Seasons Greetings from Joan and Davis

Its not about the wool,
the design of the yarn,
or the pattern in the sock.

Its about love that is shared,
the warmth that is created,
and the lives we knit together.

Sharing our warmth with you
in this season
and the new year.

Davis Foulger and Joan Dyer

It has been another fast paced year (where do the days go) containing two breaks (one planned, the other not) and many joyous activities: music, rediscovered hobbies, new friends, and more.

Our year started at Times Square (a first for Joan, despite having lived in and near NYC for most of her life). It was a warm and very pleasant night, the crowd was very large and very friendly, and we walked home on an enchanted evening. On New Year's Day we joined Summertrios friends for a performance of Bach's Brandenburg concertos at Lily Friedman's apartment. Although we didn't know it at the time, this was the only time we would see many of these friends this year. We would miss this summer's chamber music with Summertrios.

The first family event was the wedding of Davis' eldest, Devin, to a wonderful woman, the former Lisa Rowe. They were married in Boston at the end of March in a beautiful ceremony conducted by Davis sister Sarah, just a block from Boston Commons. The reception was held at Hampshire House (just upstairs from Cheers of TV fame), and the wedding party strolled from the wedding to the reception behind a bagpiper who piped his way across the commons. A full-page picture of the couple subsequently appeared in the Boston Herald.

Joan was in London at this time, staying with Elaine Sternberg (a most dear friend). The week was filled with plays, concerts, museums, yarn, and visits with other friends: Cynthia Dixon, Juliet Melford, and Jane Carhart (a surprise!).

Davis finished out his second year visiting at SUNY Oswego (Amtrak loved this). Research and writing continue, but it s a tight job market. Here's hoping for better for the coming year.

The year's first break was: Joan's! A broken leg (lateral tibial plateau fracture), which happened while enjoying another new thing, a spring bicycle ride in Riverside Park. The break was a freak combination of a step taken too hard and osteoperosis. A planned two weeks at Summertrios was cancelled. Davis traveled alone to San Diego and the spring meeting of the International Communication Association.

The first long trip after the accident was to Maine for Davis' nephew Chris's high school graduation. This trip included a surprise 50th birthday party for Davis, with most of his family (parents, sisters, children, niece and nephews) in attendance. Davis was caught completely off guard when he arrived with Joan at the Chinese restaurant to the strains of "Happy Birthday". It was a evening to be long remembered, but was just the first of two surprise parties. The second, on Davis' birthday and Father's Day, was preceded by a visit and bicycle afternoon with his son Sam, followed by a party with our New York friends.

The next break was the conclusion of Davis' divorce, finalized just before the Thanksgiving Foulger family festivities at Sugarloaf. We had expected that Sarah's new book - "No Revenge So Complete" - would be published by then, but such was not to be. The book has appeared in bookstores this week.

In other family news, Joan's daughter Clare had a front row seat on one of the year's great political entertainments: the highly political Republican gerrymandering of voting districts in the state of Texas. Her job as a manager of the Texas legislature's redistricting office required her to be in town despite other plans. With that done, we are looking forward to seeing Clare and her daughter Ashley for a few days before New Year's. Right now we expect to end the year the way we started it, at Times Square, but this year with Clare and Ashley. Unfortunately son-in-law Jack has to be back in Austin to do year-end inventory.

Joan's rediscovered hobby, knitting, is now a silent partner in meetings at work and many of our activities. She completed over 40 pairs of socks this year, with many now worn by family and friends. Thanks to eBay auctions, visits to knitting stores, and a pleasant day spent at the New York Sheep and Wool Show, she has a two or three year backlog of socks to knit. :-)

Davis has resumed singing; he is a member of the Choral Arts Society, a Westchester group directed by our close friend Timothy Vernon. His first performance with the group (for details, see http://www.choralartssociety.org) is January 18th.

Our apartment is cluttered and our lives increasingly entangled. We love each other deeply and view our relationship as a long-term commitment, but have decided not to formalize it. We take great joy in one another's company and expect that to continue.

May you be as happy in the New Year as we expect to be.

Joan and Davis

P.S. If you missed it, here's a pointer to last year's letter.