Dear Friends, 

As Pat and I approach the end of this year we can look back and appreciate how much your friendship has added to our lives. Someone has said one does not judge the success of one's life by the number of one's years, but rather by the number of friends one has acquired. Thanks to one and all of you.

In one of my previous Xmas letters I quoted several authors whose remarks played a role in my life, and the feedback was phenomenal. Several sent me quotations that had motivated them and were influential in their lives. With this letter it occurred to me that I might recount incidents in my travels that have taught me a lesson or two. Perhaps you, too, have have such experiences, and have learned something.

If Pat and I thought 1996 passed quickly then 1997 is passing with the speed of light. The time has come again all to quickly to wish our friends the Season's Greetings and our Best Wishes for the New Year. May I ask are the days getting shorter or are we traveling faster? At any rate and at the moment , we are well and continue to make plans to see as much of this world as possible as long as we can do so. It is said that the destination of one's journey is not as important as the traveling to get there. In this regard I can recall three incidents while traveling that stand out in my mind and which taught me something.

(1) While Pat and I were sitting in the lounge of the Oberoi Hotel in Delhi, India, a rowdy crowd of unshaven , long haired , bedraggled and unkempt Americans came in and it was obvious they had not bathed for weeks. My initial reaction was that they were hippies or drug addicts from Nepal as that was, at that time, a convenient place to enjoy their life style. I also recalled the book "The Ugly Americans", and momentarily assumed they were typical of the lot described in the book. My embarrassment and chagrin soon turned to admiration when we overheard their conversations, and learned that they had just conquered Mt. Everest!! They had every reason to shout and be merry and, obviously, had had no time to shave or tidy up! Had I not known what they had accomplished my initial impression would have been completely different! First impressions can be bad. My father use to quote Lord Chesterfield who said "Tis not the clothes that maketh a man, but the deeds he doth perform".

(2) A second experience is also one that I shall long remember. It happened in China when I observed an elderly grandfather chewing his food and then, using a mouth to mouth technique, conveyed his masticated food to the mouth of his infant grandson. I've seen birds forage for food and fly home to regurgitate it into the mouths of their young ones, but seeing it done in humans was a new experience. It really touched me deeply.Some people might frown on the practice, but it may have been life saving in this instance.

(3) Another incident that occurred while traveling happened at the Red Fort in India when I was, as usual, employing my camera to record my travels. What happened was I was about to photograph what I thought was a historic site when a typical looking Prussian held up his hand and said "NO, NO". I immediately remembered many occasions in the past when I had observed German tour groups exerting their arrogance, their pushiness, and their efforts to take over a situation. It may have been a stereotype that I associated with all Germans. At any rate, I resented his order and proceeded to take the picture. Nothing happened. However, as I turned the corner I noted a large sign that read "No photographs. Military Institution". I was immediately sorry for my action and for disregarding his kind and helpful advice, and ashamed for not welcoming the advice of a concerned fellow traveler. I learned then not to prejudge people on the basis of stereotypes.

A recent birthday served to remind me that I have embarked upon the 88th year of my life so I suppose it is fitting that I should be driving an Oldsmobile Eighty Eight purchased in 1988 An old car for an old man. And yet, who is to say who is old? It is said that anyone who has stopped learning is old regardless of his age, and anyone who keeps on learning will always be young. Thus, it appears that it is not one's years, nor one's physical state, but the state of one's mind that determines one's age. I am content to believe that old age is the consummation of one's life, like the ending of a play. One's intelligence, reflection and judgment should be best at our ages.

Count your garden by the flowers,
Never by the leaves that fall.
Count your days by the golden hours,
Don't remember the clouds at all.
Count your age by friends, not years. Dixie Willson

Aged wood is best for burning
Aged wine is best for drinking
Old friends are best to trust
Old authors are best to read.

This past year has taken me to Twenty Nine Palms, the Marine Corps Base in Palm Springs, California, and to Washington, DC. to attend the 50th annual meeting of the World Federalists. Our travel abroad was a wine tasting trip to Tuscany, Italy and local travels took us to Little Rock, Arkansas to board the Delta Queen for a paddle wheel steamer trip on the Arkansas, Mississippi, and the Ohio rivers to Cincinnati. We also exchanged two weeks of our time shares to spend a week in Branson, Mo. and a week in Scottsdale Az. As always our annual meeting of DOCA was one of our highlights. Lastly we flew to Oregon to visit relatives.

Charlie and Pat