Vic and Reba's 2004 Annual Letter

What a year!  We have one of our dearest friends discovering and then recovering from cancer.  An election that had the virtue of being clear cut. Weather that included 4 major hurricanes over Florida in a single month.  A stock market that has recovered nicely for those who are fortunate enough to have something to invest and the gambling spirit to buy stocks in a volatile market.

For us, it was a very good year.  We started the year by attending the South Florida Folk Festival held in Fort Lauderdale over the MLK weekend.  When we were scheduled to go home we noticed the lousy weather up North and stayed over four extra days.  Moreover we decided we were going to "snowbird" in the 2004-2005 winter season.  And that is what we are doing!  We rented a 2bedroom 2bath suite in a Ft Lauderdale suburb for January and February.  We picked this area for its weather and strong folk community.  Phoenix/Tucson has warmer weather where it counts, Austin has better folk music. Ah, so nice having choices.

BUT, with us gone 3 months in a row and anticipating more trips and other activities, it came time to pass the baton at Vic's Music Corner to David Spitzer and the folk at Focus.  VMC will continue as a twice a month venue in Rockville at O'Brien's Pit Barbecue.  I'll host quarterly shows to keep my hand in.

We got to 6 other festivals -- Susquehanna, Kerrville, Falcon Ridge, Country Roads, NewSong, and Boston; 3 Conferences--the International Folk Alliance Conference in San Diego, Southwest, Northeast; and 2 major overseas expeditions--attending a wedding in Wales in June, and a cruise out of Miami to Jamaica, Costa Rica, through the Panama Canal to Peru and Chile. In addition, we were at our cabin in West Virginia about 70 days.

As you can see, we are physically able enough to travel hither and yon.  Vic's knees are bothering him, more so since Vioxx was pulled off the market.  Aleve works reasonably enough but that looks like it has rough sailing ahead.  Reba is doing splendidly.  Her 91 year old mother, Etta, is still able to live comfortably in her own home in Bethesda, even able to drive in daylight.

The kids are still where they have been.  Steve is teaching Law in Chicago; his book proposal has been accepted by Yale University Press.  David is still in marketing, having just taken a permanent job with AOL after free-lancing for more than a year.  Ricky is still a clinical psychologist at New York State University Stony Brook, specializing in family violence prediction and prevention under contracts with the Army and Air Force.  And Judy is still in Vallejo California managing property, doing freelance graphics, and developing the art and profession of backstage ambiance for major bands.

The Wales trip was great fun.  We went for Anne Lister's wedding (see the photos and write-up on my website) <http://www.victorheyman.com/>www.victorheyman.com. Lots of green and flocks of sheep.  Many short people with rectangular proportions, stereotypical Welsh miners.  The Welsh language is coming back bringing with it monumental translation problems.

The cruise was also fascinating.  Jamaica was not interesting, but Costa Rica was, the Canal was very impressive, and Peru and Chile were unbelievable.  (See my website for more.)

So we are doing well.  How about you?


Love Vic & Reba