Xmas letter, December, 2011

Dear Friends,

It has been an unusually mild Fall in Toronto this year, and I am looking forward to a non-white Xmas. This weather works for me.

This year has not been dramatically different from other years, so it is a lot of same old-same old. However, I did have a winter holiday, because I won a trip. There is a travel agency website called TripCentral.ca. They have a daily trivia contest, and I had been entering it almost daily for a few years. Finally I won, and the prize was an all inclusive week for two at Grand Paradise Resort in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. My friend Vince and I went down the first week in April, and it was a great time. The beach there is lovely, the people friendly, and the free drinks and food adequate. The only cost to us was the taxes, which are just over $300 a person.

One of the highlights of the year was going to Carleton University in Ottawa at the end of June for the 50th anniversary reunion of CUSO. The weekend began with a group dinner of the former Kenya and Uganda volunteers. Some were friends I am still in touch with, such as Paul and Carol Barritt-Flatt, who now live in Seattle, but most I had not seen since we left Kenya in 1970. The rest of the weekend was taken up with group discussions, a dinner dance, and ended with a brunch on the roof of the National Arts Centre. The speaker was the High Commissioner from Nigeria, who had been trying to find a CUSO teacher he had had when he was young. He had originally contacted the CBC Radio show As It Happens. CUSO was able to find the teacher, and they were reunited at that brunch. It was a great weekend of nostalgia, and just the pleasure of being with people who still have hope for the world.

I flew directly from Ottawa to Washington DC on July 1st, and then headed by train to Charlottesville, Virginia, to spend time with my friend Vince who was working there. This has bcome an annual trip, and it is always pleasant to spend time in that lovely town, staying near the beautiful and historic University of Virginia, designed by Thomas Jefferson.

In August, I flew up to Thunder Bay, and then traveled to Nipigon to spend time with my sister Sally. She is now living in the town of Nipigon, itself, so it was a different experience. The first week there was focused on the Red Rock Folk Festival, which again was a great time. One of the performers this year was one of my favourites, Connie Kaldor, who I usually catch when she performs at Hugh’s Room in Toronto, in January. Unfortunately, I was having back problems at the time, but with the help of a local doctor, and the pharmacist, I managed until I was more mobile again.



The second week there focused on the wedding of my great-niece Mandy Sauermann to Ryan Hogan. The wedding was held in the back yard of my niece Joanna and her husband Hans, with a later reception at the Red Rock Inn. All of Sally’s kids and their partners were there, so it doubled as a family reunion of sorts. Everything went well, and it was a great time.

With the return of the school year, I went back to substitute teaching at the City Adult Learning Centre, and average one day a week. I enjoy the students there, and so it is a pleasant experience.

I have posted many of my pictures on Flickr where I am cliffgatchell. There are also pictures on my Facebook profile (Cliff Gatchell).

Again, I am still enjoying the entertainment opportunities in Toronto. Tafelmusik, Toronto Consort, Mirvish Productions at the Royal Alexandra and Princess of Wales Theatres, the Met Opera Simulcasts, and the Toronto International Film Festival

My health remains good, and I am carrying on as best I can. I hope to hear from you either by mail or email.

Cliff cliff.gatchell@gmail.com