The year of our Lord,
Twenty Seventeen
The comings and goings ,
the Mountain tops and the valleys
and everything in between
of the
Curtis Clann…..
As the Colorado River courses thru the Grand Canyon, it can be tranquil, as on golden pond, but then again, it can race tumultuously thru a narrow gorge, angrily churning over hidden obstacles. Whatever its state, it is constantly flowing, never knowing what is around the next bend….
Such is Life…
We are pleased to have all of our family home for Christmas…, we have to thank Vice President Pence and his wife for sharing their ride, getting Andrew, Lauren, Christian and Atticus back home again in Indiana, from DC.
When I embraced the return of American culture to the singular, apart from the plural of “multi” in the 2016 election, little did I realize what was in store for our family. “Cultural Wars” is very accurately named, for we are embroiled in a monumental battle. Will we be “America the disintegrated” or “America the shining light”? With the arrival of 2017, we found our marching orders. Our son-in-law Andrew, Lauren’s husband was tapped to be on the front lines in Washington DC. He originally was deployed with a beachhead team to secure the Department of Education at twelve o’clock noon on January 20th. A couple of months after securing the Department of Education with Betsy DeVos in place, Andrew was requisitioned by his old boss (now the Vice President) to work with the Presidential Commission on Voter fraud. Choose to believe what you want about Health Care, Taxes, Security, Education, or any other government policy, without a legitimate election process everything is for naught. In May, Lauren, and the boys, Christian and Atticus, packed up, leaving the cocoon of Zionsville Indiana, and joined up with Andrew in the DC area. They swapped out their 3000 sq ft home for an 1800 sq ft town house (now a town home). They showed Cheryl and me how to downsize! The move, even with some frustrations, has been very good for all. The change in environment has enhanced the boys’ education with all the things to see and do in DC and surrounding area. They have been exploring every chance they get. Lauren is home schooling the boys and is part of a home school cooperative of other moms (mostly military) and they go on field trips every week, enhancing their studies.
Cheryl and I, have been out to DC three times this year. Paul and Austin have each visited. We have toured the Vice Presidents office outside the Senate chambers, (saw the Curtis Chair),
the Capital building, The Library of Congress,
Andrew’s office in the Executive office building (overlooking the WhiteHouse),
Andrew, Lauren and the boys have been to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, American History Museum, Museum of Natural History, National Postal Museum, National Zoo, and ice skated on the mall. Monuments on the Mall, Arlington Cemetery, Mt Vernon, Philadelphia, Annapolis, National Archives, Ferry Farm (Washington’s boyhood home), Fords Theater, the Peterson House, an Ice cream social at the White House, Forth-of-July fireworks from the South Lawn, spring and fall garden tours, and an inside tour of the White House, Trick-or-treated and attended a Christmas Party at the Vice- Presidents Home.
We look forward seeing them at Christmas and are supporting them in whatever way we can.
Paul’s company CLR (Curtis Life Research), is growing.
His product, an ECMO simulator, has received great reviews, and he is now getting orders from hospitals thru word-of-mouth referrals. Paul has traveled extensively, adding 15k miles on his car and countless air miles to his card this year.
His device is in 16 hospitals and with interest from countries around the world he keeps busy. Given all the exposure to various ECMO training programs, I would consider him an expert on ECMO simulation. One sales/training trip to Portland OR, put him in close proximity with brother Austin who was finishing a rotation in the Seattle area. They were able to meet up and drove back to Indy together! A great experience…
Austin will be graduating from medical school next May. He spent 2017 in various rotations around the country. He has enjoyed his travels from Seattle to New York City where his girlfriend Farah, a physician assistant lives.
More Photos at
He is entering the residency match system, seeking a Family Medicine program. We will find out in March where he will spend his next three years.
Alex and Elizabeth moved from IU Bloomington to Broad Ripple last May. Alex will be graduating from Optometry school next May as well. He will (finally) be entering the workforce in June with the possibility of relocating as Elizabeth graduates and begins her residency in 2019. Elizabeth is in her third year of medical school doing clerkships in Indy. Their big news this year was the addition to their family of Hattie, a delightful, well-mannered, golden doodle puppy.
Poor old Riley, the excitement is almost too much for him when Hattie comes to visit.
With all the hard work and busy lives we do get away for some R&R. Paul, Cheryl and I spent a week in Orlando for a medical simulation meeting in February.
We traveled to Fairfax VA to help Lauren and Andrew get settled in May, visiting Biltmore estates on the way to see the spring flowering gardens.
In August, Lauren and the boys flew back to Zionsville with Cheryl and me for a week, with Andrew flying in on Friday with the Vice President on Air Force 2, then the family flew back on Sunday.
We had a great time at the farm, hiking chasing chickens, and celebrating August birthdays.
I was scheduled for a left hip replacement at the end of September, but after a double root canal, the hip was postponed til January. We had planned on a week of recuperation on Hilton Head island and still did that in October. We stopped again at Biltmore to see the fall foliage.
October is a lovely time to visit HH.
Andrew and Lauren were unable to come back to Indy for Thanksgiving this year. But no problem, Cheryl, Paul and I packed up and after being on call Tuesday night, we were off Wednesday morning to Fairfax. Paul drove us out to give thanks with Lauren, Andrew, and the kids. We had a great time eating turkey, watching movies, visiting the Smithsonian, ice skating, and playing Catan! We took a less traveled route to Lauren’s avoiding the horrific traffic around DC, and discovered the historic Chesapeake and Ohio canal system along the Potomac river.
After two, thirty day permit extensions for the new barn, the county inspector finally passed it. (I kept telling him it is just a barn!) I have been able to turn my attention back to other projects that had been put on the back burner. Austin, Paul and I made preliminary repairs on the old tool shed roof so it is dry inside, but we will have to finish it up in warmer weather.
The old main barn has mostly collapsed and is awaiting the deconstruction crew to dismantle it with plans for it to rise again.
With the death of many green ash trees in the area, we will be able to cut the replacement beams needed for reconstruction. We put out a garden at the farm plot that has been fallow for many years. The deer population has increased dramatically over the past couple of decades and we had to put up a 7 foot fence around it to keep the critters out. We enjoyed the many fresh veggies this summer.
Cheryl continues to work part time as a research nurse for St Vincent’s heart hospital and teaches two online nursing classes for Marian University. She is just now, putting the finishing touches on stuffed teddy bears she is making from some of her dad’s flannel shirts as gifts for her brothers and sister. They are very cute! Although over a year away, we are both looking forward to retirement redirecting our lives toward things we have always wanted to do, but didn’t have time for.
Cheryl’s mom has worked thru some of her grief from the loss of Cheryl’s dad a year ago and is doing well. My parents continue to live independently in my childhood home in West Lafayette. Dad is 92 and mom is 90.
Gma Curtis’ 90th birthday celebration
A special guest came to Gma Curtis (the old grey mare) to wish her a happy birthday!