2024 Review in Photos

Welcome to our 2024 Year in Photos. If you are here, you've successfully navigated here via the QR code embedded in this year's Holiday Card! During the process of composing the yearly Family Holiday card, I go through photos from the past year to use in the card. It is hard to cull the photos that will be printed in the card, so this year I decided to add some "technology" to the card in the form of a QR Code to access this post with many more photos and stories from our year. Enjoy!

Christmas and holiday greetings from our family to yours.

We enjoyed relative stability over the past year (that’s our way of saying not much has changed) - Scott and Shirley are still in Illinois, mostly retired (Scott took on contract work as a Project Manager). Erica is still in Madison with her dog (Charlie) and horse (Cookie). Brian is still in St Louis. We all traveled to Charlotte NC in the summer for an extended family gathering on Lake Norman. Scott, Shirley and Erica road tripped there allowing us to take Charlie. We enjoyed being with cousins, grandparents, aunties and uncles, taking in the “Lake Life”.

Brian also traveled to the UK and Europe. Erica took a trip to Seattle. Shirley had the privilege to travel to Japan and Germany with her sister Teresa, who ran the Tokyo and Berlin marathons. Shirley also attended her 35th college reunion in Cambridge MA, reconnecting with so many friends.

Scott and Shirley also road tripped to Tulsa, OK to visit old friends from their Indiana / GE days, the Bowlins. Jeff and Janine were such gracious hosts, showing us the unique sights in Tulsa, taking us to the Pioneer Woman Ranch and Tallgrass Prairie where we encountered the herd of Bison.

While we are incredibly grateful for these “big trips / experiences”, we take joy in our daily and local lives - walks to see the sunset, the birds that visit the feeder, our golfing friends, our longtime friends and neighbors, visits to local parks, local college athletics and the myriad of activities available within a couple hours.

We are so lucky to have friends and family to share with these big and the small things with. We hope your holidays are filled with light and peace, may you take moments of joy with you into the New Year.

Now for the photos!

January brought freezing temperatures which enabled Shirley and her photography friends to take photos and video of freezing bubbles.

In February, Shirley traveled with sister Teresa to Japan. First stop - Kyoto, where we took in massive bamboo forests and temples with their impressive Tori gates and lanterns.

Then it was off to Toyko for the Toyko marathon. Teresa's husband, Ray, flew in for this portion of the trip. Teresa and I made friends in Kyoto - Ed and Karen Hsu from Seattle. Ed also ran the marathon so we met up with them during and after the event.

We did a lot of sightseeing in Toyko, and of course the food (ramen counter here) was amazing.

In April, Teresa flew out to Illinois to experience totality of the solar eclipse. We drove south to the small town of Olney and spent the day hanging out in the town's park with friends, white squirrels and other groups of people all present for the almost four minutes of total darkness as the moon crossed over the sun. It was an amazing experience.

In Spring, Bluebells carpet the forest and woodlands. We are lucky to have access to numerous forest preserves to enjoy the sea of flowers. Shirley frequents the nature preserves with with friends My and Brenda

Erica riding Cookie in a clinic in May.

Photos from Shirley's 35th college reunion at MIT. Taken at the top of Baker House, the dorm we lived in while in school. We all miss this million dollar view of the Boston skyline. With friends Robin and Henry: