Christmas Newsletter 2011
Greetings and best wishes to you at this special time of year!
No more paper?
One of the giant office challenges Glenn tackled at Macdonald Realty Westmar this year was to take our office and our personal life paperless. We are three months into it and it has been successful but challenging. Although we still have a few family members that require paper, (not mentioning any names mom or my two special aunts) this newsletter is going out electronically and may be the last time you see a paper copy from us as we try to go digital during the holidays. It also maybe the last year we send paper cards and/or calendars as so many people are using iphones and other digital devices. We figure we can save a few trees in the process.
Sprecks Plantation House
The year 2011 started very auspiciously as we were notified in late January that our offer on a Maui vacation rental home had been accepted and we needed to move fast if we wanted to take ownership. They call it a short sale but it took over six months to get to this point. Then it took another six months to renovate which kept us very busy and we can safely say we did our part in stimulating the US economy.
Tree climbing facilitator
Carolyn at home in her Banyan tree with two neighbourhood aspiring climbers. If you have ever dreamed of climbing trees then you need to talk to Carolyn. “Let the trade winds and the wisdom of the branches free your mind and awaken your spirit!”
Why Maui?
We did not set out to make this move but as you know life is full of twists and curves. Last year a good friend of ours emailed us from his holiday in Maui all excited as he had written an offer on a very unique north shore investment property. To make a long story short we agreed to partner with him and after six months in delays he moved on to another investment. We had to make the decision to go it alone or let it go entirely. It was the Banyan tree that cinched the deal and if you have seen any of the pictures of Carolyn is her special tree you will understand. For Glenn the nearby warm waters of kite beach and its world class kiting made the decision easy. Although what started as a little updating quickly turned into a major renovation we still found time to enjoy the magic of Maui. When you can hop on your bike and be at a kitesurfing beach in fifteen minutes you know you are in a special place. The bike path takes you around the north side of Kahului airport to Kanaha Park. When you can wake up to tropical warmth and an ocean breeze loaded with the scent of island flowers you know you have found a very special place. If you want to see more about this amazing place check it out at www.sprecksplantationhouse.com.
Our children are no longer kids! Lisa is 28 and Jeff 24!
Lisa had been living in Granada, Spain where she had taken a job with an English company doing web design. Check out the webpage she did for our Maui property. We may be prejudice but we think she does amazing work! In the summer Lisa visited us in Maui and shortly after returning to Spain decided it was time to move back to Canada. She has since found an apartment in Montreal where she continues with her web design work (www.lisatemes.com). Jeff returned to Vancouver early in the year to replenish the coffers and ended up with a job driving a tour bus between Vancouver and Banff, Alberta. He worked hard until November when he too made his way to Maui for a few weeks and in the second week of December he headed to Montreal to join his sister for the holidays. He has a flight booked in January 2012 that will take him to the Dominican Republic as he works his way to Haiti. He plans to return to doing volunteer work on a reforestation project in Haiti with the same group he was with when he was in India (www.sadhanaforest.org).
We are left wondering what the future holds as we see our family going in different directions. But it is mostly geography. We may not be in the same city or even the same continent but we are all together in spirit. That is what makes this time of year so special!
We will close by sending our best wishes to you and your family. We feel very fortunate to have had so many rewarding experiences and amazing opportunities. This past year has not been without its challenges as we are sure you have had a few of your own. We must not lose sight of this wonderful planet we live on and how we must continue to make the most of it. Now is a time to remind ourselves of our good fortune and to pass it on to others where we can.
All the best, Glenn and Carolyn Temes, December 25th, 2011
