Dear friends and family, 

We hope this finds you well and enjoying the holidays. 

2024 has been a year of many adventures and some milestones.  We are now in our eleventh year of living in Vermont. The time has passed quickly! We are very glad that we chose Montpelier for our retirement.  We love the community and the outdoor recreation here.

We continue our volunteer work with the Montpelier Food Pantry and the Green Mountain Club, and Steve has been keeping up his Italian with his conversation and study group.   Heather also volunteers on two boards for the City of Montpelier.

Here are some of our highlights of 2024. 

Heather had a total knee replacement in January, and was recovering for several months. 

Knee replacements are no fun!

In April we decided to go to Texas to see the eclipse.  We knew that we could see it from here in Vermont, but there was a much greater chance of clear skies in Texas.  Dave met us in San Antonio for the event.  Unfortunately, the Texas sky was completely clouded over, while in Vermont people enjoyed a clear view of the eclipse!  At least we saw the sky go dark for a short time, and we had a chance to see the San Antonio branch of the Bailey family.

Our viewing spot for the non-eclipse

In June we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary.  We traveled to New Jersey to visit our friends David and Jani and take in a Rolling Stones concert in Philadelphia.

August found us on the island of Vinalhaven, Maine with friends from Vermont.  We did a lot of kayaking, hiking and swimming.

Our brother-in-law Tom Wolski, whom we knew for over 50 years, died suddenly this summer.  In August we attended a celebration of his life in Cambridge, NY, where he worked as a veterinarian for three decades.  We will remember him for his booming laughter and his remarkable way with animals.

Tom and his wife Jan with their puppy, Quinn 

In July we spent a week with Dave, Natasha, baby Quentin and Melissa on the shores of Lake Cle Elum, east of Seattle.  We hiked, swam and went out on paddle boards.

In September the Bailey clan met at South Haven on Lake Michigan. There were a lot of us!

Quentin turned 2 years old on Halloween.  We flew to Seattle in time to celebrate with him and his family.  We trick-or-treated in the rain as characters from Jurassic Park.

Dave and Natasha had a weekend away while we "baby wrangled". We took Quentin to the Seattle aquarium and an animal sanctuary.

Quentin meets two llamas

After Seattle, we went to Santa Fe for a week to get some sunshine before heading back to cloudy Vermont.  We visited the Georgia O'Keeffe museum in Santa Fe and also Ghost Ranch, where she lived for many years. 

Chimney Rock at Ghost Ranch

Plaza Blanca, where Georgia O'Keeffe often painted

We had a special treat this Christmas with Dave, Natasha, Quentin and Melissa all visiting us in Vermont.  We were lucky enough to have snow for sledding!

After Christmas we visited Heather's sister Jan and her family.

We wish you all peace and good health in the new year!

With love, 

Steve and Heather