December 2015
Dear family and friends,
Where’s Waldo? I mean
Mike and Sharman? They are lost somewhere in a kaleidoscope of travel and
adventure. 2015 featured Borneo, Laos (the Mekong River) and Vietnam. The foliage picture was taken at 11,000 feet on
Mt. Kinabalu, which we climbed with our friend Tom Choate and 200 other hardy
tourists. In June we climbed Mt Olympus with our friend Janet: the second photo
is overlooking the Blue Glacier at dawn. You can see pics of both climbs at the links in the nav bar for this blog . In
July we had two back-to-back family destinations: nephew Booth and his bride
Iris Yee’s celebrated and 
iconic wedding in Golden Gate Park, and a gathering
of the full Samoya tribe in Cincinnati to celebrate their parents’ 70th—yes
70th—wedding anniversary. It was the first time in 30 years all nine
kids were together, and the first time Sharman met most of them. Very
wonderful. Over the summer we day hiked and climbed with our Seattle friends,
including a 24 mile crossing of the Enchantments at peak fall color. In August
we worked long hours on our trimaran sailboat, culminating in a 12 day trip up
to Princess Louisa Inlet in BC. The day we crossed Georgia Strait winds reached
45 knots! (It would have been terrifying had my skipper not been cool and calm
as a Coho.) Upcoming in 2016 our ambition is to climb the highest volcano in
every country in Central America. After that, sailing to Alaska—the trip that
got postponed from 2015. After that, floating the Sheenjek River, which flows
from the eastern Brooks Range to Fort Yukon, in our PakCanoe. Whew! 
“Home” is camping in a construction project, our unfinished house barge on the Duwamish River. We have a beautiful tongue and groove cedar ceiling now and unfinished maple plywood walls. Maybe by this time next year we will have a floor, kitchen and bathroom, complete with running water! The neighborhood is a little noisy, as it is directly under the Seatac in-bound flight path and across from Boeing field, but has the assets of central location, friendly residents including blue herons, crows and kingfishers, tides that rise and fall, and vistas of changing water and sky. Shore-side it also has aromas of a
coffee roaster and a marijuana grow and processing operation.
Sharman: I still timeshare back and
forth to my house and community life in Anchorage. But my family is
geographically divided since Maggie, Javi, Kemani and Mya Rose moved to Federal
Way in July, leaving Ricarica, Thomas and Jayden beached in Anchorage. The big
news there is that Ricarica and Thomas are expecting a second child, in May.
The PNW is even more the family center of gravity now that my father Ted and
his wife Rosel--and her two daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren
who just emigrated from Honduras--bought a house in Tacoma. I try to visit them
once a week, and sometimes take TR out to the local pool hall for a game. Contrary
to my prior forecast, fall quarter I taught again for the Evans School of
Public Policy. My dream teaching gig: Behavioral Science and Public Policy! The
reading is fascinating and the students are stimulating. It was also the
perfect excuse to attend the inaugural conference of the Behavioral Science and
Public Policy Association in New York City in June. I still pose as a science
journalist. I got one commentary on the conference published online in Governing, and am currently working on a
piece for Medscape on the Positive
Parenting Program being piloted in pediatrics offices. My next ambition is to
write an article for Alaska Airlines magazine on ocean acidification and the
Alaska shellfish industry. Very urgent and timely! (A major lesson from
behavioral science research: publicly stating my plan will make follow-through
more likely.)
We continue to be devoted to each
other. Every day we are grateful. Every day is a wonder. We are posterchildren
for happy retirees. We wish each of you much adventure and learning: happy 2016
to all!
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