Summer 2001

It's been a long dry spell as far as brannan.org updates goes. Here is a tidbit.

Its a mock-up of what our home renovation might look like in about a year or so.

 Winter 2001

We just returned from our week of skiing at Tremblant. We got there last Sunday, (after a long, bo-o-o-ring car ride according to the boys) in resplendent sunshine. The mountain rose spectacularly from the the Quebecois countryside. We checked into the hotel and went looking for dinner in the village. The snow was crisp beneath our feet as we wandered under a cresent moon in the clear deep-indigo sky. It was beautiful.

The next morning the clouds closed in, and stayed for the rest of the week.

On the first day Andrew, Colin and I explored the mountain and found more than enough to keep us challenged for the duration of our stay. At the end of the second day I was really getting into the spirit of the slopes. I decided that, in order to really get the most from the mountain, I needed to upgrade my equipment.

At the end of the third day I decided that I needed to upgrade my legs. They were aching from taking an unaccustomed pounding. The truth is, it actually felt quite good.

We took it easier for the last couple of days, and left with all limbs and bones intact.

Now we are faced with a dilemma. Now that we know Tremblant make a great holiday, should we go back next year, or take a chance on a new place.

Looking back at 2000. A list of good stuff from the year 2000 (in no particular order).

• I started skiing again, and Colin and Andrew also hit the slopes. It certainly gives us a reason to look forward to winter. (We've booked a week at Mt. Tremblant for our first winter holiday in....well, ever).
• Heidi and I had a great trip to Paris in April.
• Andrew became a very skilled juggler, (but despite sporadic efforts on my part, I am still hopeless).
• We all had wonderful vacation in Tofino, B.C.
• The boys are doing very well at Pinegrove P.S., Andrew is moving into the senior grades (he's in Grade 4 now) and Colin made a seamless transition into Pinegrove's Grade 1 French immersion programme.
• We spent yet another week at the Pinery. Andrew finished the "Junior Friend" programme, which he started in 1996. We went on a night hike and saw flying squirrels.
• Heidi and I have finally scraped together enough money to begin work on revovating our house. We hired an architect (Chris Montgomery) and, early in 2001, we expect to get a better idea of what the new place could look like.
• I decided to take a sabatical. I originally planned to take a year off for my 50th birthday, but when I remembered that I only need to save enough to replace my after-tax income I think I will be able to accelerate the plan. So far, I've accumulated about a sixth of the amount that I will need.
• This website found a permanent home at "brannan.org".
• I added a second iMac to my home network, but we still battle over who gets to use the computers.

Fall 2000

Another annual pilgrimage; this time to the Christmas tree farm to select the centerpiece of our celebration of winter solstice, among other things. This year, for the first time in ages, it was bright, white and fluffy rather than greenish brown and dull. Here we are:

Just bumph....

The Golden Compass

More literary bumph.....

High Fidelity and The Code Book

On our annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage to Haliburton, it snowed a bit. And I took this photo from the top of the Dorset fire tower that I am kinda proud of.

This is Colin at his soccer gala competition.

The truth hurts. I submitted a picture of myself to amiHOTorNOT.com and allowed others to rate me on a scale of 1 to 10. So far, I am only at 2.9. OUCH! Have your say.

The Spring 2000 stuff has been archived, here

I have added new book reviews of Disgrace and When Genius Failed.