say we had done it. Tim enjoyed seeing all the stands cold smoking fish.
Quick break in Helsinki before heading to the outdoor market.
An indoor market in Helsinki that had lots of interesting meats and veggies.
Tim’s reindeer lunch in Helsinki – very good. Good local beer too.
Inside one of the church’s in Helsinki.
Downtown Gdansk, Poland
“interesting” statue…
Not sure what this tree was for, but it was very unique.
Lunch in Gdansk, Poland.
Warnemunde, Germany is a lovely little seaside town.
Jen dips her feet in the Baltic Sea.
Warnemunde, Germany – lots of cool fish smokers.
For one day we got up before dawn as the ship entered the first lock of the Kiel Canal. Many of us sat in the bar on the highest deck so we could see each lock as we came to it. It was a day of beautiful countryside and heavy mist. Out of the canal, we had rough weather as the ship cruised into the North Sea and most of the family suffered badly from sea sickness. The ship rose and fell so much we were afraid to walk the stairs for fear we might break our necks.
Breakfast on an upper deck after just entering Kiel Canal.
The countryside was fantastic all day long.
Some of the many, many windmills we saw throughout Europe.
And the last locks before heading into the North Sea.
In Amsterdam we took the streetcar into town and then Tim & I departed from the main group to visit the Red Light District. We “window” shopped, visited a small brewery where in addition to their own beer they also made gin. In Bruges, Belgium (check out the panoramas at the bottom of the linked page, they really show off the city) we visited Zot Brewery and as many chocolate shops as we could.
Saw more bikes in Amsterdam than anywhere else.
Lovely city with canals here and there.
Jen with the local cow – saw a number of these, not sure what the cow story is.
Bruges is a fantastic city. If you get to Belgium, be sure to visit Bruges!
Tim & Jen along a Bruges canal.
At long last, and with mixed emotions we made our last port of call in Dover, UK. From the white cliffs we took a van into London where we stayed in Kensington and made it our home for 4 days while we visited as many places as possible. We went to museum, after museum going back to some of them more than once. We saw the Rosetta stone, the transplanted wonders of Egypt, walked through parks, drove by parks, stood by the Thames and watched the water traffic. We ate lunch in Trafalgar Square and walked around the lions. We stood outside of Parliament, visited the Abbey and left when we saw the price of admission! We took a day trip to Windsor Castle and Stonehenge where it rained and we rejoiced because the sky was filled with thick black clouds and the stones looked even more magnificent because of it. The day ended in the college town of Oxford were we took a walking tour and admired all there was to admire.
Trafalgar Square, London with Big Ben in the distance.
Trafalgar Square, London – Jen and the Lion.
The Parliament Building, London. Fantastic building, lots of detail.
Stonehenge – fantastic!
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Oxford
Jen & her dad in “the tube”.
We came home at last, after another 26 hours of travel during which we flew over Greenland which was quite a sight to see! We drove home the next day and went straight to pick up Mojo and Wallace from Doggy Camp. They had a marvelous time at the boarding kennel but were thrilled to come home with us. It was great to watch them so excited to see us they spun in circles and ran back and forth too happy to pause for even an instant. Then we went home and slept for hours.
What else did we do? I started working at Windermere Exclusive Properties in Escondido as a real estate agent. I took an Accounting Class that focused on sole propertorship so that I could keep the books for the apartments I now manage for my parents. Tim kept working at ESRI, but now instead of working from home he travels down to La Jolla and works out of the office there. He has rekindled his passion for BBQ (& me about eating it!). He continues with the Valley Center Lions where he is Vice President and enjoys helping with the pancake breakfast fundraisers.
I am still teaching Puppy Class at Hidden Valley Obedience Club (HVOC) and I must be doing something right there. I was President this last year for a second term and will continue in the same capacity for 2010. I gave up the Newfoundland Rescue and resigned from the Newfoundland Club of San Diego (NCSD) Board of Directors. We had a wonderful time at the NCSD Halloween party where Tim, Mojo and I won first prize for best costumes! Tim went as God, I came as the Devil and Mojo was our “little” 175 pound angel! Tim’s costume consisted of a name tag that said, “Hello! My Name Is GOD”. What can I say, men always get it easy! This year Tim’s father and his step-mother moved to Texas and we were sorry to see them go.
This Christmas we celebrated in San Diego with family. I hope that you have the opportunity to celebrate the season with your family. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Yule, or Hanukkah, none of the above or some compilation of them all, we hope that you enjoy yourself. We wish you the very best this year and into the next. We hope that we will meet up with you in 2010 and have the opportunity to share a meal and visit. And if 2010 isn’t the year to meet up we hope it is the year we make a firm date to meet in the next year.
Best wishes for a joyful and safe Holiday Season and prosperous New Year
Jen & Tim – and Mojo, Wallace, Luna, Sam, Little & Calamity Jane
View this letter online for more photos and
More photos are available if you should care to view them:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021556&id=1083285440&l=6b5cb5e0de (lots here)
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-ranch/sets/72157623098948062/ (not so many here – but other photos to view too)
Photoshop: https://www.photoshop.com/user/timcraig (quite a few here – plug in to load site)
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