The View from Middle Spunk Creek

2018 in the Rearview Mirror

Well. We survived.

An erratic stock market. An erratic President. An erratic world. Not to mention health issues, court issues and publicist issues.

There, that’s enough time spent on the less-than-stellar parts of 2018. Here’s the good stuff:

1. Grandsons: Spending more time with all four of them. Learning that Nick has enrolled in college. Going to a Saints game with Nolan. Making holiday turkeys with Werner. Watching Cass take his first step.
   

   Nick and Cass

2. Surprise! Being the “surprise” for my sister, Sally’s, 80th birthday party; and hanging out with her and her kids for a few days on a cruise to Mexico.
3. Cousins: My cousin, Paul Becker, and I reconnected after decades, and thanks to him, I reconnected with his twin sisters, Sheryl and Sharyn. Paul’s passion for genealogy led to a fascinating trip through our shared lineage; finding out that we’re descended from, among others, Charlemagne and Lady Godiva (not the chocolate variety).
4. Catfish Days: Trempealeau’s (Wisconsin) annual summer festival where I reunited with old friends, and, thanks to the overlay of a class reunion, old classmates. Celebrated the 50th anniversary of a state high school baseball championship.
5. Finished: The Reaper, nearly a decade in the writing, was completed. Manuscript is now out on submission. Stay tuned.
6. Turtles: A day fishing with my old friend, Jim Gahagan, in which we caught turtles. Big turtles. The size you don’t want in the boat with you.  Oh, we caught fish, too, but it’s the turtles that we’ll talk about forever.
7. Sami, Abbey, Jessie and Bill: Spending Thanksgiving (it was actually a week early) with my nephew, Bill Baardseth, and his absolutely delightful family. Sami (3) will rule the world some day.
8. Cloud Warriors: I actually got to hold the book in my hands. Exhilerating! We continue to creep toward the release date–February 22, 2019.
9. Mears Park: My favorite moment of the year–drinking hot chocolate with Ashley and Wes in the crisp evening air two nights before Christmas, watching Kathy and Werner (3) dance beneath the sparking lights, to Christmas music, on the Mears Park plaza. Magical!
   

   Hot Chocolate at Mears Park

10. Contentment. Basking in the 40th year of wedded bliss to my darling, Kathy. I think we’re finally starting to get this thing figured out.

ROB’S PERSONAL “BOOK OF THE YEAR”

A Gentleman in Moscow

by Amor Towles

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!