Happy Holidays! Please click on photos to enlarge!
We started the year in Costa Rica, where we visited towering waterfalls, soaked in volcanic thermal baths, picked coffee beans, zip-lined through the cloud forest canopy and lounged on Pacific beaches. Here are a few shots from our photo album:
   During the spring semester (sophomore year), Rebecca attended the Gettysburg College Clarinet Day and performed in the All County Band, Hood College Wind Ensemble and High School Concert Band.
Jim participated in a bird banding event at the local Audubon facility
where Rebecca now volunteers at National Science Honors Society activities.
   Rebecca and boyfriend R.G. had a lot of fun at prom.
  Jim and Rebecca climbed the Via Ferrata in Shenandoah. Thanks Pete and Rachel for organizing this father-daughter event! More photos are here.
  When school let out for the summer, Rebecca spent two weeks in Athens, Ohio with Aunt Christine and Bob working (and eating!) at the bakery and exploring Wise Acre Hill.   We are so saddened by the loss of Carol Zaiser, Meg Stevens and Tom Schmidt this year.
Jim and Stephanie were honored to attend services in Wilmington and Atlanta, respectively.
Such wonderful people are sorely missed.
  Rebecca had a blast attending the Exploring Engineering at University of Maryland (E2@UMD) program in College Park and got her first taste of life on campus.
  Rebecca's close friend from England visited in July and had fun seeing the sites and experiencing a week of life in the USA.
   About 20 of Rebecca's friends celebrated her sixteenth birthday at our house.
Yes, she is now driving!
  Rebecca had a lot of fun at Homecoming.
   It was a beautiful autumn in Maryland.   The first semester of Rebecca's junior year has been extremely busy. Of her four classes, three are for Advanced Placement credit (Calculus, Chemistry and U.S. History) with hours of homework every night. Marching band involved extended evening practices twice a week plus football games most Fridays and competitions most weekends plus private lessons. Four honors societies demand numerous community service hours; she participates in a science and engineering program monthly and an engineering internship twice a month. Etc., etc., etc. It often seems as if Stephanie and Jim are around merely to provide room, board and transportation!
In our spare time, we managed to grow a few pumpkins and butternut squash (which were about the only edibles in the garden that could compete with the weeds).
  Rebecca's marching band placed first in Maryland for their division and third overall (all states and divisions) in the USBands Mid-Atlantic States Championship at the Navy Stadium in Annapolis. They also performed at the Ravens Stadium in Baltimore for the state football championship game.
    She was also principal clarinetist in her high school concert band and was recognized during the winter concert for achieving First Clarinet in the upcoming All County Band.
We have already seen about 7" of snow in December. Here are a few shots from our photo album:
  This year we will be in the area enjoying the holidays with family and friends. If we don't manage to see you, then we hope to hear from you soon!
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