1996 has been a busy year with some big changes for us. Topping the list were major career moves for Dave and I. In February I managed to land a permanent biologist position with the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, with Dave being the second choice for the job. Yes, we actually competed for the job - talk about adding some stress to your life! After five years with the Devil's Lake Water Improvement District Dave was ready for a change. With the kids getting too old for daycare (and too young to be home alone), and me finally in a secure job, it seemed like a good time for Dave to drop out of the work force for awhile and concentrate on some of his other goals. In July he became a stay-at-home dad, cabinetmaker, lumberjack, cook, and my #1 wildlife volunteer. Currently he is very busy finishing our kitchen cabinets, cutting firewood, and acting as a chauffer for the kids. In September he helped chaperone Hilary's four day field trip to the high desert in central Oregon. This is a fascinating area of volcanic geology with lots of unique plants and animals. It brought back memories of southeast Idaho and the caving expeditions of his college days. Sleeping on a hard gym floor with 80 6th grade boys was somewhat of an endurance test. Dave's next mission is to chaperone Ryan's class on a trip to view spawning salmon.

My new job is a bit unusual in that I am a fish and wildlife biologist - my time is split between fisheries and wildlife work. So I have two supervisors in two locations, who never communicate with each other, and a very busy and diverse schedule. I spend lots of time out in the woods and streams doing everything from snorkeling (to count juvenile salmon and trout), to helicopter surveys (to census elk) to bear trapping. I also do some land use planning, education, and deal with a myriad of wildlife questions and problems. The bizarre phone calls I get are an entertaining distraction: there was the bull elk harassing a horse, the squirrel stuck in a woodstove (which I quickly rescued with a fish net), the deer mired at low tide in the mud, and the Boston terrier dragged off a porch and drowned in a fish pond... by a raccoon! And just when things slow down a bit John Doe turns up with one of the following: a mangled or orphaned critter to be "saved", a pile of poop (always evidence that a bear or cougar is stalking the family), or an egg or odd animal part to be identified. Never a dull moment! So far I am learning lots, enjoying the constant challenges, and am working on an impressive collection of bruises as well.

The kids are as busy as ever. Ryan is now a serious sports addict; he played baseball and soccer this year, and hopes to take up basketball this winter. He is still the family artist and is now branching out into creative writing, penning heartwarming tales such as "The Revenge of the Rotten Banana Man". Hilary is now in middle school - yikes, how did that happen? She is learning to play the clarinet, which is, well... loud. She played softball for the first time this year and her team came in first place. Hilary seems to be the traveler of the family; she went to Disneyland with a friend and to central Oregon with her class this year. Needless to say, our kids continue to brighten our lives - they are the BEST!

This summer we splurged on a new tent and went on some camping adventures. On one trip the kids caught about 100 crayfish in the Siuslaw River. Very tasty! They used the high-tech "porkchop-on-a-string technique". Another trip took us to the alpine lakes on Mt. Hood. My friend Cindy and I discovered "volkswalks", and the fact that there are lots of folks over 80 in better shape than we are. We did a couple of 10-12 km hikes in the Columbia gorge area. Dave and I found a good spot to dig softshell clams close to home and happily added those to our diet. We also had a visit from my parents and took them crabbing in Yaquina Bay.

We are happy to report that we now have one relative living on the west coast, something we really never expected. Dave's sister Carol took a design job with Disney and has moved to Burbank, California. We plan to fly down and check out her tan at Christmas. We've also added a new pet to our family - a dachshund/pomeranian mix named Sasha. She has no inkling that she is actually a very small dog, and has taken over the whole house.

In May I got to repeat the fun of going through surgery on my eardrum, as the graft done last year didn't take. So far this one looks good, but my hearing will never be the same after all this nonsense. Another odd result of the surgery was that I couldn't taste anything for months - a guaranteed method of losing weight by the way. Anyway, I decided it was worth investing in a hearing aid, which does help a lot. I still get no respect however; now when I misunderstand someone they yell "turn up your @#$%&* hearing aid!". Geez!! I also discovered the joy of reading glasses this year. It's great to read whatever I like, regardless of the size of the print. At this rate I'm a bit concerned about hitting forty.

That's about all there is to report. We're looking forward to hearing from all of you at Christmas and hope that you have a peaceful New Year.