Hurricane Update #6

 Hi everyone,

It's been a minute since I've posted because it's been a whirlwind of days that met into weeks. The kids went back to school on October 17 after an almost 3-week hiatus. The city opened the causeway up to residents earlier than planned on October 19. That day, we dropped the kids at school and drove over. I took video footage of it all. This was only my second time to the island after the hurricane, my first time to see first hand what Sanibel really looks like. (The first time, we boated straight to our dock, went into the house, got back on the boat. And at that stage, most people hadn't started remediation at all.) The little bridge going over a canal between the causeway and our house is broken in two spots, so we had to go the long way around. Truly, the photos don't do it justice. To see every house...every house...with most of its contents out on the curb is haunting. Roofs were stuck in trees. Everything was where it wasn't supposed to be. It reminds me of a twisted version of that Dr. Seuss story, Wacky Wednesday. 

That Saturday, we decided to drive the kids over to see Sanibel and see our house. We were all heeding Mr. Roger's mother's words and were looking for the helpers. (They were everywhere.) We couldn't help but marvel at how cars got where they were, how entire houses shifted to new locations. They loved being back at our house with their things. With the car, we were all able to gather more clothes and personal belongings. It was good for all of us to see exactly why we can't move back to Sanibel right now and probably not for a while. 

The good news is that the water is back on most places for cleaning/washing. We can even flush toilets and wash hands, which feels remarkable to me. We keep hearing reports that various friends have power to their homes already too, which is also great. We're anxiously awaiting news that our electrical system at the house is in good enough shape to reconnect to the grid. Hopefully that will happen next week. 

On Tuesday morning, K and I got in the car and drove back to Sanibel. This time, though, we headed to our home on Palm Lake Drive. We were meeting the flood insurance adjuster there. This would be our first time to see firsthand how that house had fared. I'm so thankful we saw it together because it was terrible. Tears just started flowing as we approached Bailey's and headed south on Tarpon Bay Rd. More tears as we turned onto West Gulf Drive. Tears as we drove by Shalimar, which is no longer there. Tears as we drove by the little church on the corner of Palm Lake, which didn't make it. And tears as we turned the corner onto our street and saw so much of Island Inn Resort from across the street in our front yard. We couldn't walk to the front door. So much mud. Still. And now, nearly a month after the hurricane and no open windows, mold growing up our walls. The house literally is falling apart inside. I don't want to post many photos of all of that because so many of you have been to that house and I don't want to spoil the memory you have of it. The foundation of the house actually cracked. And shifted about 1/2 inch. It will need to come down. Soon, I'm going to ask any of you who spent time in that house to send me a few photos of you there...I'm going to put together a photo album of that special spot that has always been a thin place for us, a sanctuary. L had his first Christmas there, all the kids learned to ride their bikes on that loop, H recovered from her skull surgery there...so, so many memories. And the memories go back even farther than us. We bought that house from our friends, the Fishers, who filled it with friends and family and memories too. I'm so sad it's gone.

In closing for now, I'm posting a photo of one of the many bizarre things we saw at that house. The book laying in the mud was on the far side of the living room, away from the kitchen. Somehow, that spatula got itself stuck in the book and landed upright. And there is sits. I couldn't resist snapping a photo. I’m also including a photo of our banyan tree at our house...it’s already sprouting new leaves! 

Thanks to all for your continued prayers and texts and emails checking in. We are finding our footing in our new digs and are thankful school is back in session. These are bringing stability and a sense of place.

Hugs,
mb&k

Hurricane Ian Update #5

Things seem to be moving so fast. They opened up the Causeway on Tuesday for a million repair trucks. It's pretty unbelievable. And they are scheduled to open up the Causeway to residents on October 21, which is also unbelievable. We are so thankful. In case you haven't seen the footage on social media or in the news, here are some links if you want to see the video footage of the convoy arriving on Sanibel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVx9x49EFNc

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqZmsM6fYwg

We are tired but hopeful. There are still so many families in need of help, so many families still in Hertz arena waiting for direction on what to do next. Keep praying for all involved.

Hugs to you all.

Hurricane Ian Update #4

Thank you, thank you, thank you to each and every one of you that made R's 8th birthday so very special!! It was such a sweet day! He started receiving packages and cards before his birthday, then on his birthday, then yesterday too. Wow. We made pancakes for breakfast. He then went on his scavenger hunt for his gifts, a tradition in our house (though the clues were made by a very tired momma), opened gifts, then went to look at a house in Fort Myers that might be ours to live in until we can move back home to Sanibel. Then back to Naples for pizza dinner and cookie cake with friends. It was a good day. He/we felt so loved on and showered by gifts (for L & H & us too!) and calls. He even received lots of video messages and photos of handmade cards from his friends at school! I've posted a few photos from the day at the bottom of this post.

It feels like months since the hurricane, not weeks. Every day is long and full of changing information and plans. We're hoping to be settled into a new place by the end of the month. So much to do before that, though. School starts on October 17, which will be good...get those routines going again. We're so thankful for the school community, for the administration and teachers who, despite going through their own craziness, are there for our kids. It's all so amazing. So thankful for all of the helpers.

I'm feeling a deep sense of weariness setting in...so I'm praying for the energy to get through the days ahead. We also have a sick dog, though we don't know what's wrong. She has had a bad cough since mid-August and has been on a cough med and an antibiotic in addition to her normal allergy meds. But the medicine has run out, our vet on Sanibel is unreachable, and I can't get her meds refilled without being seen. There are so many animals that need more immediate attention, so it's been difficult to get her in to see anyone. Praying about all of that too. 

Thanks for all of your continued prayers and support. We're hanging in there and will be fine. K keeps reminding me that it's a marathon not a sprint...Hugs to all of you!

Hurricane Ian Update #3

Thanks to all of you who were praying as we went over to Sanibel today. It was an early start. No problems getting on the island. Just showed our driver's license to the police stationed by our canal entrance and headed in. I had seen lots of photos of everything thanks to K, so I wasn't too shocked by what I saw. A thin layer of mud over the entire lower level. Mold already starting inside drawers and toy containers with anything wood. It's crazy. I'm thankful K and Todd are working so hard over there to remove the wet & rotting materials. My main job was to attack the playroom...keep as much Lego as possible. And if you know us, we have a lot of Lego. (Such teeny, tiny pieces!!) The Critters all pretty much had to be tossed. The costume bin miraculously remained bone dry as did a few other bins.

The hardest part of this whole thing is really the displaced feeling. We feel we are camping out, trying to unpack, trying to settle, all the while not knowing how long we'll really be out of our home. The stuff in the house is just that...stuff. And we can replace lots of the ruined things. But it's the feeling of losing home. K always has said, "Home is where the hounds are." And we have our hounds and guineas and of course our three awesome kids. So I know "home" is where they are. But I've always been a person whose physical space and place can be a "thin place." And our home on Sanibel is just that. We moved in to this house just over a year ago. Did some work inside. Built a dock outside. We literally just finished our big landscape project the week before the hurricane. I don't think I was holding on to it all too tightly. But sometimes I wonder.

We're hearing lots of encouraging reports that there will soon be a temporary bridge for residents and workers who will get to work rebuilding and getting power and water on. It all just takes time, we know. And we're thankful for the movement in this direction. K has been a machine...getting so much done for us, for our house, for our friends. I admire him and love him so very much. I'm so thankful I have a steady partner through this.

My dad has this saying: Absorb chaos, give back calm, provide hope. We are trying to live that. Big time. But it's very, very tiring absorbing all the chaos while remaining calm and giving back hope.

So that's where I am tonight. I'm tired yet encouraged yet left wondering at it all. So many have lost so much more. I try to see the beauty in things. I try to see the good. I definitely see God. My friend L texted me, "I'm glad you are seeing the beauty in all of this." I told her I didn't really see the beauty but I can definitely see God at work. And she responded, "God is beauty, and you are seeing Him." Made me cry.

Hugs to you all tonight. We look forward to seeing you sometime soon and once again be able to host you in our Sanibel home.

Hurricane Ian Update #2

It's been six days since Hurricane Ian visited us here in SW Florida. It's been a crazy roller coaster of a week. The short of it is that residents are allowed on to the island by private vessel starting tomorrow, curfew of 7am to 7pm. Praise God. K and I are heading there tomorrow, possibly accompanied by our talented & generous builder of a friend, TW. I'll try to post a few photos once I get to lay eyes on everything myself. But we'll be working hard to rid the lower level of anything that mold likes...

Going backwards for a minute...During the storm, we played games, read stories, hooked a portable DVD player up to our little generator and watched a movie. But in the end, K just couldn't focus and just sat by the front door watching the water rise. He was watching and waiting, watching the levels to see when we'd need to move to the next level up because the water might come into the house. The water flooded the street, crept up the mailbox posts, entered the driveway and eventually into the garage. Up the first step to the front door. It was rising so fast. Then it stopped. Then it receded. Then we could actually see the grass again, proof that my eyes weren't deceiving me.

We got power back here at the house in Naples Thursday late afternoon. K immediately went to the back patio and raised the hurricane shutters. The light of the beautiful sunset poured into the room that had been the darkest during the storm. I delighted in it then immediately started weeping. Weeping with relief; weeping with grief. 

I've often thought of the Bible story of Noah and the flood, and especially thought of it during this hurricane. One of our good friends and favorite musicians, Jeff Black, wrote a song called "Noah's Ark." He plays it for me every time he plays at our house concerts. It has always been a favorite of mine, always has moved me. I listened to it this morning and wept. Again. Take a moment and listen. It might just be the theme song for this moment in time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SjfhyDL4z0

We love you and are beyond thankful for all of you and your kind words, your encouragement, your prayers. You have carried us. This would be too heavy without God & you. Bitter. Sweet. They go together. 

To be continued...

Hurricane Ian Update #1 (addendum)

Every day reveals more about all that is happening. I just heard a report from a city meeting that the current plan is to have a plan for the causeway in 30 days, and have the causeway fixed in a year. A year? 

I know Sanibel is a tourist destination where lots of the devastation was to people's second homes. But it's also home to a lot of people whose everything was there. Their livelihood, their only home. So if you know people who may look at the losses on Sanibel and think, well, "it was just a tourist destination" or "if people lived there they can afford to live somewhere else," please remind them that it was so much more for so many people. 

If I'm honest, I fear that Sanibel will be deemed totaled and beyond repair and put out to the curb in order to focus on the losses on the mainland. Please say a prayer that won't happen, if not for us then for all the families who have lost everything and have to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

One more note regarding our family....Our sweet baby, R, turns 8 next Friday. Poor kid is just trying to figure out how to celebrate his birthday and who he can be with. If you want to send him a card, text me and I'll give you the address of where we're staying. Hugs to you all!

Hurricane Ian Update #1

 To our dear friends and family,

Thank you so much to all of you for all of your emails, texts, and phone calls as you check in with us after Hurricane Ian ravaged SW Florida. We evacuated Sanibel on Tuesday afternoon and have been safely hunkered down in Naples, FL at K's parents' house. We have two dogs and three guinea pigs with us. Sadly, we had to leave our four chickens behind. We thought we'd be gone 3, maybe 4 days and packed accordingly. Thankfully, I had the kids pack their most precious lovies; I had the sense somehow to grab the passports, external hard drives, and journals that I've kept for the kids since they were babies.

September 28 was one of the longest days of our lives. We literally sat in the dark watching the streets here in Naples fill with water, slowly making its way into the garage, praying it wouldn't rise the 3-feet into the house, all the while wondering what this hurricane was doing to our community on Sanibel. 

We didn't have power for about 36 hours, which means we had very intermittent satellite connections for our phones. We had no idea about all that was happening in the SW Florida until late yesterday when the power finally came back on and we could finally see images. It's all incredibly heartbreaking and overwhelming.

Late last night, K found out he had an opportunity to get on a boat with a few friends and head over to Sanibel to check on the house. He left here at 6:30am, bringing a short list of things to grab to bring back with him. (FYI, evacuation lists don't generally have "school bags" on them! So some school binders/notebooks were on that list.) While he was gone, some friends sent through the link to satellite images of the damage; I could see that we had a roof, that our boat was still on the lift (we thought all the boats had floated away), and the rv was still in the driveway. We also learned that the Sanibel lighthouse was still standing (we thought it had blown down). All good news.

After a very long day, K returned around 4pm with pictures and news. We learned:

-The lower level of our home flooded and is wrecked; about 4-5 feet of water entered our lower level.
-Our landscaping took a big beating, including our beautiful, ancient banyan tree which has lost at least a third of its mass/branches.
-The upper two floors of the house are totally fine and intact.
-No windows or doors are broken.
-And, miraculously, 3 of 4 chickens survived. They are now free to roam Sanibel to their hearts content...

Unfortunately, our other house (that many of you have been to) over on Palm Lake Drive is ruined, irreparable. At least 5 feet of sea water filled that one-story house. That's our personal bad news. But the bad news continues to come in regarding friends' homes. It's all so terrible. And even what survived is at risk of mold and rot beyond remediation. Sanibel will never be the same.

But we trust that a new Sanibel is coming. I've never seen so many resilient people and spirits. It's awe-inspiring. When I see footage online of all the helpers, I start crying every time. People are bringing food and water to the rescue teams; they are working hard to continue to evacuate people. 

I can't help but count the blessings in our lives despite the tragedy, find the sweet alongside the bitter, as my sister-in-law reminded me.

I'm grateful:
-For the angels who have blessed us immensely (Noah, Todd, Wess, and the countless friends and family who have checked on us and encouraged us)
-That we have a safe place to stay as long as we need to
-That K has such a great sense of humor
-That we're all healthy after a month of struggling with health
-For so many digital photos so I don't need to worry about salvaging paper photos
-That the kids are taking all of this in stride and rolling with the massive changes amazingly well

Thanks for sticking with me through the end of this post. I'm sorry for the impersonal nature of this update. But I am the world's worst and slowest texter and this is the easiest way to give a detailed update to the most people and not be on our phone's all day amidst still-spotty service.

We will be happy to continue to respond personally to texts, emails and phone calls. But wanted to get this update out sooner than later. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. Our prayers continue to go out to our friends and community who were impacted in such tremendous ways.

K wants to add...As the great theologian John Lennon of the Beatles said, "It will be alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end." And as many angels said many times, "Don't be afraid."

All our love,
K, M, L, H, R and the dogs and guineas

A final prayer:
Those who know us well know how much we rely on the strength of God to guide us through the tough stuff and help us focus on the blessings in our lives. Without Christ, we are nothing. I read a beautiful prayer yesterday morning by one of my favorite authors, Shauna Niequist, from her book Savor in a reading called "Scary Headlines." May we all be full of grace, kindness and faith through whatever challenges we face, big or small. Here is the paraphrased version:

"Deep breath. On the days when I'm tempted to lie down on the ground and let the anxiety I feel about our world flatten me like a steamroller, instead I pray. I speak to God, sometimes out loud, often in the car, frequently in the shower. I ask for help about the things I don't understand. I ask for peace, and grace, and the ability to see outside myself. I pray for people who are at the mercy of the scary headlines...And I pray for the people who can solve these problems. I pray for a way through, a light at the end of the tunnel."

Our front yard after...

Our front yard before...

The crazy things that floated into the pool from our pool deck...

Our driveway...

Christmas Letter 2021

Merry Christmas! Life is starting to look a little bit more like we remember it pre-pandemic as we expand our boundaries bit by bit! Overall, it's been a good year despite the "decision fatigue" I'm sure many of us continue to experience because of the pandemic. It feels like we've lived two years in one, since the second half of the year has felt much more "normal" than the first half of the year.

Our highlights of the year include:

We moved into a new house here on Sanibel! We are much closer to the causeway and back up to a deep-water canal that leads out into the bay. We are enjoying the water, more space, and close proximity to some of the kids' friends. We have loved getting to know "the east end" of the island, though we miss the quiet west end with its abundance of birds & wildlife sightings. 

We've enjoyed trips to Indiana, , Michigan, Legoland, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Great Wolf Lodge, Atlanta and Virginia to be with family as we celebrated my uncle's life, and soon-to-be Colorado for Christmas.

L (12 years old) started school this fall. After lots of conversations and even more praying, we made the jump. He's in 7th grade at a school in Ft. Myers called Canterbury (the same name as my brother & nieces school up north in Ft. Wayne) and loves it. We're all pinching ourselves that his first semester is already almost over. He ran cross country this fall and is planning on playing tennis this spring. We're all enjoying getting to know many of the amazing families at his school. He still loves reading, photography & videography, skateboarding & Ripsticking, and playing piano.

H (10 years old) is in fifth grade and doing great. She loves reading, snuggling all the pets (including the three guinea pigs we adopted in August), Ripsticking, gymnastics, dance, chatting with friends, sewing and baking. She remains a peacemaker and convener in our family. She loves adventuring and has been a great catalyst in getting our family out the door again! And she finally got her ears pierced. :)

R (7 years old) is in first grade and is thoughtful & fun & full of spunk and energy. He loves Ripsticking with his siblings and started piano lessons this year. He still is enjoying Boy Scouts (he won the Pine Wood Derby for our troop!) and is always up for an adventure. We've all been getting used to our new school day without L at the table! But we've been enjoying a new Sanibel homeschool co-op as well as lots of Fun Friday events, including Sea School.

K & I celebrated our 20th anniversary this year by going up to St. Augustine and learning to surf! It's been a long-time dream of K's to learn to surf and we both enjoyed it lots! We hope to get the kids surfing sometime next year.

We end the year grateful for family, friends and most definitely each other. Come visit us on Sanibel!

Love & blessings in the new year,

K, M, L, H and R (+ all the animals)

Christmas Letter 2020

THE INTRODUCTION:

Merry Christmas, friends! This year has been so weird, so surreal, so long, and so short all at the same time. Pre-lockdown, we were enjoying full-time life on Sanibel, with Stone Soup, gymnastics, tennis, gatherings with friends and even a few trips thrown in there.  

Through it all, we walk away more grateful for the small things. For family & friends. For good health. For access to grocery stores and clean water. For face masks & hand sanitizer & take out food. For sunshine & the beach & river otters & seabirds. For Zoom writing retreats & photography classes. For celebrating K's 50th birthday. For my Maps group. For kids that like each other & a husband who cleans up the supper dishes...every night. For Couch Concerts & Art for Kids Hub.

As if the year wasn't weird enough, we got chickens. We've always wanted chickens. Now we have five. And four turtles. It took us moving from farm country to a land of palm trees & predators to start living out our dream of chickens. Maybe bees will be next... We also bought a bigger house here on Sanibel that we are excited to grow into. Stay tuned for our new address! 

THE KIDS:

Our oldest one: L is eleven. He is enjoying photography, film making, Rubix cubing, camping, wakeboarding,  playing the piano, reading anything he can get his hands on, and training the dogs to do tricks, among other things. And while tennis may not be his favorite past time, he's really good at it. He's a great story-teller & one of my all-time favorite conversationalists.

Our favorite daughter: H is nine. She seems to be an animal whisperer of sorts. Seriously. It's awesome to watch her with all of our animals. She also is a great tennis player & pianist and is enjoying a small dance class that has worked well during Covid. She is Junior Girl Scout and loves spending time with her sweet friend earning badges. So far they have earned Jewelry (Making) and Outdoor Art Explorer badges. She is clever, has her father's quick wit & sarcasm, and a knack for peacemaking too.

The littlest one: R is six and exudes such joy & gladness now as when was born. He just can't help smiling most days, which is really helpful during a pandemic, though he does have a mean stink-eye. He loves playing Lego, sword-fighting, swinging, swimming & fishing. He also is a budding tennis player & might have everyone licked before everything is said and done. He truly is a gifted athlete. He loves camping & adventuring. He's funny & engaging & loves doing pretty much anything as long as his brother & sister are there. But he's growing up too fast. 

Both boys are enjoying Boy Scouts. And all the kids have enjoyed Sea School down here. Everyone has done amazingly well at remaining flexible as our plans are constantly shifting. We were able to spend an extended time up in Indiana this summer, which was such a blessing. 

THE BENEDICTION:

We look forward to a new year and all the hope it brings. We trust that this season of Christmas will bring you peace and hope in a Savior, because we all definitely need one. I'm going to close with an excerpt from a book called "Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas":

[Bono speaking] "It had dawned on me before, but it really sank in: the Christmas story. The idea that God, if there is a force of Love and Logic in the universe, that it would seek to explain itself is amazing enough. That it would seek to explain and describe itself by becoming a child born in straw poverty, in s**t and straw...a child...I just thought: 'Wow!' Just the poetry...Unknowable love, unknowable power, describes itself as the most vulnerable. There it was. I was sitting there, and it's not that it hadn't struck me before, but tears came down my face, and I saw the genius of this, utter genius of picking a particular point in time and deciding to turn on this. Because that's exactly what we were talking about earlier: love needs to find form, intimacy needs to be whispered. To me, it makes sense. It's actually logical. It's pure logic. Essence has to manifest itself. It's inevitable. Love has to become an action or something concrete. It would have to happen. There must be an incarnation. Love must be made flesh."

Merry Christmas everyone.

K+M+L+H+R
Gus & Ginger the Wonderdogs
The Chickens: Angel, Camila, Big Guy, Buddy & New Guy
The Turtles: [no names at the time of this writing]

THE PHOTOS:

A Pandemic Poem

I recently participated in a wonderful virtual writing retreat with my dear cousin entitled "Finding Purpose in the Pause." Our final exercise was to write our own poem following the format of a poet named James Wright. The basic instructions were: twelve lines, long title, strong words at the end of each line, bold last line. Here's my poem:

The Morning the River Otters Came to Play in My Backyard on Sanibel Island

by M.B. Jackson

There is a pandemic

but they didn’t know; they came to play

anyway on a Tuesday morning.

My smallest child & I lie in bed chattering

when my husband motions for us to Come!

My feet, not yet ready for the day, scream

Snap! Crackle! Pop!

as I step toward the window. Otters! Otters??

Two balls of fur rolling and tumbling for a few short minutes.

We gasp in wonder.

Then they are gone.

My faith is renewed.

Christmas Letter 2019

FLORIDA (or FLORIDIA): A place where may be found ALLIGATORS, LONG-NECKED TURTLES, AND SPACE SHUTTLES. An interesting place that is warm and wet and there are geese, BACON, LETTUCE, AND TOMATO SANDWICHES may be found here also. A lot more interesting than many other places. The shape when seen from the air is like a bit stuck on a bigger bit.

From A Scientific Encyclopedia for the Inquiring Young Nome by Angalo de Haberdasheri (excerpt from Wings, Bromeliad Trilogy Book 3 by Terry Pratchett)

Florida. Or Floridia. Whatever you call it, it's where we now call home. That's right, folks. We moved this past October. It has been a good fit for us. We have been spending time there during winters for the last 10 years & this fall we made the move. We are all loving the sunshine, beach time, swimming, bike riding & wild nature. We have a growing group of friends & a church we really like.

All of us are thriving.

Moving was adventure #2 of the year. Adventure #1 found all five of us in South Africa for seven weeks.  

We had lots of family adventures including horseback riding, climbing boulders on the aptly named Boulders Beach, hiking up Table Mountain, visiting dear friends on their game farm for a week & much much more. (Our Christmas card photo was taken at the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town.)

What made the time in South Africa even more special was that we were with family the entire time. MB’s brother & his family were in Cape Town the entire time, so we had lots of history lessons & the kids got lots of cousin time. & all of MB’s family were with us at the end of our time.

L:  L is 10 years old & is in fifth grade & continues to grow into a fine young man. He continues to read hundreds of pages each week (seriously). L learned to wakeboard this year & is becoming an excellent snow skier. He still loves skateboarding, indoor rock climbing, swimming & tennis. & he continues to excel in his piano playing. L has also recently started Cub Scouts (Arrows of Light) & is enjoying it (& amused by it). L also ran his first 5k & 10k races this year.

H: H is 8 years old & is in third grade. She continues to be a compassionate helper. She takes care of the Wonderdogs & her brothers & loves jumping in to help wherever she sees a need. H is also progressing nicely in piano & loves reading as well. H is just about up on the wakeboard & is also becoming an excellent skier & really likes indoor rock climbing. She is hoping to start gymnastics (again) in 2020.

R: R is 5 years old. He is loving the social aspects of school & is smart as a whip. R has never met a stranger & is always up for an adventure. He is enjoying indoor rock climbing & Cub Scouts (Lions) with his buddies. He loves the dogs & adores his big brother. R is currently fascinated by sharks. And anything Nerf. He is still full of joy & gusto. 

MB & K: The kids keep us young but we are often worn out at the end of the day. MB is still homeschooling & loving all the time with the kids. She is also getting the itch to focus more on The Viewfinder Project or possibly a new venture. I am still focused on Ball Project, partnering with & encouraging friends projects around the world & finding new business opportunities. 

Gus & Ginger: The Wonderdogs are still wonderful. In Indiana they hunt squirrels. In Florida they protect us from the rabbits, squirrels, snakes & lizards. (So far we have dodged the bobcats, alligators, coyotes & iguanas.)

We feel very blessed & very thankful. 

Our family wishes you & yours a very Merry Christmas & a new year full of blessings & adventures. & God bless us everyone!

The best is yet to come…..

mb & k

 SOUTH AFRICA PICS:

OTHER PICS: