Annual Summary of 2023

Winter weather kept us inside more than we wanted for the first few months. Jerry prepared income tax returns for other people again. Snowstorms required shoveling the driveway and raking snow from solar panels. We would have liked better weather for more long walks. In early April we spent a week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with Dawn and Tom. When Spring finally arrived we trimmed hedges and planted a big vegetable garden. We spent a long Fourth of July camping with family at a Vermont State Park. Everyone enjoyed playing together, swimming, fishing and walking in the woods, and we will do it again this coming summer.

We bought a camp in a Vermont forest. The old cabin has no running water or electricity and the road to the property is not maintained. A snowmobile trail is passable (barely) for a car in summer. We put a floor in the cabin and had an outhouse built. We spent many wonderful summer days and nights there, enjoying walks in the quiet woods and evenings at the outdoor fireplace. With advice from Foresters we removed invasive Japanese Honeysuckle but will leave the forest uncut except for a few walking trails. A professional Forester prepared a detailed Forest Management Plan so our forest can be enrolled in Vermont's "Current Use" program. Next year we plan to install a wood stove and spend even more time there in the cooler seasons.

We saw Jennifer in several musical performances and helped her with home improvements. In New York we went to several Broadway shows with Hilary. We saw Dorothy in Washington, DC and she visited us in Vermont. Ben and Katyana visited us in Vermont too. Polly and John hosted an extraordinary reunion of cousins at their camp in Maine. We had many good times with relatives living near us.

We took a week's cruise to Bermuda with Hilary & Rod. We were happy to see the island at last since we sailed near there on our schooner in 1997 but decided not to stop because of winter storms. We enjoyed having this experience with Hilary and Rod on the enormous ship but it isn't our preferred style of cruising.

We purchased a Chevrolet Bolt, powered entirely by electricity. It was relatively inexpensive to buy because of subsidies from federal and state governments. It will be very economical to operate. Solar panels already on our house and garage will provide the power. Our local electricity supplier has given us a fast charger and a special low rate for charging. The Bolt has many new features which we are still learning so it will be awhile before we are entirely comfortable with this car. We still have our reliable old Toyota.