Our 1998 Christmas Letter

                                                                       31 December 1998

Not much happened this year, except we both retired, took a four-month bicycle trip to Europe, and lived at various times in Oakland, Alameda, Hayward, Gualala, and with whatever friends and relatives would take us in for a day or two or more.  At present, we are living in Walnut Creek in the home of Jeanette, Kieran, and Kevin, while they are visiting Kieran’s parents in Northern Ireland.

First, about retirement.  Our goal was to retire at 55 years of age, since only four months, different parents, and other extraneous differences prevent us from being identical twins. Translation:  we’re roughly the same age.  Alice didn’t make it, but I did.  In fact, Alice is working harder in her version of retirement (except for the bike trip), and is making me work harder for her, than I ever did for any of my real bosses.  She seems to have a mysterious power over me that none of the others ever had.  

About the bike trip.  We were not bicyclists.  But we are now.  In fact, I could write a book, and I think I shall.  Why shouldn’t the world (and us) benefit from all the experience we gained overcoming all the mistakes I made.  While Alice pored over bicycling books which covered Germany, England, Wales, and all of Ireland, and made plans that would have made the D-Day planners jealous, I cruised the Internet and found us two folding full-sized (26”) bicycles with canvas bags we could take on the flights with us as luggage, plus two large panniers and two small backpacks that we could put everything in that we would need for our four-month holiday.

We left San Francisco on June 9 for Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.  We waited at Dover for ten days before we gave up on getting a free flight to Europe and took a Continental flight to Paris. From Paris we immediately went by train to visit my oldest son, Bruce, and granddaughter Leaha at his Army base near Heidelberg, Germany.  On the evening of 23 June we set out along the Neckar River, followed by the Rhine, the Zell, the Mosel, the Tauber, and the Zen.  After 800 bike miles, several train trips, one bus trip, and lots of castles and museums, on 3 August we caught an Air Force flight (a “hop”), from Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, to Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall, Suffolk County, England.

Mildenhall is near RAF Bentwaters and Woodbridge, where I was the Budget Officer from 1970 to 1975.  I wanted to share my memories of my favorite bases and job with Alice, but both bases are casualties of peace and are fenced off from the public.  We enjoyed visiting my good Budget buddy, Arthur Sharman, and his daughter Valmai, in the charming coastal town of Walberswick, and visiting the Streetfarm, where Marilynn and the boys and I lived in Saxmundham.  

On 13 August we went to London via train, and had a wonderful week bicycling all over what we had been told beforehand was an unfriendly city for bikes. We went to the “theatre” for “Beauty and the Beast” and “Miss Saigon”, and Shakespeare at the New Globe Theatre. Also toured Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, visited Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, and did many other memorable things too numerous to mention.

Next we went to Windsor Castle, then a farmhouse in the Cotswolds near Cheltenham, followed by more Shakespeare at Stratford-on-Avon (“The Merchant of Venice” - what a performance!”).

Next stop, the Isle of Man via ferry from Liverpool, 31 August, just in time for the famous - but unknown to us - motorcycle Gran Prix races.  We cut short our planned stay, leaving the roads to hundreds of racers and racer wannabes, and arrived in Belfast by ferry on 2 September.  Among the highlights of Northern Ireland - the friendliest people in the world, visiting with Kieran’s parents and family in Keady near Armagh, the Giant’s Causeway, and scenery rivaling Scotland.  

Then we went to the Republic of Ireland, and on our trip around the Ring of Kerry from Tralee to Killarney, we found more of the friendliest people in the world and more spectacular scenery. Highlights - The Skellig Islands, a couple of forbidding rocks eight miles off the coast where Christian monks operated a monastery from the fifth to the twelfth century and helped preserve Western civilization; the Bog Village, which showed how the Irish used peat for fuel; and Alice coasting down mountain roads at 35 miles per hour after we had pedaled uphill for hours.  Better than an E-ticket at Disneyland.  Remember?

We went by ferry to Wales on 25 September, and spent a week in Laugharne near Carmarthen, Wales, where Dylan Thomas lived and wrote and drank…and where Alice and I spent a wonderful week at a time-share exchange holiday park. We then went to Bath and its Roman ruins, followed by another highlight, Salisbury, which we had prepared for by reading “Sarum”, by Edward Rutherford.  Salisbury Cathedral occupied us for three days, and we also visited Old Sarum and Stonehenge.   

During the fourth month of our bike trip, I became tired, homesick, missed the kitty cats we had to leave behind when we sold the ranch, and was eager to get back to California.  Alice was just the opposite.  She was ready to do another four months, or more.  She knew that she had a lot of hard work to do for her company, Vulcan, when she got back.  If I had known the work we had ahead of us, I would have voted to just keep on pedaling too. As it was, we went back through London to Cambridge, then returned to Germany via a hop from Mildenhall.  One last visit with Bruce and Leaha at Heidelberg, then back to Dover via a hop from Ramstein, and on to the Bay Area and to Gualala.

We have many pictures, and detailed stories, which we hope to share when (if ) asked.  As always, more later - happy holidays (belatedly) - and best wishes for the New Year!

Alice and Michael 

Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Ajijic street art

        Alice and I started thinking and planning retirement not long after our marriage in 1989. In the early 1990’s it looked like we probably would need to find an economical place to retire, because Alice’s business, Vulcan Incorporated, was struggling against tough competition, and I was struggling to stay employed during the period of defense cutbacks following the collapse of the Soviet Union. As we say in defense contracting, “Peace is Hell.”

        That’s a joke, you hyper-sensitive Leftists.

        Our motto in the Air Force was, "Peace is our Profession."

        It wasn't a joke.

        Like Teddy Roosevelt said, "Walk softly. But carry a big stick!".

        Anyway, we started developing our retirement criteria. Besides inexpensive, we wanted a great climate, and all the comforts of home. We also were looking for an area where we could lead an active lifestyle, and enjoy an interesting culture. Many parts of the world were attractive, but we quickly ruled out many places too.

        Europe was variously too expensive, and in Eastern Europe where it was less expensive, the winters were too cold. On the basis of the five years I lived in England (1970-1975), I would have voted for the United Kingdom or Ireland as my number one choice regardless of weather or cost of living, but Alice would never be happy with the cold, damp winters. Or the occassional cold, damp summers.

        Africa was interesting, but the political instability and threats of intense sporadic violence scared us off.

        We felt the same about Asia, plus Alice vetoed any Muslim nation because of their treatment of women. That eliminated one of my favorites, Turkey, where I had lived a year across the Sea of Marmara from Istanbul in 1964-65.

        Australia and New Zealand scored high marks with us, but cost of living wasn’t much lower than in the United States, and the vast distances to travel to visit family and friends were daunting.

        South America was a great unknown to both of us, but the political instability and social problems in South America were constantly in the news, and left us with a vague feeling of uneasiness about living there.

        The Caribbean interested us, but seemed too expensive, plus the politically stable parts were too touristy, and the less expensive, less touristy parts were too unstable.

        Canada was out. Climate.

        That left us with Mexico and Central America, and the warm but less expensive parts of the United States. We eliminated the United States because “We’ll save that for when we’re old.”

        Central America? We don’t know much about it, it’s probably a lot like Mexico, except it’s further away.

        “Mexico, here we come!”

         A friend told us of a marvelous bed & breakfast, Los Artistas (now under new owners), operated then by two gay fellows, the “two Steves,” in Ajijic, on the shores of Lake Chapala, near Guadalajara. As confessed in an earlier post, Mixed Company, Alice and I have a stereotypical prejudice about gays. We believe they are the best Bed & Breakfast proprietors, although we have stayed at many “straight” B&B’s we thought were great too. It’s just that we have never had a bad experience at a B&B operated by gays.

        I hope someone will read this and be offended and let me know, thereby validating another of my stereotypical prejudices that there is nothing complimentary I can say about gays that won’t offend someone, usually a straight Liberal.

        The Guadalajara area had already been brought to our attention because of its year around mild climate and its large colony of American and Canadian expatriates and retirees.

        Right after Christmas 1995 we left for a week in Mexico. We were picked up by taxi from the Guadalajara airport and whisked to Los Artistas in Ajijic. Our hosts were warm and congenial, the room “The Studio” was very nice, and the grounds were well kept and inviting. We soon found the meals were excellent also. Everything lived up to our stereotypical expectations.

        Ajijic was a marvelous combination of small Mexican village life with a community of Americans and Canadians on the shore of Lake Chapala. The lake itself was a bit of a dissappointment. It was in a lovely setting, with mountains on the other side, but from the shoreline to a point a half mile or more out in the lake it was covered thickly with water hyacinth.

        I'm sure that someone someday will find a use for water hyacinth (has a limited use as cattle feed), or a way to control it, but as far as I know, no one has. As it was, all boats could do was plow through it, and small outboard motor boats could barely move in it at all. Sometimes the wind shifted and blew from the land, and the water hyacinth was blown out into the middle of Lake Chapala, but the periods of clear water didn't last long.

        We rented horses and rode through Ajijic and along the lake shore, and through a park. As usual, my horse was a bit of a head case, and I never was confident that he would stay on good behavior. He did, but he kept me worried.

        Alice got a smile or wave from everyone we met by unfailingly greeting them with a cheery "buenos dias."

        We spent a day with a real estate agent looking at houses in Ajijic and were impressed by what we saw. The houses were relatively inexpensive, and were large and comfortable. From what we saw in the furnished homes, life would be as comfortable as in California, with the very welcome added benefit of an affordable cook and house keeper.

        We made reservations for New Years Eve at a very nice restaurant at an Ajijic hotel, and dressed up very formally for the occassion. After the Maitre'De met us at the door and seated us, our waiter appeared and Alice wished him a cheery "Feliz Ano Nuevo." He almost hurt himself trying to hold back laughter, but he couldn't hold it, so he burst out laughing.

        We looked at him with puzzled expressions, and when he finally regained his composure, with words and a pat on his rear end he indicated Alice had just wished him a "Happy New Asshole." The Spanish word "ano" (pronounced "ah'-no") in English is "anus," and the Spanish word for "year" is "año" (pronounced "ah'-nyo").

        What she should have said in greeting was "Feliz Año Nuevo," but if she had we wouldn't have shared such a great laugh.

        On New Years Day the two Steves kept trays of delicious hors 'devoures available for their friends and guests all day as we participated in the All-American tradition of Bowl Game watching. Los Artistas had a large satellite dish for television reception, so we started with the Rose Parade, and then I think we glanced at the easily forgetable Cotton Bowl, with Colorado stomping Oregon 38-6.

        The highlight for me, and seemingly for most of the guests, was the Rose Bowl, USC against Northwestern. It was a very exciting game, and when Northwestern went ahead 32-31 in the fourth quarter, it was obvious that Northwestern was the favorite of most of us watching. In fact, as a Californian, I may have been the only USC rooter there. However, their joy was short lived as USC scored the next ten points and won 41-32.

        The bowl games ended with the Orange Bowl where Florida State beat Notre Dame 31-26, with an incredible fourth quarter comeback. Again the large midwestern contingent watching at Los Artistas was disappointed.

        Alice had no interest in the bowl games, as usual, but she was having a great time in the company of several other "football widows," which included a lesbian couple she particularly enjoyed chatting with.

        We returned to our home on our five-acre ranch in Livermore, and developments at work for both of us soon had our full attention. Later in 1996 I was laid off at Power Spectra and scrambled to find work as a temporary employee, including several months at Nummi in Fremont before getting on as an Internal Auditor at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland.

        Alice's company, Vulcan Incorporated, continued to struggle against its fierce competitor until early in 1997. Happily for Alice, the competitor went bankrupt and she was able to sign their top salesman to a sweat equity deal that has since made Vulcan very successful.

        We had forgotten totally about retiring in Mexico, and when we finally retired in 1998, Alice's first grandchild was almost a year old and we chose to retire in Gualala to stay close to family and friends.

        Now many years later, Mexico is a fond memory as we start each new year wishing each other a "Happy New Anus!"

Please click on the label below to see all my articles on this topic.

Our 1994 Christmas Letter

December 10, l994

Here is the sixth newsletter from the Combs’ Oak Creek Ranch. For a while we thought we couldn’t keep up with the mortgage as we had some tough times. Since last December Alice took a substantial cut in pay, and Michael feared a Lockheed layoff until March when the fear became a reality.

However, better times are here! Alice’s business is doing better along with the rest of the California economy, and Michael is now happy to be the assistant controller at Power Spectra in Sunnyvale. While Michael was between jobs he tried brokering businesses with an agency called Business Team. He signed up a half dozen listings which Alice has taken over in her “spare” time from Vulcan.

We never got out of the country since last Christmas, but spent some time in the states of Hawaii and Washington and covered California from Eureka down to Garden Grove. Next year should be more exotic with Mexican and Caribbean travel. We also haven't been skiing since last Christmas, but we expect to do a little of that, too, this year.

Last summer Alice’s mother admitted to having memory problems. A brain tumor was discovered and operated on in October. Even though the growth is benign, there are still major mental problems. She comes in and out of various stages of mental awareness, and we are most grateful when she is aware and feeling positive enough to joke and smile.

Our five children and their five offspring are all doing fine. Bruce recently got back from military duty in Haiti. He noted how the media has so many incorrect "facts." Evelyn, Melicia and Leaha are all looking great, and in a recent picture we were amazed how much Melicia looks like Evelyn. 

Jeanette and her Irish fiancé, Kieran Mone, are planning a Catholic wedding next April 29th at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. They just bought a house in Marin which they will be moving into just before Christmas. Jeanette is still at Cigna, but now she has her own private office with a view!

Scott and Tracy are keeping busy with their three children, Ashley, Mikey, and Travis (l-l-94). Ashley will learn what being a flower girl is like next April 29th at Jeanette’s wedding.

Debbie is back from her foreign travels, and now doing the 8 to 5 routine. She would like a challenging job to apply her education and skills, and all we can tell her is that it will come in time.

Jeffrey is now happily applying his DVC degree and training at his job with a heating and air conditioning company. He has a special girlfriend named Stephanie, who Michael and l are dying to meet when she comes down for Christmas from Washington state. Also, Jeff has a regular haircut!

We hope you all have a joyful Christmas and 1995.