Merry Christmas 2024 from Brian and Dee Dirks

Family photo taken at Thomas and Kelly's wedding on July 26. From left: Rick, Hillary, Laela, Dee, Thomas, Kelly, Kynlee, Brian, Keira, Kyle and Kylie.

A whirlwind year for Dee and Brian, with plenty of adventures, a new grandchild, a wedding, and some life readjustments, both good and sad. 

Dee officially joined Brian in retirement and returned home in early August after more than a year of parental caretaking responsibilities in Olympia, followed by several months of helping prepare their beautiful seaside home for market. In fact we all lent major elbow grease to the house update project, led by Dee's sister Candace, until it sold. We held a joint memorial service in April for Gregg and Joyce, Dee's dad and step-mom, who passed within 13 days of each other in February.

Greg and Joyce Reynolds

Our major summer event was son Thomas and Kelly's formal wedding ceremony in the Snohomish area. I say formal because they were first married three years ago in a small and barely planned beachside ceremony (so barely planned that bride Kelly didn't even know about it until late that morning). Of course, Kelly wanted the "real deal" with a fancy ceremony and a more extensive guest list so they did just that! Dee worked hard to help Kelly do some final stitching and sewing work on a dress about twice as long as Kelly is tall. It was an exquisite ceremony on a perfect day.  We are thrilled to have Kelly as our daughter-in-law.

Celebrating Thomas and Kelly

Our other big news came from son Kyle and daughter-in-law Kylie. Kylie gave birth to our first grandson, Lincoln, on Sept. 8. While Lincoln arrived a few weeks early, which meant an agonizing three-week stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Tacoma General, everything is fine now with both baby and his doting mom and dad (and grandparents).

Lincoln Scott Dirks, born 5 pounds, 3 oz. on Sept. 8.    Kylie and Kyle with Lincoln on Dec. 9

We did manage to travel, with a trip to Mazatlan in June to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary then a birthday trip for Dee in November to Flagstaff. Neither of us had seen the Grand Canyon and it did not disappoint! 

We walked a little way down into the Grand Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail.

We also went down to Sedona for a day and even wandered along Route 66 (because, well, Dee turned 66). 

Dee getting her kicks on Route 66.

On top of that were numerous trips to Dee's sister's beach home on Henderson Inlet outside of Olympia and the beach property I share with my brothers on Camano Island. We again hosted daughter Hillary and two of her girls there for several days of "Camp Camano," where there were beach and water activities, like crabbing and tubing, rock painting, and general fun and frolic.  

Family fun at Camp Camano with Laela, Kynlee, friend Michael, and Dee in the crab boat.

      

While Dee had to skip our annual ski week to McCall, Idaho, Brian was joined by twin Greg and several family members, including Hillary, Rick, and their three girls and brother Tom and family. Brian also made separate ski trips to British Columbia, Idaho and Washington with brothers and friends. When not skiing, he can be found cycling, often with friend Tony or brother John, hiking area trails or simply taking their "guest" dog Zynoma for long walks around the neighborhood.  

Brothers John and Brian cycled along the back side of Lake Crescent in September, part of a three-day adventure riding on the Olympic Discovery Trail.

In May Brian took a team to Guatemala to install clean-air stoves and water filters in two remote but neighboring Mayan villages, a team that included brother Tom, nephew Oliver and sister-in-law Ellen. (See Brian's blog for more detail). This was Brian's 9th time going to Guatemala in 12 years (he raised funds to help a village in 2020 but the team could not go due to COVID). He is organizing yet another mission through Marine View Presbyterian Church in April - if you'd like to contribute toward their $50,000 fundraising goal (or even go) please get in touch. 

Ellen and Brian with a Guatemalan family       after we installed their stove.

Along the lines of volunteerism, Brian continued his role as board president of the Hands for Peacemaking Foundation, which sends work teams to Guatemala, and as an executive board member of the World Affairs Council of Tacoma. He also again served as emcee for the Terry Home Dinner and Auction in April and has been asked to do that again in 2025.  

In late July Brian again towed the family boat up to Nootka Sound on the west side of Vancouver Island for a week of salmon fishing with friends. The fish camp proved a little rustic, with plenty of mosquitoes to keep them company, but it was nice to get out on the water and fight a few fish too. 

Nootka Sound salmon

Brian also spent a lot of time this year organizing (with assistance from Greg) a large gathering of extended family members in San Francisco to coincide with the grand opening of the India Basin Waterfront Park at 900 Innes on Oct. 19. The 10-acre park is on the site of where his 3rd great grandparents, Dutch immigrant John Johnson Dirks and German immigrant Gesa Dammann Dirks, settled with their six children in the early 1870s and where JJ operated his small shipyard. The Dirks ancestral home (a.k.a. "Shipwright's Cottage") was fully restored as part of the project and now serves as the park's welcome center, complete with a display of Dirks caulking tools on loan from the San Francisco Maritime Museum. 

Cousin Susan and Brian helped arrange for Dirks caulking tools to be displayed at the Shipwright's Cottage.

Part of Brian's job in organizing the gathering was to track down family members who had lost touch with each other over the years. Brian and twin Greg made an advance trip to the Bay area to shore up some details and were treated to a "sneak peek" tour by parks staff. About 50 "Dirkscendants" representing four lines of John and Gesa's offspring were at the festive park event, which drew several hundred overall for the $68 million park's dedication. The fun thing was to meet several cousins for the first time, as well as greet others we had not seen in years. We also learned a lot of new nuggets of family history - in fact Brian's uncle Mike compiled a booklet detailing the early Dirks days in America for the occasion. 

Dirks descendants by the restored historic ancestral home in San Francisco. Granddaughter Laela made the trip for the park dedication and Dirks family gathering (photo by Hillary Dirks)

Dee and Brian spent as much time as they could with their three, now four, grandchildren, as well as their grandniece and nephew who visit their home every other weekend. Of course it's kids who make the holiday season so special, right?

Grandchildren Keira, Laela and Kynlee, at left, following a Dec. 7 performance of "Beauty and the Beast" in Federal Way

Now that Dee is back home she is keeping busy cleaning up and organizing from the mayhem Brian created by "baching it" for so long and initiating new house projects. It's nice to have our house gaily decorated for Christmas again this year. Dee is also organizing her art supplies and purchasing new ones in hopes of returning to one of her life's passions in 2025.  

We wish you the very best in the coming year and hope we can find time to meet up if possible, either here or there.

Thank you for your love, friendship and kindness - it means the world to us.

Cheers,

Brian and Dee

   

 

Merry Christmas and A Happy 2022 to You!

 

          From left: Brian, Dee, Kynlee, Hillary, Thomas, Laela, Kyle

       and Kylie. Not able to join us that morning were Rick, Kelly and Keira

Seasons’ Greetings from Dee and Brian!

We hope you are well and enjoying life.

This has been both a joyous and sad year for us, with the loss of Brian’s mother Ann in January then his father Marty in July. We had a wonderful online service for mom and a "hybrid" (online and in-person) service for dad, followed by family graveside services for both at a cemetery in Ferndale.   

A highlight, however, was the beautiful wedding of son Kyle to Kylie Wagar in August. 

Dee has been keeping busy with her job in the executive offices of Tacoma MultiCare on weekdays then most weekends helping her dad Gregg and stepmom Joyce in Olympia with sister Candace. Brian, in the meantime, continues to enjoy retirement projects and adventures and spending time on non-profit organization work. We try to do stuff with our grandkids as often as possible too.  

There were ski trips and a host of other outdoor activities, and time at family places along Utsalady Bay on Camano Island and Henderson Inlet near Olympia. The video embedded below covers some of it.

We wish you a blessed Christmas/holiday season and a happy, joyous 2022!

Cheers,

Brian and Dee Dirks

Wishing you the Merriest Christmas and a Happy 2019!

Merry Christmas!

While Dee is wrapping up the present wrapping and my Christmas clam chowder is simmering ambrosially in the crock pot, I thought I'd take a few minutes to dash off a few lines before we dash off like Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen to our first stop on Christmas Eve. That would be my brother Tom and sister-in-law Suzy's place in West Seattle, the site of our family holiday gatherings dating back to the 1940s when my grandparents bought the house.

All else in life can change, but the tradition of going to the same home for Christmas Eve throughout my a lifetime is one we hopefully can continue to cherish for many years (Dee and I spend every other Christmas Eve there as we also have the wonderful tradition of going to her dad and step-mom's place in north Olympia). We will find our way to Olympia at some point late tonight and be at her sister Candace's place just up the beach on Christmas Day.

Our year has been busy. Dee took a new contract job a few weeks ago with Aerospace Futures Alliance that should last through March, if not longer. The AFA is a small non-profit that advocates for Washington's aerospace industry. She enjoys her new post so far, although working full-time from home has her missing having colleagues around. I continue with communications work for a state agency in Olympia that provides technology services to other government organizations. I also remain pretty heavily involved with humanitarian work for Hands for Peacemaking Foundation board and Guatemala team leader/organizer for Marine View Presbyterian Church. Our team went to Guatemala for 10 days in April and plans to go in May of 2019. While both of these roles involve a significant amount of time for planning, meeting and fundraising, it is rewarding work that I enjoy.

Other travels this year took us to our family place on Camano Island and Dee's sister's place in Olympia. We also made our traditional weeklong ski trip to McCall, Idaho.

Dee makes a snow angel near McCall

One of my fun projects there was to set out a new buoy over Labor Day weekend.

Buoy project

A couple of gray whales took up residence in Utsalady Bay (off our Camano Island place) from July through early September so it was fun to watch them from afar.

We also went to Victoria for a few days in late October/early November to celebrate Dee's 60th birthday - a trip that included high tea at the Empress,

High Tea at the Empress

touring a large castle, shopping and eating. My personal quest was to locate a historic old tug, the Sea Lion, that I stayed on a few times on our Canadian fishing trips.

Took some investigation but finally found it, a little worse for the wear, moored at the Maple Bay Marina on Vancouver Island. I have collected quite a bit of information on this vessel and plan to write about it when time allows as it has both of personal interest to me and made its own mark on British Columbia history back in 1914 when involved in major international incident.

I did not do as much cycling this year as I have in the past, but did train for the Seattle to Portland ride and rode the first day of it (100 miles via the backroads to Olympia on a hot July day, where I was met by Dee and a refreshing swimming pool).  Son Kyle and I also joined the throngs on a hike up to the Mt. Pilchuck fire lookout,

Kyle and me at Pilchuck lookout

about the only real hike I did!

Also ventured to central Oregon to take part in the Pole, Pedal, Paddle event from the slopes of Mt. Bachelor to downtown Bend.

Pole, Pedal, Paddle team in Central Oregon

My friend Dan, who lives in Sunriver, organized it and friend Matt and I teamed up to do the kayaking leg. Lots of fun.

Our three adult children remain our pride and joy. Hillary is still at corporate Costo, and expecting her second child in January. Her first, Laela, is three now

Rick, Hillary, Laela and Kiera

and she is very active in co-raising boyfriend Ricks' daughters, Kiera, 7, who lives with them primarily and Pandora, 11, who lives primarily with her mother. We love them all!

Thomas received a nice promotion at Target/Factoria this year and is now managing their shipping department, working crazy hours as usual. He is still steady with Kelly, whom we adore.

Thomas and Kelly

Kyle remains happy with corporate T-Mobile, where this year he was invited to join the elite T-Mobile/Sprint merger planning team to do business analyst and retail forecasting work. He and Kylie (whom we also adore) managed two trips to Hawaii and one to Vegas this year. Kyle and cousin Ben made the 20 mile trek through the beautiful Enchantments in one day, and Kyle also rode the entire STP in one day. Oh to be 24 again!

On Dec. 15 my brothers Greg (trumpet) and John (baritone sax) along with Greg's son Matthew (piano) and me (on clarinet) teamed up to play a little Christmas concert at the Aegis in West Seatttle, where my mom now lives. She turned 80 this year and we had a wondeful celebration for her with lots of family and a

few friends attending. Dad, 84, is still home and visits her almost daily. Dee has been spending nearly every weekend in Olympia this year to help out with the needs of her dad, Gregg, and step-mom, Joyce, who are both still enjoying life at their bluff-side retirement home overlooking Henderson Inlet.

Well, since it's nearly time to pack up the clam chowder and Dee is finishing up with her wrapping I guess I'll sign off.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! May God Bless you and your loved ones.

Brian and Dee

Holiday Greetings from Brian and Dee!

Dear Friends and Family,

As I start to write this I'm looking out over the calm but chilly blue waters of the South Sound, where seagulls are flying in the distance and across Henderson Inlet the seals are baying on the docks and the bats of Woodard Bay, the largest maternal colony in Washington state, are preparing to leave their home under the abandoned railroad trestles for their nightly forage for insects. The snow-capped Olympics are peeking over us to the west. Dee is cooking something chocolatey in her sister's kitchen while the music of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings is blaring out of the sound box on nearby wall. Dee's next job is to engage in some frenetic gift wrapping, a job I am not very qualified to help with due to my very low skill level in that area.

This year has been a busy and challenging one for our family, with many transitions and the kinds of various life responsibilities that face us all in different ways. And it just seemed to fly by!

The retirement of Brad Owen, Washington's 15th lieutenant governor, left Brian scrambling for a new job in January after more than 11 years with the office. He shuffled over to WaTech, the state's technology support agency, where he continues to do communications work while pining for retirement from state service. Dee also separated from her longtime employer, World Vision, in June. Her break in employment made her available to assist her dad and step-mom in Olympia at a time when they really needed an extra hand, so it worked out well in that regard. She started in late November as executive assistant to the CEO of a fast-growing opioid addiction treatment center in Lakewood and is enjoying the position and her new co-workers so far. The company is serving a major need in the area and their expansion to more clinics is expected to continue in 2018 and beyond.

Our son Kyle also landed his first big post-college job. He started with corporate T-Mobile in March, working in something called their business transformation unit where he is putting his WWU degrees in math and economics to work!

He just received his first big promotion there and enjoys the fast-paced work and his colleagues.

Thomas, meanwhile, continues with Target and received a big boost in responsibility this year with his promotion to a managerial position at the company's Factoria store, but still working the crazy hours demanded by big retail. We welcomed him back home in Federal Way for a few months over the summer as he transitioned between living situations, but he found a new roommate and home in September in Renton, much closer to his work.

Daughter Hillary continues her daily commute from Auburn to Issaquah for her corporate job with Costco, where she works as a leave benefits administrator within their HR department. She stays busy there as well and was on a big presentation panel at a major national conference for her field in Los Angeles and gave other smaller presentations - she's kind of a natural and somewhat fearless public speaker. Hillary is also busy raising two little ones at home and continues to drive late shifts for Uber on some weekend evenings. Her boyfriend Rick is working incredibly long and strenuous hours at a company that does corporate event rentals and set-ups for special events. He also made his way up a couple of rungs on the promotional ladder this year. None of our three are yet married but all three have "significant others" so we are

looking forward to good things in 2018.
We truly enjoy being grandparents to Laela and Keira, although the busi-ness in all of our lives has kept us from fulfilling those duties as much as we would like. Lots of fun day adventures and get-togethers with them though through the course of the year. Rick's older girl, Pandora, went to live with her mother full-time this year so our interactions with her have been sparse.

Clearly, all three of our young adult children continue to be sources of great pride for Dee and I.

Brian continues to be embroiled in our ongoing flood control situation at our family property on Camano Island, sort of a part-time job by itself.

He organized a couple of community meetings, one with just the neighbors and one with some county officials and has made many trips with his brothers and dad to the island to make updates and repairs to the temporary apparatus we have installed to pump water from the community ditch that runs across our property to our beach. Hopefully 2018 will bring a long-term solution for that issue, but currently none is in sight. We think the county should step up to a county's traditional responsibilities to handle public drainage issues, but they don't quite see it that way so there we are! Meantime the ancient beach outfall for the water remains busted, so if we stopped the electric pump planted in our ditch the whole area would flood as it did a year ago.

On top of that, Brian is now a year into his duties as board president for the Hands for Peacemaking Foundation which is based in Everett but has a manufacturing facility and staff in northwestern Guatemala, where teams from the U.S. and foundation staff install wood stoves, water systems and schools in remote Mayan villages.

The organization is going through much transition now and the needs are huge so that is another area of heavy commitment of time and personal resources. Brian is also again organizing a Guatemala mission team through Marine View Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, where Dee and Brian attend, for mid-April. Dee, in the meantime, started taking night classes in project management in the fall through Green River College and is enjoying the topic so much that she plans to continue to the next level next quarter.

When Dee wasn't traveling to Olympia and Brian to Olympia and Camano Island, we managed some travels on our own. In February we returned to McCall, Idaho for our annual ski trip with family and friends, always a great time. Brian, Kyle and two of Kyle's friends also escaped to Mission Ridge near Wenatchee for a few days for some great skiing there.

Our big summer trip was to the Broughton Island chain in the Queen Charlotte Strait area of British Columbia to the northeast of Vancouver Island. We were guests our friends Steve and Brenda, who have a floating home on Shawl Bay. It is a beautiful, remote setting and we enjoyed several days of salmon fishing,

crabbing, shrimping, whale watching and just hanging out. In late October/early November we took a sun break to Puerto Vallarta, where we enjoyed a week of sun, ocean, fishing and sightseeing as neither of us had been there before.

Brian's parents, Ann and Marty, tried moving into an assisted living center in Burien for a few months this year only found the situation wasn't quite to their liking so moved back to their home in West Seattle in June. They now have a wonderful part-time assistant who comes twice a day to help Ann with getting up and down and helps my dad with some of the day-to-day chores too. Otherwise Marty serves as the full-time caregiver for Ann, who has had a few scares and hospitalizations this year while dealing with her various infirmities. Their five sons are on continual standby to assist when needed and try to split things up as much as possible - thank God we all live reasonably close.

Dee's dad, Gregg and step-mom Joyce continue to enjoy their independent lifestyle at their home on Henderson Inlet near Olympia but have also befell the various rigors of aging so Dee (and one of her sisters) have spent most weekends and many weekdays too helping on the home front there. (The third sister lives further to the north but also ventured down a few times when she was able).   

Another highlight of Brian's year was road cycling, which enabled him to spend more time with son Kyle, who also took up the sport in a serious way, along with brother John. We did many long training rides together. Brian and John rode the Flying Wheels century ride and the Seattle to Portland (STP) rides organized by the Cascade Bicycle Club. Kyle also rode the STP, but unlike his dad and uncle who did it in two days he rode the whole 206 miles in one, and in a very good time! Of course he has the advantage of youth!

We also made a few boating trips to the San Juan Islands. Brian, Kyle and Kyle's girlfriend Kylie took advantage of the accidental release of Atlantic salmon

off Cypress Island and harvested a few to help with the cause. Brian also ventured to central Oregon with friends Dan and Matt one weekend to try their hands at fly fishing for trout on the mighty

Deschutes River. Unfortunately, the fish weren't biting but a good time was had by all.

So that's about it from our quarters. Our apologies for not being as available as we'd like to get together with our friends and extended family, but please know that you all our continually in our minds and hearts. Brian spends way too much time on Facebook and other social media, which isn't quite the same as personal interaction but at least a way to stay in touch. Dee pretty much stays off social media, although did become more familiar with LinkedIn during her job search months.

We hope your holiday season is a very joyous one, no matter your faith or family traditions.  May God be with you in 2018 and please call, write, text, IM, whatever anytime! We thank those of you who sent traditional paper cards to us this year - unfortunately this is our own "replacement" for that wonderful tradition.

With great fondness,

Brian and Dee


 


 







 

B

Year like a white water raft trip, but we popped out of the whirlpool

Dear Friends and Family,

With the frenzy of Christmas morning now behind us, and the music of the late pop superstar George Michael streaming around us, Dee and I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on our year and wish each and every one of you the merriest times of all.

First, I wanted to let you know that the androgynous wig-head that my sister-in-law Candace and I have exchanged for several years now found its way under the tree, wrapped up nicely as a special gift to me and fitted with a pair of sunglasses, a Santa hat and a flowing white-ribbon beard. I retaliated later in the day by swapping the star on top of the tree with said wig.

We had another special gift from Candee too. She made Dee and I open several small packages in sequence, starting with the cheapest dollar-store ponchos you've ever seen, followed by those goofy blow-up water wings that help toddlers stay afloat in pools then pink plastic sunglasses. We had to pose for photos by each before we could move on. But at the bottom of the stack was a gift certificate for a white-water river-rafting trip, which we shall enjoy on some wet day this spring.

This year was a little like going on a white water rafting trip for us, with many thrills, spills, joys and struggles. But, as George Michael sang, Ya Gotta Have Faith, and that's what keeps us going right?

Faith is knowing that things will have a way of working out, with some belief in the notion that a great divine spirit is guiding us through it whether we appreciate it or not. (Cubs fans are famous for having such faith).  To this end, Dee and I continue our involvement in church, where we have developed many friendships with an extraordinary group of fellow Christians. It is through Marine View Presbyterian that I again led a team to Guatemala in late May this year, where we installed a record 125 wood stoves in the homes and churches of a remote Mayan village. This was my fourth time. I felt very blessed that my brother Tom and nephew Andy, 15, could join us and that both had a life-changing experience on this humanitarian mission. I also continue my work on the board of Hands for Peacemaking Foundation that sends our team and others to Guatemala. This year I co-chaired their big auction in Everett and in December was named board president, so lots more volunteer work ahead in 2017.

In mid-March, we made our annual trek to McCall, Idaho, experiencing some of the finest ski conditions on Brundage Mountain that we've had in years, that is when we weren't stopped by a couple of scary lightning storms, one which struck a chair lift.

Dee's big trip this year was a three-week safari in Africa with her sister Candace and nephew Tyler in October. They had a wonderful time on this life's dream adventure as they explored the vast savannas of Kenya and Tanzania.  They saw lions eating zebras right before them, along with every other kind of animal one would expect to see on such trips (wildebeests, hyenas, giraffes, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, extra-large alligators, hippos, rhinos both black and white, etc.).

They stayed in luxury tents, floated over the Serengeti in a hot air balloon, were protected overnight by the colorful warriors of the Masai, and fended off a cheetah that jumped on the roof of their Land Cruiser by the sun roof as a perch for scouting pray. She leaped off, but not before first marking her territory. During a side trip to Rwanda, Dee suddenly found herself huddling next to a large mountain gorilla while avoiding eye contact so he wouldn't attack her.

They finished their trip with a few days in the sunny island nation of the Seychelles, where they did some deep-sea fishing, sailing, swimming and happy beach fun. Unfortunately, on their next-to-last day Dee went over an embankment on a bicycle, suffering some serious cuts, bumps and bruises and a dislocated shoulder that made the long trip back less than fun but the overall expedition even more memorable. It took her a few weeks to recover from that and she's still seeing a physical therapist to get her damaged shoulder back in shape.

In family news, we were very proud of son Kyle who graduated from Western Washington University in June with a highly respectable GPA and double majors in mathematics and economics. We rewarded him with a big pig roast at our family place on Camano Island. Kyle landed a cool internship at the state Department of Revenue in Olympia this summer that was extended through

October. He's now filling his time with short-term employment gigs while looking for a permanent place to land. He continues to see special friend Kylie, whom he met a few years ago, while working at Wild Waves in Federal Way and who is finishing up at Western herself this year. Kyle and I became reacquainted with backpacking in mid-August, taking a very scenic 33-mile hike in the Glacier Peak

Wilderness Area that turned out to be quite a bit more strenuous than either of us had thought, especially on the first afternoon when gaining several thousand feet of elevation in 90-degree heat. 

Daughter Hillary, 26, is as busy as ever, working full-time at Costco corporate in Issaquah while raising her own daughter Laela, 16 months now, and co-raising her boyfriend Rick's two girls, Pandora, 9, and Keira, 5, whom we also call our grandkids now too. They live in Auburn. Rick's a hard-working guy, but was unable to work for a few weeks late in the year due to a persistent health issue. I called Hillary late one night and she gave me her usual "What's up, dad?" and it sounded like she was in a car.

So I asked her what was up, and her surprising answer was that she had just become a part-time Uber driver! It's a lot of fun being grandparents and Dee and I try to see them whenever we can, which of course isn't often enough.

Thomas, 25, is still working all kinds of hours at the Factoria Target in their online distribution department and living just down the road in Renton. Without going into details, I would like to say how proud we are of him for overcoming his own set of health challenges this year. He is now healthy, well and full of new promise and ambition. If you know his circumstances, please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers as they are much appreciated. Thomas and I enjoyed a few fishing outings this year, including a stormy morning out on Lake Washington in my small vinyl boat chasing Coho. He got a little bow-splashed from the big waves but we had fun anyway.

There were a few other boating adventures too. Dee and I took another couple on a day-long boat ride/whale watch trip around the San Juans, only didn't see any whales. I made two other salmon fishing trips to the San Juans with brothers and friends,

navigating many miles through thick fog from Camano Island to the fishing grounds. On one, after the fog lifted, we did see a pod of Orcas out in the middle of the Strait. My twin Greg and I had a fun birthday celebration with family members on an electric boat on Lake Union. 

I did a fair amount of cycling this year - not as much as I was a few years back but it was fun hitting the road again. Being 60 pounds lighter helps on that score a lot! Now if only I can keep the weight off - the holidays were killer for me in that regard. Also managed to continue my disassociation with beer, wine and other spirits through the year. I've been 15 months now without an alcoholic beverage and feel better for it but admit the transition to dryness hasn't always been easy.

Dee and I spent a fair amount of time at our family place on Camano and at her sister's place on Henderson Inlet near Olympia, where we also enjoyed some South Sound boating and general fun. One of the highlights was a big Dirks Family gathering in July on Camano, which drew relatives from five states,

and an 80th birthday celebration for Dee's step-mother Joyce in Olympia attended by relatives from far and wide too.

We've been dealing with a big flood on our Camano property these past few weeks due to a broken outfall pipe from a community ditch that spans our property. The water flowing down from above simply has no place to go so we've had to bring in pumps to keep the levels down and protect area homes.

The long-term fix is complicated but we hope to have it resolved soon. Thankfully my dad, the engineer, has been able to lend his expertise to the issue. Our thanks to Kyle for being on 

site for a few weeks to keep the diesel and gas pumps fueled. We just installed a large electric pump in the ditch

and an ad-hoc piping system to jet water over our bulkhead, but it's only a temporary fix.

Our parents are now of an age where daily self-sufficiency is becoming more and more of a challenge, so we try to help them as much as we are able given the constraints of time, work and distance. Our siblings and their families are doing the same. 

As far as our work lives, Dee is nearing a decade at World Vision and I'll be concluding my 11.5-year stint with the lieutenant governor's office in January. We're both anticipating new opportunities and growth this year, God willing!

Well, it's actually the Wednesday after Christmas now as I finish up this post as a few things have been in the way of completion, like last night's disappointing Holiday Bowl match between Washington State Cougars and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Maybe the Huskies will fare better against Alabama in the Peach Bowl on Saturday. The first of four times two teams faced each other - in the 1926 Rose Bowl - my Grandpa Clarence was on the team! (He went on to become the UW team captain in '28).

That's my grandpa, Clarence Dirks, in the very center on the 1926 University of Washington Rose Bowl team. The Huskies lost to Alabama by just a point.

Again, we wish you a hearty Happy Holidays and look forward to hopefully seeing you in the New Year. Go Cougs! Go Huskies! Go Hawks! Go Mariners! Go Sounders! 

With Love,

Brian and Dee