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Hi Everyone,

I hope this letter finds you all healthy and happy. Things are going well here.

The past couple of weeks have been all about getting ready for the pig roast, which we hosted this past weekend. Catherine knocked it out of the park with the planning this year. We had a detailed, day-by-day list for the two weeks leading up to the party—everything from kegging the beer, cleaning the garage, and building the pit, to making sauces, shopping, and getting the house ready. Because of that planning, the party went off without a hitch, and cleanup was a breeze. More than once, Catherine and I looked at each other and said, “This is going too well—what did we forget?”

Jack drove up from Flagstaff to help tend the pit. He arrived on Wednesday and even got to join us for Wednesday night sailboat racing, which he enjoyed. On Thursday, we went over to Bob’s to get the pig ready for roasting. Friday night, a bunch of Alex’s friends came over for games while the pig cooked in the pit, and they had a great time.

The party itself was amazing! We had 171 “yes” RSVPs—about the same as last year—with quite a few new faces. Everyone who mentioned it said they had a great time.

Sunday was cleanup day, and after all these years, we’ve gotten it down to a science. (It also helped that some of the last guests on Saturday pitched in to get all the garbage, recycling, and compost out of the yard.)

On Monday night, Jack joined us for another race—maybe the most glorious evening of sailing we’ve had this year. Alex drove, and we had a great start… except we were called over early. By the time we returned to the line and cleared ourselves, we were over a minute behind the fleet. But with nine people on board and a stiff breeze, we sailed through the pack and were first to the Spring Beach mark. We stayed ahead downwind, but by the leeward mark, the boat Panic was just three lengths back. They threw us into a tacking duel and managed to split away, setting up a photo finish that we won by one second. After the race at the Sloop Tavern, Mike—the owner of Panic—came over, congratulated us, and admitted they had fouled us at the finish. He said that if they’d been scored first, he would have told the race committee they were retiring. I’m starting to like that guy—every interaction we’ve had has been positive.

Tuesday morning, I hit the gym, then had breakfast with Sue and her friends from San Diego before Jack and I headed to Spokane for the Weird Al Yankovic concert in Airway Heights. What a fabulous entertainer—excellent musicianship, showmanship, and a whole lot of fun. It was a perfect way to wrap up a wonderful week with Jack. Our original plan was to stay at Judy and Balin’s, but no one was home, so I grabbed a hotel downtown while Jack started the trip back to Flagstaff. I’ll be catching the FlixBus home from Spokane around 11:30 this morning, just in time for tonight’s sailing, where the sailmaker will be joining us.

That’s the latest from here.

Love you all, Dan W

Sauces are ready to go for the pig roast.

Matt and Scott helped build the pit.

I roasted a pork loin for National Night out.

A nice shot of my sister Sue.

Sister Sue, and Cousin Sandy stopped by on their way back from Alaska and spent the night. Sue then took Sandy back to Spokane before coming back to hang out with us for a couple of days and join the pig roast.