Chris and Rita's main project continues to be the construction of their house in Pine Grove. Early in the year we finished off the exterior, so it at least looks like a house from the outside. The only big items still to accomplish are the garage doors, which have been on order from Home Depot for two months, along with a ceiling and railing for the front porch. A great deal has been achieved on the interior, including 95 percent of the plumbing, which includes all doodads associated with that like the hot water heater, fire sprinkler system, and even a hot water recirculating pump. Our friends Roger and Gloria from Woodland helped us cut a ditch down from the water tank, and now the house is hooked up to the water supply. Rita is working her way through the electrical. The hardest part with wiring is figuring out the codes and where all the fancy switches need to be. Pressing on through the winter and into the Spring of next year should see us actually getting some insulation in as well as the A/C and heat. After that comes the dreaded drywall. Stay tuned. | |
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| Heather Cook, Rita, and Emily at the Girl Scout Camp with the rocket launcher. |
Chris has managed to accomplish a few things this past year despite some health issues. Starting on Father's Day weekend some pains started up, After multitudinous tests at Kaiser they deemed him in "perfect health." Pains have subsided for now at least. He has got some O scale modeling in between house projects, as well as volunteering to fund-raise for the local railroad preservation group. A high point was a fundraising trip aboard Roger and Gloria's private railcar the "Two Rivers" from Woodland to West Sacramento in November.
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| Rita prepares the snacks and visits with our wonderful neighbor Patria aboard the Two Rivers. |
No update would be complete without letting you know how our Akita, Kona is getting along. She is still taking care of us, and keeping the squirrels in the trees. Treats are the highlight of her day, unless of course she is lucky enough to get a ride in the truck, and maybe even a walk through Lowes in Martell, where she gets a lot of attention.
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| Kona enjoying the snow. |
Anne was promoted to Production Coordinator at her employer, Cartoon Network. We are very proud of what she has accomplished in a short period of time. Her short commute from Sunland/Tujunga to Burbank is also a bonus. She has been able to take on some extra work as a colorist and continues working on commissions from time to time. Her significant other, Jack is her anchor, and has been able to find work at Alamo Brewhouse Theater in downtown LA. They were both able to travel to Ohio to visit Jack's family earlier this year, which was a nice break for them.
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| Emily and Anne at the Cartoon Network Halloween party. |
Emily is finishing up school this semester at Fullerton State. She will get her degree and decide what is next for her. We are proud of her as well for getting herself through school while holding down her job at Disneyland. She has been there three years now, and has been promoted to lead. Emily has also been taking voice acting lessons to add to her already busy schedule.
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| Beefsgiving Dinner at Harris Ranch with Rita, Heather (Emily's friend and roommate) Emily, Anne and Jack. |
While we don't see each other as much as we would like, we do get together when we can. Our Thanksgiving this year was a week early, due to the girl's work schedule. We met in the middle of the state at Harris Ranch. We had a delicious dinner at the steakhouse, which we deemed our "Beefsgiving." The next morning we retreated to our respective ends of California.
Those were our highlights for this past year. It is our hope, as always, that all of you have a great holiday season, and a safe, happy and productive 2020. We hope to see you all soon, either in person or online. Until then, please stay in touch!
The Allan Family
