These holiday greetings were somewhat delayed so that we could bring you the very latest of news:
Rodger and Annie bought a sailboat, a 25 foot Hunter just large enough to spend a weekend in comfort. The Possible Mallard is a pleasant diversion from things electronic when the sun is out and the wind up on Lake Chickamauga.
Rodger flew his hang glider less this year than last, logging only a couple of dozen flights and 15 hours or so in the air, but still managed to avoid crashing into any trees, which is one important measure of success.
Rodger and Annie drove around California on a whirlwind tour in September, Annie's first vacation in a long time. The big trees, the dramatic coastline, and the mountains of Yosemite made for lasting memories.
Rodger did not enter a cave during the entire year of 1998, the first such year in a quarter decade. For the second year in a row, the ski boat did not leave the garage.
We lost Skittish, our kindly older cat, but gained Money Penny, who has become Uncle Theodore's best friend. We also gained a very friendly dog named Ellijay who appeared mysteriously in the neighborhood last May.
Annie and Rodger both worked long hours, Annie implementing systems at Erlanger Hospital and Rodger at the UTC Computing Help Desk, where he has built a small empire of computers and chaos.
Annie got a new car, a 1998 Toyota Corolla, when an elderly woman pulled out in front of us on the infamous W Road. Making car payments again almost makes us feel almost like normal people.
Rodger is going to have laser surgery in early January so that he, like Annie before him, will be able to see the alarm clock in the morning.
Sometime around July 2, Annie is going to have a baby. This is big news.
Photographs (from top):
Visit
http://www.cdc.net/~rling/home.htm. and e-mail to Rodger-Ling@utc.edu, lingal@erlanger.org. You can also reach us at 2020 Hargis Circle, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 (423) 886-6288.
Annie in northern Yosemite
Annie at Point Reyes, California
Rodger steers a 60 foot sloop in San Francisco Bay
Big trees in Sequoia National Park, California