CHRISTMAS 2013

---

HUMKE CHRISTMAS BLOG – 2013



We had a wonderful year visiting friends and relatives (aren’t they the same people?), traveling about and enjoying beautiful Colorado.



Our major travel involved a house exchange with friend Marcello spending a month in Vicenza, northern Italy. New sights like the Dolomite Mountains and familiar ones like Venice and Slovenia filled our days. From Italy we flew to Amsterdam and found little Dutch towns where Mary’s great-grandparents once lived. Driving, hiking and biking in Holland were wonderful as well as being tourists in Bruges, Belgium.



The Rem-Ho-Hum family (Megan’s and Matt’s that is) reunion has become a yearly highlight. This year it was in beautiful Oregon. Multiple trips to DC and Austin gave us quality time, but never enough, with grandkids Lola and Daniel. Despite a seven year gap in ages those little cousins sure enjoy each other. In July family and friends gathered to say goodbye to John’s mother and co-mingle her ashes with his father’s at the Land. Mary took time to visit her fine relatives in Oostburg while John was in Canada. Also, nephew and niece Mark and Gretchen live in nearby Utah and we had a really nice visit with them.



While John is out and about, Mary has lots to do in Boulder including being a leader in the local branch of the American Association of University Women who put on a major science career day for young girls. She also serves on the hospitality committee at church, which involves lots of cookies, and attends two book groups. Together Mary and John help the Boulder homeless with meals weekly.



Hunting and fishing always are highlights for John and it started right off in January with friend Ray deer hunting on Long Island – no luck. Fishing for walleye in Canada and trout/kokanee in Colorado is always fun but hunting puts the meat in the freezer. And the freezer now has two antelope and one elk to keep us fed next year. The most wonderful hunt was when John got to take Wisconsin friend Tom Lemmer on a very special elk hunt. Tom scored! This was his first visit to Colorado so the whole ten days was one big adventure – especially for John.



Other adventures included John and Matt driving from Texas to Guatemala (as in the entire length of Mexico,) where Matt, Megan and Lola now live. Guess what? Since moving to Antigua little Cash Humke has arrived on the scene. We haven’t been formally introduced yet but on Skype he is a bright-eyed cute baby. We can’t wait for big sister Lola to introduce us so we can give them both some big hugs. That will happen later this week when we go to Antigua for a month and Erika and family join us for Christmas. Hooray!

Old folks like us always have a few bumps in the road, medically speaking, and the most noteworthy was Mary having two toes operated on to improve her walking stability – she hikes with friends weekly. John continues to keep his prostrate cancer at bay with shots in the butt.



Much love and peace to all of you. – Mary and John

---

Photos

Amsterdam, Holland
Mary and John on the canal.

Wisconsin - The land
Daniel and Erika and the magic tree

Antigua, Guatemala
Megan, Matt, and Lola at home.

Lola and baby Cash
A proud big sister!