Our Christmas Letter for 2024
Whew!2024 was a crazy year for us – but also wonderful!
Our year started in the Florida Keys, staying in different places. One home had fabulous sunsets every night, and two had kayak launches, which we used frequently!
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Don awoke each morning to see the sunrise while Kate was happy to stay sleeping.
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The southernmost point of the country, in Key West.
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We happened upon a seafood festival in Key West. Lucky us!
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We got a great deal on a tandem kayak and took great advantage of it.
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A short walk from one of our rentals, with a wonderful selection of specialty bagel breakfast sandwiches.
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The view from our bedroom in February, mere feet from the ocean.
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Impromptu kayak rack: 2 pool noodles and some cheap ratchet straps. have kayak will travel!
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This fella we spotted in a wildlife refuge on Deer Key, famous for little deer and chickens roaming freely everywhere.
We had opportunities to visit with Don’s mom, brother, and sisters while there and we also lined up a bunch of library presentations for Kate’s book, Agatha Annotated.
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Brother David sitting left, his family, sisters Bonnie and Robin to left of Kate, Kristi, Pam, more kids, and Don and mom.
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Don and his mother Karen
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Kate introduced at one of the 5 book talks throughout the keys.
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Monroe County Library promotion was top-notch.
Once home, we barely unpacked before heading to Champaign, IL to witness the eclipse.
We took Kate’s folks and met up with Emma, Josh, and some friends. It was incredible!
And no, we didn’t directly look at it like in the photo!
At the same time, we heard from a relative of Kate’s who decided to sell her home to us. It needed updating and Don was itching for a project, so we bought it. Since it was in the same neighborhood where we were renting, we figured we could easily work on it over the summer.
Of course, house projects always take more time and money than expected!
We worked very hard all summer, particularly in the kitchen and great room, opening it up for family gatherings. While we did hire a few contractors, we worked right alongside them on ridiculously hot days. There was still much to do when the lease on our rental ended on July 31, but we had running water and other necessities.
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The kitchen lacked a vaulted ceiling and was very confining.
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The dining area had this huge buffet countertop.
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it all had to go! we gutted the kitchen cabinets, walls, and countertop.
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we had help building the new kitchen ceiling to match the rest; also, drywall finishing and floor installation.
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But we did the rest ourselves. Kate scraped all the “popcorn” off the ceiling. Don built and hung the cabinets, and Kate painted them.
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The new kitchen. Kate prefers this type of work over carpentry!
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Note the cabinets in the island and the big blue pantry – all that’s left of the past kitchen.
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The great room is complete. A very satisfying project.
And a good thing we could live there, too, because James and Nina came to visit in mid-August. They drove from L.A. with their dog, Mischief, stopping to see the Grand Canyon and other sights along the way.
James is in his second year of the master’s program at CalArts and works for the school as a technical director, as well as doing some freelance jobs. Nina transferred this year to Cal State and is also working part-time.
While they were here, we celebrated with Kate’s parents for their 65th (!) wedding anniversary.
While they were here, Don posed for a photo with all of his granddogs, including Copper, the new buddy of Emma and Josh’s coonhound, Bonnie.
Emma added Maine East High School to her many other accompaniment jobs and also published a pirate-themed romance novel in June. Rooted was years in the writing and is getting excellent reviews. Josh continues to tinker with 3D printing and woodworking when not writing code for Fivetran.
This year was their tenth (!) wedding anniversary, and they celebrated by traveling to England and Scotland.
We were also in England for most of September. The International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay was our first stop to give a presentation based on Kate’s book and meet other Christie fans and experts. Then we traveled across the country and into Scotland, which we had never visited before. Scotland is simply gorgeous and we would love to spend more time there!
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Kate & Don well-received presentation at the International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, England.
ACFest 1
A tag-team. Kate gave fun anecdotes of words and research; Don talked tech with “how we did it”.
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A fan from Italy approached Kate in the bathroom before her talk – a big confidence boost!
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Tables turned – now Kate is the fan! John Curran, foremost AC expert says her book is “not bad”!
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A meetup in Bath during the Jane Austen Fest, the day after Agatha Christie Fest ended.
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So many castles and abbeys in beautiful ruins throughout England and Scotland.
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The crashing waves with Whitby Abbey in the distance, inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
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Don & Kate in Edinburgh (“Edinbur-ah”). Huge, old, gorgeous city.
Kate & Don returned to homecoming at Knox in October.
Kate had a book signing at the downtown bookshoppe, and was on WGIL the town station a few hours before.
Don built a star for his fraternity, Sigma Nu, replacing the one he built 45 years ago.
With all the visiting and travel, the house project was put on hold. There’s still baseboard to install, painting to do, and boxes to unpack from our third move in three years, but we’re settling in.
The address is 1108 Candida Road in Elgin, if you ever want to stop by!
Gingold House
This year may have been a little too full, but we’re grateful everything worked out well, and we’re looking forward to enjoying a slower pace in 2025. We wish you and yours a new year full of joys as well!
– Kate & Don
That’s a wrap for 2024. Next, check out our Christmases past.