Christmas Letter, 2008

Christmas Greetings!

We hope this holiday season finds you well and celebrating the conclusion of another exciting year. We will be celebrating Christmas in Tennessee this year, hopefully taking a brief respite from the snowy North.

Our year began with a kayaking adventure in the Yucatan Peninsula, where we stayed at a small "rancho" in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. We combined kayaking, playing in the surf and exploring Mayan ruins with snorkeling and gourmet Mexican food (and plenty of margaritas). Re-entering the States was made a little more interesting by our government mixing up my passport with another Steve McBride with an outstanding court order.

Summer was quite comfortable in Michigan, and we took advantage of it with sailing trips in Grand Traverse Bay and Muskegon Lake and the traditional family gathering at Elk Lake. This year's gathering included a salmon fishing trip in Lake Michigan.

This Fall we headed for Colorado, a place we seem to revisit every few years. The hiking was great; we added a little variety by enjoying a trip by narrow gauge railroad and staying in some old historic hotels.

The annual Father-Son outdoor adventure was a success, with good weather allowing us to complete a section of the Appalachian Trail we have been wanting to do for the past few years.

Now we are looking forward to the adventures of 2009. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Steve and Kathy