The end of 2016 was memorable as Cori and Pat's baby Nathaniel was born healthy and happy on Christmas day. On the eve of Christmas eve, however, Dan, carrying a large picture down the cellar stairs, misjudged the last step, turning his ankle so badly that he tumbled to the floor, and wound up climbing back up on his hands and knees. Nothing broken, but recovery was slow, though now complete.

In February and March we made the usual western retreat from our New England winter -- three weeks in Arizona visiting Michael, a week in Colorado visiting Cori and Pat, and celebrating Nathaniel's baptism and the twins birthday, a week in California on Susan and Sean's farm making a wagon of blocks for the Colorado boys, and a week in Washington visiting sister Mary Ellen, and her son Stanley and family.

Once home, we found ourselves busy arranging the sale of our upstairs condo to our young tenants Lara and Adam Hartigan, and preparing for our 60th anniversary party at the Legion hall in Brookline. We prepared all the food here with the help of son Michael and nephew Stanley, celebrated with an anniversary mass at St. Mary's, and were entertained with music of the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s by Bob Baughman's excellent quartet. The dancing was the most fun we've had in years. We were joined by good friends from all over -- from Sudbury, Brookline, college, Raytheon, Mitre, as well as all our children, and their friends -- a gala occasion.

We spent a week in August at Mark Dodge's camp on Little Ossippee in Maine. We were surprised to find a Civil War encampment just down the road, but tickled when invited to join in on the fifing and drumming. Fife and drum activities are down from previous years, but we still did the Patriots Day celebration at the Devotion House in Brookline, Pole Capping Day in Bedford, musters in Lexington, Deep River, and Sudbury, and a number of paid gigs in Boston.

Sean's farm is going great, Stephen has promising new business dealings in San Jose, Patrick is flying high in Colorado, Annie's our upstairs tenant happy at Foley Lardner, and Michael has moved back from Arizona planning to settle in New Hampshire.

All is well,

Betts & Dan