I started the year up north for Gracie’s second birthday on Jan. 9, while Dick headed down to the balmier breezes of North Carolina. When I joined him, I planted our veggie garden and was amazed to see one of last year’s lettuces still going strong. Amazing to a northerner! Can’t say the garden that spring did as well though.

In February we headed for Panama and saw the canal, then drove around and got to participate in the madness of Carnival there. We had a great time, though the lack of road signs forced us to get assistance from the friendly local police to find our hotels in several cities.

In March Bob and Wanda came down at separate times and it was fun, as always, to go to special places with them. I flew up for Liam’s fourth birthday and spent a week. In NC I spent a good deal of time making shell wreaths with the shells I’ve collected over the years and they did turn out nicely if I do say so myself. We bought paving stones for our front and back walks that look like sand dollars and spent time carting sand that had been dumped on Dick’s property near Holden Beach, using it to fill holes left by the removal of bushes by the landscaper that had used our land for part of his plantings.

Dave and Linda visited in April, then in May we headed north again. Dick went on a pelagic bird trip on the Outer Banks to see the birds that don’t often come on land. The sea was a bit rough and stormy and the birds were few, but he’s done it. Then we continued up to the inn.

We spent the summer there, enjoying the lake and working on getting the inn ready for visitors. A septic system almost as long as a football field was installed and the area reseeded. New roofs were put on all sections of the inn- both traditional shingles and metal roofing. Many of the guest rooms were repainted and plumbing restored to good working order. Michelle and I decorated rooms with the quilts and arty things we found at yard sales. The reception area was redecorated as well as the dining rooms. We sanded and repainted 32 chairs for use in the rooms and I sewed pads for them. It was a busy summer- and the 150 acres across the road was purchased by the family as well! We’ve loved having friends and relatives come to see this work in progress.

In July we hosted a family reunion of around 60 people and we had almost as good a time as they did. They were nice enough to even help us put the new dock into the lake. They’re already booked for next July and we look forward to seeing them again!

We continued to stay with Gracie and Liam on Tuesdays while Christy and John worked and it’s great to play with them and watch them grow. Gracie managed to get both a foot and an arm broken in her second year, but neither seemed to faze her much. Liam is pretty much reading now and will start kindergarten next September. They’re great!

In June and July Christy and John bought and moved into a house on a lovely pond in Kennebunk and managed to get out of their outgrown condo. It’s a great place for the kids to grow up in.

Rob graduated in May with a degree in Geology from UNH and is busily working in one of the labs there on a grant project for the state of New Hampshire analyzing rock samples.

Rick and Michelle are weathering the myriad of tasks and problems that the inn is throwing their way- and still smiling- most of the time! Ricky and Randy are well adjusted to life here and are now in their sophomore and junior years of high school.

Cindy and Chris continue to flourish in their jobs at Apple and life in California.

In September Heather came back on a visit from Nepal and Cindy and Chris flew here see her. Dave and Linda drove from New York. She’ seems to be happy in her life as a Buddhist nun there.

We drove back to North Carolina in one day and began getting ready for our longest trip to date- 28 days in Madagascar and Kenya. Our first three weeks in Madagascar were spent with our guide, Nono, driving to many of the parks and special areas in the country, and ,of course, seeing many lemurs, chameleons, and unique plants and birds. In Kenya we spent two great days with Robin, a man Dick met through the Birding Pals website, going to birding areas that, fortunately for me, had many many of Africa’s finest animals as well. Then we joined a Gate 1 tour and did many game drives in the Maasai Mara including one where we saw a lion with a recently killed wildebeest and a night drive.

Not long after we returned, we headed back up north to spend the holidays with family! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with both families here at the inn.

Now we hope that you have snug and happy holidays with those you love around you. May 2014 bring you much happiness and good fortune! Have a wonderful 2014! Sandy & Dick