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Retirees’ Corner |
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Garith (Mechanical Engineering, 2002) and Amy (Laboratory Services, 2002) Helm had another wonderful year of travel. They began 2006 with a cruise through the Panama Canal, starting in San Diego and ending in Florida. It was a great adventure. But even better than that was the Mediterranean cruise they took in July. They were in 12 ports and five countries in 15 days on the cruise, spending a few extra days in Istanbul before and two day in Venice after.
Ports included Ephesus, Turkey; the Greek Islands (Santorini was their favorite), Athens; Amalfi/Postiano in Southern Italy (spectacular); Taormina, Sicily; Kotor, Montenegro-Serbia; Dubrovnik, Croatia and concluded by sailing into Venice. It was absolutely the trip of a lifetime. Wayne (Safeguards and Security, 2001) and Sue (BBRP 2001) DeWitt are still enjoying retirement on Amelia Island in Florida. They are expecting lots of company this year visiting from California. Wayne recently received his Master Seaman Captain's License from the U. S. Coast Guard allowing him to captain 100 ton vessels. This had been a personal goal of his since retirement. Aside from the sea, Wayne has been volunteering for the "Turtle Watch" protecting sea turtles and their nests. Sue is in her fifth year of volunteering at Baptist Medical Center. Thanks to their Travel Consulting business, they are still traveling quite a bit. Early in 2006 they took a trip to a Spa Resort in the Rainforest in Ecuador and an exciting once-in-a-lifetime cruise through the Galapagos Islands. They took daily hikes on the islands viewing friendly, unique animals and birds that were not afraid of humans. Their favorite bird was the Blue-Footed Booby. In December, they took a long-awaited and relaxing trip to Belize, staying on Ambergris Cay and taking snorkel trips out to the coral reefs. They swam with sharks and some mean-looking Moray Eels, as well as holding and petting stingrays. In March, 2007, they headed to California via a cruise ship through the Panama Canal. Then in May they are planning to charter a 40' sloop to sail around the British Virgin Islands with Linda and Nort Croft for two weeks. Sue will be back in California in June for her niece's wedding and then they are off to Puerto Vallarta for a week. They will return to California in December to spend Christmas with family. Jack Spencer (Electronics Engineering, 1993) was in Livermore in March from his home in Boise, Idaho. He was in town to arrange the sale of his rental house and had lunch with Gus and Jane Olson. The May Retirees' Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, May 16th, at the Elks Lodge in Livermore. The speaker will be Professor Raymond Seed, a nationally recognized geoengineer, discusses "Lessons from Katrina: Can We Save California?" The Travel Group meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month January through June at 2:00 p.m. For the last two month, it will meet in the Livermore City Council Chambers on Pacific Avenue next to the Multi-Service Center and near the Barn. The May 22nd topic is: "Cruising French Polynesia" by John Stroud. The June 26th meeting topic is: "Wandering Around Japan" by Miles and Jackie Lloyd. After the June meeting, the Travel Group will not meet again until January 2008. Gus and Jane Olson have been doing the Retirees' Corner for over four years now and are ready for a change. They would like to give some other retiree the opportunity to take on this job. The only requirement would be that you have a computer and e-mail. Perhaps someone who is retiring soon would enjoy this volunteer job. If you are interested, please send an email message to Jane@LLNLRetirees.org or Gus@LLNLRetirees.org This article appears in the May issue of Newsline, 2007 Please send any news or input (please include the date and department from which you retired) to Jane or Gus Olson. E-Mail: Jane@LLNLRetirees.org or Gus@LLNLRetirees.org. |