Season's Greetings 2004

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We started 2004 slowly -- staying close to home, keeping active in our church & community,
and getting to the 24 hr. fitness water aerobics class three times a week. 
The San Diego Button Club hosts the
Regional Button Show on the last Saturday
in January. This year, we had a great time
buttoning and adding to our collection.
It has been a year of political  action as we
gathered at City Hall on March 18th in an
effort to keep the hatred of others from
writing us out of the constitution.
We were also in a small group bible study that emphased relationships. Pat and I enjoyed making great new friends and reaffirming our Holy Union and domestic partnership commitment.
In May, we joined the Garden Compass staff on a tour of the Otto & Sons Nursery. Their roses were all in bloom and everyone brought some lovely flowers home to enhance our own gardens.
Right: Sharon and Bruce Asakawa;
Left: Rose garden at the our side yard.
In June, we flew to Fairbanks, Alaska, to begin a sixteen day tour of our 49th state. We dropped off our luggage and headed out to visit Mary Shields (the celebrated Alaskan musher and first woman to finish the Ididarod) and her sled dogs.
The captain's dinner.		 Next we boarded the Statendam to cruse through the  College Fjords and Glacier Bay; then on to the cities of Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan--awesome!
We saw many other wonderful places as well: Denali National Park and Anchorage--traveling on the glass dome train. We saw wildlife galore, including a grizzly bear and her three cubs as well as the no-longer endangered bald eagle--perfect!
When the Center had a 30th Anniversary Celebration and  dedicated a Founders' Wall, we were thrilled to be invited. We had known two of those honored, Barbara Crusberg & John Eberly.
Pictured:  California State Senator Chris Kehoe,
               George Murphy, and Jeri Dilno.		 September 21st, we celebrated our 20th Anniversary and our dear friends, Nancy and Lea held a bunch for us. Many of our friends were able to attend and all of Sandy's family were there as well. It was a wonderful gathering where we shared food, pictures and great memories.
Left:  (1) The San Diego Alumni Group of Denison University met for a talk about the effects of negative campaigning and (2) Pat with her crop of tomatoes and one of her pineapples.
November brought us to Hawaii.  Pat found out that two of her classmates live on Oahu, so she phoned them both and met with one, Gail, at the Iolani Palace in Honolulu.  It turned out that the chosen day was King David Kalakaua's (1836-1891) birthday and they have an annual celebration at the palace complete with the Hawaiian royal guards and Abigail Kawananakoa, grandniece of Kalakaua, reviewing the troops.  Later we had a wonderful tour of the palace, and, on our tour met and talked to Abigail.  Some of our Hawaii pictures are on our web site. We spent several days with Pat's long time friend, Joyce, who she met when she lived in Hawaii in the mid-1960s. We had brunch at Cinnamon's with Joyce and her mother, Claire.  Pat spent the next day with Joyce and Claire at their home.  Then, Joyce joined us for a day at the Waikiki Aquarium.  Here, we spent several hours enjoying the sites and the renewed friendship. We saw both kinds of sea dragons, which are related to sea horses (see picture). We returned home on Nov. 20th and haven't been warm since. I'm sitting at the computer with my jacket on--tee hee. How can anyone survive where it snows--burrrrr!
Our favorites always include something Japanese.  Left:  At the wonderful Tokyo Sushi Restaurant;  Right:  We enjoy a special tea ceremony in our
Tatami room with Kumiko & her mother, Hatsue.

Annie, enjoying her nap.
Sandy and Pat, enjoying the Alaskan sunset.
Yukio, the king of the hill.
Hope this year brings you all things beautiful and PEACE to the world, Lovingly, Pat & Sandy

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