The Canterburys – Christmas 2024
1997
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Hello Friends,
We are both happy and healthy as we near year-end once again and find ourselves sharing our ongoing life story with our friends of many years.
As usual, we also did many fun and interesting things as the year progressed.
We started with a plunge into cold Jordan Lake on New Year’s Day. Early February saw our 12th annual Groundhog Day party, the largest ever.
|
|
|
|
Groundhog Day Party 2024! |
Solar eclipse viewing in Cape Girardeau, Missouri |
In mid-February, we flew to Florida for a planned week of beach time and a few days of visiting with Jerry’s family. Unfortunately, just a couple of days into the trip, we received a call that our home had been broken into. We cut the trip short and flew home the next morning to find doors broken down and some items stolen, but fortunately, our three cats were safe albeit somewhat terrorized by the ordeal. We were disappointed in the restoration company we engaged as it took them ten weeks to replace one door, and even then, I had to find out for them where to obtain a new door– they somehow couldn’t accomplish that basic task themselves. However, all is now repaired, and our home is back to normal, now with even more security features.
We visited Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri in late March and early April to see the total solar eclipse. Jerry made hotel reservations at many different cities a year in advance, then in the final days before the eclipse, decided which city would have the best eclipse-viewing weather. Along the way, we visited historic sites in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Hot Springs plus got to check off two states Jerry had never visited before (only three to go to complete all fifty!). Unfortunately, Jerry got a severe case of food poisoning which was so bad that after three days, he had to visit an urgent care due to dehydration. However, he recovered in time for us to see the eclipse on a beautiful sunny day with clear blue skies in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, a quaint town right on the Mississippi River.
In mid-May, we drove to Congaree National Park near Columbia, South Carolina to see synchronous fireflies, where all the fireflies flash their lights in unison. Tickets for this are limited and only available by lottery, so we were glad to finally get them this year. Nancy was even interviewed by an NPR Radio reporter, and her voice appeared on the radio a few days later. It was magical and we’re so glad we got to see it as synchronous fireflies appear in only three locations in the entire country.
|
|
|
|
Nancy and Staubbach
Falls in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland |
On our way up to
Schilthorn, Switzerland |
Late May and early June saw us embark with friends on our second-ever river cruise (and first in Europe) along the Rhine River in the Netherlands, Germany, and France followed by a few days visiting Switzerland. The cruise was fun while it lasted, but excessive rainfall in Europe led to the Rhine River being closed to all traffic, so we were diverted from our riverboat to a bus tour for the final days of the itinerary. The Switzerland portion of the itinerary was going well, with many visits to waterfalls in that mountainous country plus the Piz Gloria restaurant on top of Schilthorn, where the 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed. That was until Nancy had her second-ever bout of Transient Global Amnesia (TGA), unable to remember where she was and how she got there (although fortunately, she remembered who she was and, just as importantly, who I was). Nancy recovered all her memories except for the one day in Zürich, but we did visit a neurologist when we arrived back home to make sure there was nothing permanent about this (there isn’t). TGA is extremely rare and we hope it doesn’t happen a third time.
July saw Jerry return to Iowa to complete RAGBRAI, an annual week-long bike ride across Iowa, for the third time in a row and the fifth time overall. This year’s event spanned from the Missouri to the Mississippi River, 424 miles in total. He followed this up in September with 200 miles of cycling over two days in New Bern, North Carolina for the Bike MS event hosted by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Two weeks in September encompassed a trip to national parks in Arizona and Utah. The highlight was the north rim of the Grand Canyon, in a cabin right on the edge of the canyon that had to be reserved a year in advance. Other parks visited were Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Arches, and Walnut Canyon. We also spent a few days at the historic La Posada hotel in Winslow, Arizona, our third time there, where we of course stood in the corner – it was such a fine sight to see. Of course, it seems all our activities this year entailed some drama, and this trip was no exception as Nancy developed COVID a few days into the trip. Undeterred, she insisted on hiking most days since we had planned this trip for so long. Nancy reports that it wasn’t a particularly bad case of COVID and she felt better after about five days.
|
|
|
|
In the shadow of Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah |
In front of the “Groundhog Day” B&B in Woodstock,
Illinois |
In early November, we flew to Chicago for our niece’s wedding; it was a beautiful celebration of family and friends. Not content to just spend a weekend in the big city, we extended our trip to visit the town of Woodstock, Illinois, the filming location for the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. Although the movie ostensibly took place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the vast majority was filmed in Woodstock. We were able to visit many of the settings of the movie which haven’t changed much since the film was released in 1993, over 30 years ago. We even stayed in the same bed-and-breakfast (technically the Cherry Tree Inn B&B) as Phil Connor did in the movie and had a “drink to world peace” in the bar where Phil and Rita did the same. We were very fortunate as the bar had just reopened the day we visited after being closed for a few months when the previous version went out of business. In fact, unlike the rest of our trips in 2024, we didn’t have any travel-related drama this time around.
We continued to attend many plays and concerts, often at our beloved Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC). We’ve also come to enjoy amateur community theater by the Cary Players at the Cary Arts Center. We ventured away from home to see some shows, such as Jackopierce in Charlotte; Extreme in Roanoke, Virginia; Electric Light Orchestra’s farewell tour in Atlanta, and Renaissance’s farewell tour in New Jersey.
Nancy continued her myriad of volunteer activities. She continues to serve as a cleaning captain at Safe Haven for Cats, where she was named Volunteer of the Year. She is also the merchandise chair for the TeamCBC cycling club, fundraising chair for the Cary Community Choir, is active with the Woman’s Club of Raleigh, and sings in three different choirs.
We had some sadness as the year neared its end. Our cat Spats died suddenly one Tuesday in November. He was having a good morning and was abruptly gone before noon. We were shocked by his sudden passing at age 12½; he is still in our hearts. We adopted Spats and his littermate Chaplin from Safe Haven ten years ago. Chaplin has never been without Spats and definitely misses him, as do we. Both Chaplin (age 12½) and Tiger (age 8) continue in good health.
|
|
|
|
Spats on his favorite perch on the porch |
Chaplin and Tiger |
Please hug all your friends and family this holiday season and tell them you love them! We wish you the happiness and joy you deserve this holiday season!
Nancy and Jerry Canterbury