[Nfb-new-hampshire] update/invitation

Wed Dec 5 13:49:17 UTC 2012

I am sending this to several groups, and there might be some overlap in membership. 
Apologies if you get more than one copy. 

This is going to our NFB and other blind friends.
Ed & Sandy Meskys

==

We greet all with best wishes for the holidays ... a blessed Christmas (or whichever other mid-winter festival you celebrate) and a fortunate New Year. We are well and pray that you are the same. We did not do a Christmas letter in '09 or '11, nor mail out the print copies of the 2010 letter, so this one is doing quadruple duty. 

We will be holding our mid-winter open-house/party Saturday, December 29 from noon to 5 PM and do sincerely invite all that can do so to drop in. And remember that we can overnight several travelers from greater distances. Sunday will be a bad weather backup. Note that Concord Coach has changed its schedule, so phone them before planning your trip. 

The years were fair to us, tho we did have our problems. Ed had a very successful operation for Prostate cancer early in 2010, and the latest blood tests indicate no signs of return. He also had a scare of Atrial Fibrillation last year, but after several appointments with heart specialists we found that he does not need drastic treatment or surgery. He does have to take the mildest statin daily.

Our stocks have regained most of the value they had lost in the Bush crash, so we are beginning to recover financially. In October, 2008, Sandy began to collect Social Security, and last October she became eligible for Medicare. Until then we were very concerned about possible medical expenses, and thanks to the Affordable Care Act younger people without an employer medical plan will not have that worry. 

Ed's dog guide, Gyro, also known as "Killer Dog," is working well, and is in good health. He is good at avoiding obstacles, but when following someone he becomes so fixated on the target person that he gets a little careless about obstacles. Our fourth-hand cat, Amber, is well, and has lost some of her shyness. She will actually come out of hiding when company arrives. 

Despite the minor age-related failures of our bodies we are keeping up an active life. We continue to slowly lose weight, but do not get to our morning exercises as often as we should. Also, Ed is lazy and often does miss his daily one-mile walk with the dog. Sandy is very proud about actually losing 8 pounds during our 73 day vacation.

We did the Boskone SF convention in '09, '11, and '12, but missed it in '10 because of exhaustion after being stranded by a major snowstorm in Virginia. We did Arisia twice, Readercon in July three times, and we did Darkover in '10 and '11. We combined it with a visit to John and Perdita Boardman in their assisted living facility in Frederick, MD. Daughter Karina brought us out from Baltimore after the con, Deirdre put us up overnight, and Karina took us to our bus/train home from Baltimore. Ed did Lunacon just outside NY City all four years, accompanied by Sandy this year, combined with a visit to the city. On our way home on Metrorail and Amtrak the Hutniks put us up overnight in New Haven. 

As usual, in 2009, '11, and '12, we combined travel to the Worldcon with a vacation in the area, missing '10 because it was in Australia. In '09 we went to Montreal. In '11 the con was in Reno, and there was nothing interesting to do there, so we spent a couple weeks in Seattle, Portland, and Oakland before the con, travelling by train between the four cities. 

This year we had an unbelievable trip lasting 73 days! We are getting too old for tent camping (the ground gets further and further down!), so we bought a Silverline pop-up camping trailer. It is only 800 pounds empty, so our little Toyota Matrix can tow it. In July we were joined by Jack & Kris Page of Boston, taking 5½ weeks to tour thru Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, mostly visiting living history museums, ending up in Chicago. Jack & Kris took car and trailer back east while we remained in Chicago for Worldcon and a few days of visiting. Then we joined an Elder Hostel (now called Road Scholar), travelling by charter bus with lecturer, following in the footsteps of Lewis & Clark. After three more days in Portland we took Amtrak to Boston and overnighted at the Pages, before driving home. 

For more details on this trip, and others, asked Ed for his free personal newsletter, ENTROPY, which went into detail. 

Ed & Sandy continue to be active in the Moultonboro Lions Club, helping run the weekly Bingo, selling raffle tickets, doing highway clean-up, etc. Sandy became club treasurer in July, 2007, and is finding the work challenging but interesting. She also ran the kitchen for the weekly bingo games, and with other "Bingo Babes" put on some dinners, profits from which helped reduce club dues. As treasurer, she oversees bank accounts and investments totaling about a half million dollars. She also loves it when everybody is throwing money at her to pay for the dinner meetings. In July, 2011, Ed took the presidency for two years. 

We both went to the annual NFB Washington Seminar in February '09 and '10, when we ask each individual congressman to support legislation which will help blind persons live independently. 

Ed went as delegate of the NH affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind to the week-long national convention in Detroit in '09, Dallas in '10 and '12, and we both went to Orlando in '11. While in Dallas, Ed again had lunch with NIEKAS contributor Dr. Joe Christopher. 

Ed continues to help the NFB with his time and money. Until last year, he acted as president of the local, Lakes Region, chapter, and continues as secretary at the state level. He does public speaking and fund raising at all levels, and makes monthly donations thru the "pre-authorized check plan." He continues to raise funds for the NFB "Imagination Fund." This funds research, like that which has produced the pocket reading machine, and offers on-line courses in blind skills and for teachers of blind students. They held a science camp for middle-school blind kids who, among other things, dissected a shark, and for blind high school students who built, instrumented, and launched a ten foot rocket at a NASA facility. They brought in 200 blind high school students for a week-long STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) workshop at a Baltimore area University several times, and will do it again. 

Ed again asks friends to support the Imagination Fund/Drive for Independence by sending donations to Ed or the NFB headquarters at 1800 Johnson St., Baltimore, MD 21230-4998. Please indicate that it is for the Imagination Fund, and is made at Ed's request. 

Ed continues to publish his email only fanzine THE VIEW FROM ENTROPY HALL. He will send it free to anyone who requests it.

Son Stanley is well and getting on OK in Rochester, NY. He has had to change jobs several times the last few years because companies keep eliminating their network management departments and outsourcing the work. He finally got a permanent job, tho at a smaller salary than his last temporary appointment, but is happy with the security. He continues to fix and improve the home he bought several years ago. 

Again, we all wish you the best of Christmases and a wonderful New Year. Please do come to our party, and, if we don't already have it, give us your email address!

Ed & Sandy, Gyro & Amber

edmeskys at roadrunner.com

smeskys at roadrunner.com

603-253-6207,

322 Whittier Hwy, Moultonboro, NH 03254-3627