Dear friends and family,
Like others, we did as well as we could in this tough year, given a pandemic, wildfires, civil unrest, and more…. We’re OK and we’re staying safe; we hope that you are as well!
Our big news this year is that Dan retired in July, after 20 years at Intel and 36 years of total professional experience. Even with COVID, Dan is staying very busy; sometimes it doesn’t feel like retirement!
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| Dan's cubicle, all cleaned out on his last day at Intel |
Dan is engaged in an Encore Fellowship, sponsored by Intel, in which he works with Airway Science for Kids (ASK), a Portland-area non-profit. ASK motivates elementary and high school students to be interested STEM subjects and careers through participation in aviation programs. Dan contributed to ASK’s online fundraiser by producing six videos, which you can see at ASK’s YouTube channel. Dan is also working with fellow Intel retiree Helen Gould to create a yearbook for ASK’s TeenFlight program, in which high school students build a real light airplane from a kit under the supervision of experienced adult mentors.
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| One of Dan's video shoots for ASK |
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| Airplane being built by students in ASK's TeenFlight program |
Both of us continue to be involved with the Union Gospel Mission's LifeChange program for women and their children . Nancy continues to contribute by cooking, assisting with the women's education, and mentoring. Dan has increased his involvement by developing a growth plan for the program, which will ultimately enable doubling the number of women in the program.
Nancy also continues to volunteer with Women of Vision, an affiliate of World Vision. She continues to be on the Portland area leadership committee and is in charge of orientation for new members. Early in the year while live meetings were possible, Dan served as the chapter’s event photographer.
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| Women of Vision event on the Syrian refugee crisis, while we could have live events.... |
Our annual trip to Park City, Utah in February turned out to be our only vacation of the year. While we were there, we were able to see the world championships for single distance speed skating at the Utah Olympic Oval. It was very cool to see a world-class event in person which we had previously only seen on television!
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| Action at the ISU Speed Skating World Championships |
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| Medal ceremony |
With all the time at home, we had plenty of opportunity to enjoy the wildlife in the protected green space behind our house. The nutria continued to build their dams, maintaining the area as a wetland frequented by many kinds of waterfowl, with occasional visits by our local coyote family. They all provide good photography subjects as well as entertainment!
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| Mother duck & ducklings |
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| Great Egret |
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| Canada Goose |
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| Coyote on the prowl... |
Given both COVID and ongoing civil disturbance in Portland, we have not been able to enjoy what was a vibrant Portland restaurant scene. We try to support local restaurants as much as we can through takeout, but it’s not the same. In the meantime, Nancy has been cooking many wonderful meals at home. And in retirement, Dan has taken up bread baking, with a focus on whole wheat breads. He now produces all of our everyday breads.
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| Dan's whole wheat bread |
We continue to be active in running, as it’s a great opportunity to get out of the house, stay active, and stay in shape. We did not participate in any organized races this year, as most were canceled or moved to a “virtual” format. Dan continues to train in hope of eventually resuming participation in real organized half-marathons.
Golf never closed down in Oregon, so that provided another opportunity for outdoor recreation. We continued to take lessons, practice, and play games through the year. We progressed enough to provide some encouragement and keep us engaged, while still being a long way from mastering the game….
Merry Christmas to all, and we’re all looking forward to better times in 2021!
-- Dan & Nancy
