2009 has been a year filled
with hard work, yet we took plenty of opportunities to enjoy ourselves. We
traveled near and far, visiting family and friends, tourist sites and
popular landmarks. We saw our favourite musicians and live shows, went to
fairs, amusement parks and camps. We all picked up new skills in our own
areas of interest. We spent quality time with each other and, sadly, had to
farewell some of our nearest and dearest.
Jeremy and Joe - San Francisco
Hong Kong at Night
We began the year by watching
the fireworks display on Sydney Harbour. A week later and Frances and I
were off for a 3 week trip to Asia where we visited Macau, Hong Kong,
Shenzhen, China and Saigon, Vietnam. The timing was perfect as it was
Chinese New Year, the biggest celebration of many Asian countries. It was a
real eye-opener to be absorbed in a culture so different
from our own.
Unfamiliar foods, language and customs took us out of our comfort zone but
we were shown hospitality and friendship throughout our trip.
Jeremy Dylan
Dominic, Jeremy, Timothy
In
July, Jeremy and I traveled to the USA where we spent two weeks in
Conneaut. We attended the Gurto Family Reunion which is always a wonderful
day. While in Conneaut, we visited Cleveland and went to the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame and a Cleveland Indians Game. We had dinner with my cousins,
Brenda, Faye, Joyce and their families. Jeremy, my mother and I took a ride
on an old steam train and went to the Medieval Faire. My Aunt Dot came down
to Conneaut to see us while we were there. We weren't to know that she
would pass away a short time later. I was lucky to catch up with an old
school mate, Dave, and we shared a few drinks, laughs and reminiscences of
days gone by. Tragically, Dave also passed away unexpectedly in October.
Frances and the Big Buddha at Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Jester Jeremy and Groovy Grandma
The
last few days of the trip were spent in San Francisco. We celebrated
Jeremy's 19th birthday at Fisherman's Wharf on Pier 39 watching the seals
lazing on the pontoons. We took a cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge and
around Alcatraz island, rode the cable cars, took a sightseeing tour and
visited Haight Ashbury where we immersed ourselves in San Francisco's
bohemian culture.
Vietnam
Vietnamese Market
When we returned to Australia,
Frances and a friend, Lyn took a week to drive around Victoria. They drove
along the Great Ocean Road where they saw the rock formations known as the
twelve apostles. They visited churches and goldmines and spent a few days
in Melbourne playing tourist, shopping and dining out.
Dominic made several trips to Brisbane and Frances and I went to Shoal
Bay to attend a friend's wedding.
Waldameer Park
12
Apostles
Sometimes a live act comes
around that you just have to see. There were a few this year. The three
boys all saw David Byrne and Pearl Jam this year.
Brian Eno also came to Australia to curate a festival of lights and perform
in concert. Frances, Jeremy, Timothy and I enjoyed wandering the brightly
lit Sydney streets, and Jeremy saw Eno himself perform. Frances,
Jeremy and I went to see Simon and Garfunkel. Although our seats weren't
together and were in the back of the top section of the arena, at the last
minute Frances and I were offered seats on the floor which made the
experience even more fantastic. It just so happened that Bob Dylan, Willie
Nelson and John Cougar Mellencamp were playing a concert near Cleveland
whilst we were there and Jeremy and I enjoyed seeing these legends. Timothy
and I went to see a performance of The Mikado at the Sydney Opera House and
Frances also saw the show with her mother and sister. Also, just the
other night, Frances and I saw Wicked, which the boys had seen a few weeks
before.
Jeremy at Haight Ashbury
Mary, Johnson, Joe and Frances in Shenzhen, China
We all were working much
harder this year. I took on the role of Head Teacher Mentor at our school
where it was part of my job to mentor new teachers and to guide them through
the Accreditation process. Frances' firm made some staff cuts which
increased her work load as well. The boys were all busy with University
work, receiving good results. Dominic is preparing for his thesis next year
while Timothy is unsure of whether he will do his thesis in the first or
second semester as he has been busily working on a major programming project
that may impact on his decision. Dominic and Timothy are both doing a three
month internship with a software company just outside their University.
Jeremy has had his first experiences teaching, doing his first prac classes
during the first semester and working with Sudanese refugee children
recently.
Casinos in Macau
Joe's Family
Gurto Family Reunion 2009
In March I was invited,
through the Australian Culinary Association, to attend a training session by
the Chinese Master Chefs who were visiting Australia and learned the art of
making dim sum. I also went to a class on preparing pork dishes. For
Father's day, Frances got me a class in Cheesemaking. We both attended and
enjoyed it. We learned how to make Ricotta, Mozzarella
and Labne as well as several other dishes. I have made these cheeses
several times since then both at home and at school with the students.
Matilda
1994 - 2009
Jeremy, Dominic, Timothy
In June we said good-bye to
Matilda. She had been waning for quite awhile and we knew it was finally
time.
We hope that you had a good year as well. We wish you a Merry Christmas and
hope that 2010 will be a wonderful year for us all.
