December 2002

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Well, I always like to start off with a joke and, since this is Washington, political jokes are par for the course. 
But, unfortunately, all the politicians are so dull nowadays!  Where are Newt or Tip O'Neill or Wilbur Mills &
Fannie Foxe or Bill & Monica when we need them!?!  They were colorful; but what do we have today?  Tom
Daschle, Donald Rumsfeld, Al Gore, Dick Armey--dull, dull, dull!

Oh well.  The market--now there's a joke!  Nuff said, since it's really not funny.  Did you see that bank ad--
"Why pay taxes?  Get a zero interest CD!"

Reaction to 911 still remains:  The pin in my coat lapel, putting the flag out every day except when it rains.....

But with some misery, there's a lot to be thankful for.  We live in a wondrous time.  When I was a boy, growing
up, we didn't have such things as microwaves, ATM's, Interstate highways, pop-top cans, MRI's & catscans,
Formula 409, cell phones & TV.  But also no traffic or road rage!  I can even dimly remember going to town (7
miles) in a wagon drawn by a team of horses!

Some things change & some don't.  Ted still cuts my hair.  I still love my wife & kids.  Mary still complains
about too much clutter (and I still have a sense of history & consider myself a "preserver"--not a "pack rat").

The strife in Israel continues--as does our worry over Cindy & Israel & kids (Noah-4, Maggie-almost 3 & SarEl-
1«) over there, even though they are in an area spared from violence so far.  Of course our big news here was
"the sniper."  Cindy even called  with concern--& shocked to find that we had been out walking as usual!  Didn't
affect us--altho I did find myself doing a little "shuffle/bob & weave" as I filled up at the local station....

Steve into karate & doing engineer work for Honda near Columbus, Ohio.  Mary still doing volunteer work with
ECHO & otherwise keeping busy.  Webmastering with USAHA, gardening & soccer league-directing help keep
me off the streets & out of trouble. 


High point of the year, travel-wise, was an eight-day June stay in a villa/hotel in the tiny (only 400 folks!)
village of Marchella in the Chianti area of Tuscany.  You can see some of the beautiful countryside by visiting
my Website (www.erols.com/ldmark) & clicking on "Tuscany."  (If you look hard, you might find a few
pictures of some grandkids, too!)  

Earlier, we got away from our winter weather by combining a visit to my sister Jane in her new beautiful home
near Cape Canaveral with a short cruise to the Bahamas.  And this fall, we combined our business trip to St.
Louis (USAHA) with a visit to my school friend John Fell (together grades 1-12) & his wife Nancy, who live
near there.

Now for the license plates:  BRU 1 4ME; IOSLVR; ABUD 4U; FLWR LVR; DA BOSS; I GO2FSH; ITZ
BTSE (Toyota Spyder); DA COWS; KIT TTT; DALILA 2; UDA1 DAD; PRINTS S (white Bug); EEECK
(black Toyota Spyder convert); SNDLVR; SRVE ACE; BE NAUTI. 

Plus O2BNDXE; MA AMMA; 1BADJEP; IMWILD2; GETUFIT; TEX LADY; ISKIUT (BMW convert);
TYGURS; 1QT DOLL; NEW ME; DDRUMR; LIL ITLN; & 91ONE.

And how about this for a bumper sticker:  "Be Kind to Animals -- Hug a Hockey Player!"

Has anybody else noticed Dan Rather's obsession with El Nino?!?

Rumor (remember, you heard it here!):  Is Jack Welch romantically involved with Martha Stewart?!?  And how
would it affect his life style!?!  Kindof boggles the mind, doesn't it?

At our age, we've got everything we need; we just don't know where we put it!!

Nothing new on the patio.  And, though I don't know what the purple pill called Nexium is for, I almost feel
compelled to ask my doctor for it.

That's it for another year--best holiday wishes from Mary & Larry