Hopefully you've had a good year too and you are really ready for 2013? This will be a pretty short Christmas letter. It was one of those years with very little excitement – good or bad. We did have several nice trips and we had some very welcome visitors, but there were no accidents, surgeries, or lottery wins. We didn't move nor did we renovate any houses. Weather was hot and dry, but no floods or tornadoes.

  Sadie's life was even more humdrum than ours, but her legs and back seem to be quite strong. We're keeping busy. Sylvia still works three days a week as an Assistant Manager for the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. She enjoys the work, the organization and her co-workers. Jerry is the “house husband.” He keeps busy keeping busy. This past year was mostly landscaping and fighting losing battles with the “Loch Lomond Bermuda Triangle,” a hole in the lake that devours irrigation pumps and lawn mowers. He enjoys serving on the “Lakes” committee. NW Arkansas continues to grow rapidly – traffic is frequently a problem and finding exciting new restaurants is not.

  We really enjoyed our “big” vacation – even more than Jerry said we would. The “Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia” was a real eye-opener. Ho Chi Minh City, in particular, was a bustling modern, commercial center with no apparent remaining effects from the war, except for the War Remnants Museum. Didn't see any commies. The Cambodians were very friendly and happy, and seemed to have forgiven both the Americans and the Khmer Rouge. Laos was poor and Thailand had beautiful temples. Sylvia enjoyed the food and Jerry didn't. The destruction caused by American bombs, land mines, and agent Orange in Cambodia, Laos, and VietNam was overwhelming; a real sad eye-opener. Recommend the trip, but in January and February. We've already booked our passage on the slow boat from Vienna to Amsterdam for June 2013. As usual our ever faithful companions, Joyce and Kenn, will be joining us.

  The annual trip to the “old country” was good as always. Sylvia's family and our friends are doing well, but Angela still fights her ever-present migraines and Paul perseveres in an unstable job environment. He has gained several new accreditations.

  Enjoy the holidays! If you find yourself anywhere near this lovely corner of Arkansas, stop in for a visit.

 

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Happy New Year!

Sylvia, Jerry and Sadie

20 Cheviot Lane, Bella Vista, AR 72715,
Telephone 479-271-8572 /479-531-2997
E-mail: jerry@argets.com or sylvia@argets.com
website: https://argets.com/