Bauer' Happy Holiday letter!

Dear friends, We hope you have had a wonderful and successful 2013, and wish you another for 2014. As usual, we have had a typically crazy fun Bauer year, especially so in our new house...though it is becoming less a novelty after a full year! We worked hard through the year on our yard and are almost done...Spring 2014 will see the last of the plants in. Terraces are done, plants are mostly in, grass is growing, we think. It is truly a fun project and beautiful place to be. Sitting at the waterfront each summer evening with a glass of wine has become a habit we can't seem to break! In addition to the yard, we were able to kayak 3-4 times a week for close to 6 months (Mark almost daily), which put us in great shape for some of our travels this year. We now have 4 sit-in kayaks, 1 visiting double sit-in, and two sit-upons which the grand and other kids love...oh...and we have a stand up paddle board also - which I seem to stay upright on as long as I don't actually try to stand up. It is disgusting how the younger crowd manages it with no effort at all!

We are really having fun sharing our house. Three parties so far this Christmas wasn't even hard work, and several small garden parties this summer with croquet, badminton, pickle ball, ladder golf, Baggo, and toad (don't ask), etc. The most fun was an event we hosted for the symphony where their string quartet played on our deck/porch and we set up long Italian style tables in the yard for a catered Italian feast. The music wafted over Eld inlet and neighbors came out on their nearby bulkheads to listen. It could be heard the 3/4 mile across the inlet as the yard creates kind of a natural amphitheatre; we have heard many people enjoyed it from a distance. We will be doing this again! Very surreal to be living here...we do love it and love to share so COME VISIT!!