Greetings!
Once again we hope this is finding everyone in good spirits
and ready to tackle 2017. The past year
has been one of change for all four of us. Change is normally good, taken in
small doses but 2016’s events have not qualified as a “small” change for the
Allan’s. 2016 presented us with some big challenges, tiring moments, and a few
moments of satisfaction, and the pace does not let up.
Most notably, the biggest change for us was a change of venue.
Immediately after Emily’s graduation from High School we packed up the Lakewood
house and moved into our property in Pine Grove, located in Amador County in
Northern California. We settled Emily into a cozy apartment in Anaheim and set
off in our U-Haul over the Grapevine for the last time.
Utilizing a bit of persistence and Rita’s boundless energy
we are settled into our buildings here in the Sierra foothills, and look
forward to beginning the main house build in the spring. Still plenty to do
with trees falling over and trying to stay warm!
Rita is now many hours closer to her Caltrans headquarters
in Sacramento, but still continues to telecommute from Pine Grove. Designing
training courses for the construction division take up her work hours. The property is her main focus during her
free time. For Christmas she received a gas-powered chipper/shredder which she
has made good use of. A friend gave her a “brand new” never used 20-year-old
chainsaw which came in handy Christmas Eve when a 36-inch oak tipped over into
our neighbor’s fence. Needless to say
someone isn’t going to run out of firewood for a while.
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| Rita brushes some preservative on a handrail at steps headed toward the barn. |
In the latter part of the year we adopted a 3-year old Akita
from a rescue in Walnut Creek. Chris
named her Kona due to her coffee colored coat. She was somewhat abused as a
puppy so it takes her a while to warm up to people, but she is enjoying having
over an acre to run around on. She also enjoys visiting the neighbor dogs and
running up and down the fence with them.
Kona is a welcome addition to our family.
Anne is now in her third year of the Animation program at
San Jose State. She works incredibly hard and is turning out some really
awesome designs and artwork. She left the dorms this year and moved into an
apartment with three roommates within walking distance of the campus. Anne is earning a little extra cash teaching
art to elementary grade children in her free time, which she really likes.
Online gaming takes precedence over sleep occasionally but she is making lots
of new friends. Her parents do get to
see her every couple of weeks when she drives to Pine Grove for laundry
privileges.
Emily has begun her meteoric rise to stardom by starting her
college studies at the drama department at Cal State Fullerton. Her independent lifestyle in sunny Southern
California seems to agree with her and she loves her classes and the people she
is getting to know. This past year she graduated with honors from Whitney High
in Cerritos, along with starring in the lead role in the yearly school drama production.
Emily still keeps close tabs on her old Whitney High School “family” and helps
out with drama and her other passion, cross country running.Emily also earned here Girl Scout "Gold Award" this year and got to take part in the big presentation gala in Pasadena this summer. Leaving her
part-time job at Katella Deli proved to be a good move as she was able to land
a job at Disneyland, as a hostess on the Storyland Canal Boats. This work helps her to hone her drama skills
and is a good foothold into the entertainment world. Her parents don’t get to
see her much but they are looking forward to Emily spending a week in Pine
Grove during winter break.
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| The girls hang out with Kona during our tiki-themed Christmas party. |
Chris has been working to keep up with Rita which is all but
impossible, but he is trying. One project after another is the order of the
day, including getting the A/C & heat pump installed in the barn, putting
up a new pole and pulling in a new 200 amp service, getting the tiki bar
useable as our temporary kitchen, and working on the CAD designs for the new
house, to name a few. On Wednesdays he helps out in Jackson with the Amador
Sawmill group, restoring machines for the high school shop program and other
restorations. Occasionally he also helps out with the steam sawmill at the
county fairgrounds in Plymouth. A main focus once the house is built will be to
install his O-scale model railroad, which he is making parts and pieces for now.
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| Hooray! Another challenge. |
Adjustment to a new situation is neither easy nor painless,
but we are lucky to have new neighbors and friends that are helping us along,
giving us advice on who to use for certain things, or even how to survive the
frigid winter. This place will be good for us once we are truly settled, until
then we will not be bored!
All the best to all of our friends and family, it is our
wish that you have a happy, prosperous and safe 2017!
Chris Rita Anne Emily (and now) Kona the dog
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