){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
week 15
){kind=small}
week 16
| Walter, Leslie & Maya
wish you a | very Merry Christmas |
| Greetings all, of course our time altering event of the year was the birth of Maya on Aug. 11. | |||||
| Time has since slowed greatly though she changes constantly. We are now on a Mayan calender where 7pm is night-time and 4:30am is morning. | |||||
| Each tree ornament is linked to a picture from a different era, so click on each. | |||||
| We did almost no traveling this year; instead had a greater flux of visitors as Leslie's sister Rebecca and Maya's cousin Riley came out for a week right around Maya's birth and her parents come out for several weeks. | |||||
| In October, sister Wendy provided Maya with two more cousins: Bowen & Abigail | |||||
| The O'Dell side had a reunion of sorts with our annual 4th of July BBQ and with cousin Mike and Nicole's fall wedding. | |||||
| Each picture under the tree links to a description and picture of that and related event, so try them all. | |||||
|
Home Work
 )
This started off as the year of the appliances.
We had a natural gas line installed in February and then followed a new gas stove, water heater,
heating furnace, and air conditioner. Removal of the
two oil storage tanks gave Walt a new room for electrical work and storage (picture, with woodshop behind it). The continued
renovation of the house included remodeling of the downstairs bath, including shower unit and exterior
window, new soffets and gutters all around, a new roof on the sun porch, and removal of the west side
chimney. Renovation of the entrance room revealed a pet squirrel whose
'cologne' gave away his secret hiding place in the wall.
 )
A new snowblower got us through a cold winter. In the spring Walt went
back to work on the lake front landscaping, completing a second tier wall with stones his brother Norm
provided us. Alot more work needs to be done out there though. A load of topsoil was used to level off parts of the back yard and a load of manure (free out here!)
came to help out the garden. The pumpkins, beans and tomatoes did very well, as did the old apple tree
in the back yard.
Activities
 )
We both continue to do activities for our small church in Pultneyville.
We both are in the choir, as seen in the picture. Leslie is the church secretary, a youth group leader,
and sits on the Church Council. Walt is the official web master
(pultneyvilleUMC.org) ,
photographer, band organizer, and sits on the Trustees Committee.
 )
The backyard
fishing was better than last year but still not as good as a few years ago.
We try to get to as many of nephews Nick and Than's soccer games as we can, though
we missed alot of them. We saw them often at Rhinos Soccer games though, as we all had season tickets.
Maya went to her
first Rhino's game when she was 6 days old, when a big rain storm delayed the game for an hour.
[Right] At this monthly family gathering we all helped make a bird house -- with a cat theme.
Walt also made a massive green soccer kick wall (regulation goal size) for their backyard.
 )
Walt played in an over-40 soccer tournament in Oneonta
(home of the Soccer hall of Fame) with teams from all over the
Northeast US, losing in a shootout to the eventual champions (the opponent in the picture used to
play professionally). Walt also played in an over-30 mens
soccer league over the summer and looks to get into an indoor league for the winter. He still plays
2-3 times a week at the UofR. Leslie and Walt played in a coed
vball league at the UofR. After a summer break from sports (mini-Maya in progress) Leslie is back
playing in a womens vball league in the city, with friends and family graciously looking after
Maya when needed.
Events
 )
Leslie got her perminant teacher certification in the spring, though she
is planning on taking at least the next year off to care for Maya. Walt helped his department get the biggest
grant ever seen at the UofR cancer center, though he somehow missed out on getting his own project funded. After a
mad dash to beat grant application deadlines, we are waiting anxiously to find out how the last 12 will fare.
When Leslie's parents were here they got to go on a wagon ride through
a local apple orchard -- pick as you go. We both did make it out to Miami for the annual ISMRM conference,
although I came to loathe the fancy Hilton hotel we were at. Leslie also made it out to LA in April to visit
college friends and a visit to Santa Clara-- a last hurrah before Maya was born.
 )
Of course our biggest event was the pregnancy, birth and continued
growth of Maya, here less than 3 hours old with cousins Nick and Than, and Daddy. Over the last year many
friends have also jumped on the bandwagon to have new kiddies: sister Wendy & Chris; Ed & Christine;
Kevin & Liz; Brian & Tiffany; Eric & Nancy; Shahani & Mark, to name a few.
|
|