Gratitude

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Nanette Harter

Receiving all the festive holiday cards and email messages I get this time of year reminds me how grateful I am for all my family and friends. I realize it has been a year since I last wrote a web page. Although our day to day lives seem uneventful, there is much to be grateful for. We love our tiny cottage home on the ocean in Maui. Each morning, we have morning tea on the lanai together enjoying the beauty around us, visits from our little green gecko friends, and chattering birds feeding and bathing. Neil has a youtube channel displaying numerous videos of the geckos eating out of our hands and the birds in their bird bath. It is also that time of year when we are watching for whales as we sip our tea. Geckos Lining Up to Eat From Our Hands

My mom Audrey and her husband Bill have purchased a beautiful oceanfront condo just a mile from us. It’s really a joy to have them so near. Mom and I often meet mid-way on the beach and walk together. They are here part time for now. We will be able to have Christmas together; first time in many years.

We are grateful to have Neil’s mom Jean and her husband Morley still living next door to us. I expect we will gather for the traditional tree trimming soon. We don’t have room for a tree in our small space but I did get some decorations up this year.

My travels this year were two trips to Ohio to visit my dad Bob and his wife Jane. I am grateful to say they are in fair health. Dad had the same back surgery at the end of January that Jane had last spring. He was diligent with his rehab and is doing great. When I went in February, I was lifting the 50 lbs bags of water softener salt into the truck. On my trip in September, he was keeping up with me bag for bag!

Quentin, my great-nephew, just turned 13! He is in 8th grade and continues to be outgoing. He still loves his video games. His sister Sophie was here this summer and will be back for two weeks this Christmas. We look forward to seeing them all on Christmas with their mother Vajra.

Neil’s daughter Mailea has been living on Maui for several months this year. We are grateful for the time we get to spend with her. She has a place of her own and many new friends. I’m sure many of them will be life-long friends. We are glad she is loving Maui. Neil’s daughter Ari is engaged to be married on July 5 to Eric Schultz. They are currently living in Missoula, Montana, where Ari works in Labor and Delivery at a local hospital while Eric is doing his post doctorate. Ari, raised in southern California, is learning what temperatures below 0 feel like. I’m sure her sweet dog Lyra gets Ari outside on a regular basis!

This feels like another year of technology (ok, we are techno geeks.) I moved back to a smartphone after two years with a basic phone. We both got Samsung Galaxy Note II this summer. Then after becoming familiar with that, we decided to try a tablet and got the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. I was very grateful to have it in November when my desktop computer (that Neil had built me 5 years ago) died. I was able to easily keep up with email while waiting for a new laptop to be built and arrive. I was also able to start to prepare for Windows 8. Had I done the OS research before ordering the Toshiba, I might have listened to all my friends who rave about their Macs. But I do continue to do some training and felt I would need to learn the new Windows 8 environment eventually.

We continue to pray for peace on this earth and love for all. We are grateful for our simple life full of family, friends, love, and the beauty of each day and each sunset.
Sunset Time Lapse – 80 Minutes in 80 Seconds

Sophie’s Summer Visit

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Nanette Harter

Quentin and Sophie at party

Sophie flew from Oregon for a Maui visit with her mom Vajra and brother Quentin for a month this summer. They celebrated her 9^th birthday with a party the first week she was here (a month early but then she had all her gifts to play with during her visit!) Neil and I attended the fun festivities which included piñata bashing, buffet browsing, candle blowing, gift opening, and swimming.

I got to spend a few mornings with them. We went swimming and played in the sand at the beach. Sophie is really a water nymph and could practically live in the water. As a special treat for the kids, Vajra took them to stay at the Wailea Marriott again as she did last December so they could play in the water park area reserved for guests.

Sophie returned to Oregon in mid July right before her birthday in time to spend it with her father. Quentin come to stay with Neil and I for two days the following weekend while Vajra and Marjorie went to Oahu for another surgery visit. Quentin brought his computer and as an early birthday present for him, we got him the computer game Minecraft as a download. He was on the computer almost solid for the entire time. As Neil said, he just resurfaced for food and went back to his nest on the couch again. Quentin starts school on Monday already! The summer goes fast for Maui school kids.

$Sophie\'s new scooter$

Ohio Family Time

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Nanette Harter

After the wonderful family time in Maryland, I drove to Ohio with Dad and Jane to spend more time with them and visit Ohio family. The days seemed to fill themselves very quickly. I got to see the great-aunts and cousins on dad’s side. Max and Janet hosted a Kreischer gathering and I got to see all my uncles, their wives, and many, many of my cousins and their kids.

Van Wert has a free summer concert in the park on Friday evenings. The week I visited was the first concert of the season and it was perfect weather to enjoy the outside venue.

I got to visit with both my Grandpa Harter’s remaining sisters: Great-Aunt Evelyn, 96, and Great-Aunt Ode, 102. They both still live alone in their homes but are visited each day by their kids. Dad tries to get by to see them a few times a month and I always visit when I go back. Dad usually meets his cousin Max and a group of other (semi) retired farmers for breakfast at 6 am on Saturday morning. I opted to skip the morning ritual and instead we visited Max and Ginny at their home one evening.We also had lunch with family friends Glenn and Kay LeMar in Lima one noon.

Dad puts out a bird bath and bird feeders in their yard. We could sit at the dining table and watch them drinking and bathing. The robins really seem to enjoy splashing around in it. Dad has to fill it about twice a day. The birds enjoy the feeders he puts up for them too and I tried to do a little photography of them. I especially liked the colorful Golden Finch.

Dad is active in Venedocia Lion’s Club which is very service oriented. One of their service projects is building handicap ramps for those in need. Dad got called to help with one while I was visiting. I went along to help and documented the process. It was interesting to watch the experienced hands build it up so quickly. I served as “gopher” (and photo-journalist).

My Mom is one of thirteen kids. Mom is the youngest of three girls in the family and once her sisters were married and her mom working swing shift at a factory, she felt she got stuck with lots of housework because the many brothers claimed that was woman’s work and wouldn’t help. I think the brothers have all been better educated by their wives since! I was very happy to get to see all my remaining Kreischer uncles and their wives, plus some of my other aunts, during my visit. I also appreciate my many cousins who worked in a visit with me between their vacation plans and their many children’s summer activities. It was definitely a packed week and I enjoyed seeing everyone.

$Dad and Jane at Bob Evan\'s$

$Flowers on Max and Ginny\'s porch$

$Robin at bird bath in Dad\'s yard$

Family Time

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Nanette Harter

Harter group Our family gathering for Madison and Dennis’ wedding in Maryland was the first time in seven years that the whole family had been together. I was trying to remember the last time my siblings and parents were together and Pamela reminded me that it was when we were all in Ridgecrest and helping the Levy’s pack for their move to Maryland. I can’t believe it was seven years ago that they moved! Time really does fly.

We converged on the Levy household mid-week before the wedding to help with the last minute wedding setup and enjoy some family time together. I was able to sync my flights and flew on the same plane as Mom and Pamela from LA to DC. Not only got a head start on our catching up but made for convenient airport pickup!

Melanie had the rehearsal dinner at their home and we worked together to prepare the meal. When it was time for lunch, the Harter clan sat down all together.; it was just like old times. The weather was lovely summer conditions the entire time and made outdoor gathering very pleasant on the Levy back patio. We also had time for a family morning walk along the Indian Head Trail, an old rail line converted into a biking and walking path.

Setting up for the reception was also a family group activity. Melanie did an amazing job pre-planning everything and then coordinating the whole event. She was pulled in several directions those last few days. Will took off work a few days and handled a big load including the outdoor wedding set up with the help of Will IV and friends. Madison and Aunt Nicki finished off the boxes that held the guest favor gifts. We all enjoyed being active and participating in Madison and Dennis’ big day. And I especially enjoyed all the time I got to spend with my parents and siblings plus extended family.

Madison and Dennis’ Reception

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Nanette Harter

Congratulations

Madison and Dennis Shelton celebrated their union with their family and friends following the outdoor wedding ceremony at a reception in La Plata, Maryland.

The Happy Couple