Happy Holidays from the Hellquists

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

We are thinking of you at this holiday time, and wishing you a wonderful new year full of
joy and peace. The pictures on the blog are memories of some of our days of travel,
and a view of a new house across the street. In 26 years, we have only had the view of
trees and the hills beyond.

Noel at home in Texas, first day of Spring

We traveled to McKinney to see the family in March, when Noel was on vacation from school. We had a busy week and enjoyed a wonderful, sunny day at the Dallas Arboretum. The marvelous displays of beautiful spring flowers, and fibrant colors, as well as trees and shrubs were a joy to behold. Noel took a lot of pictures on her camera. However, the first day of Spring, brought six inches of snow, and canceled our trip to the zoo. Noel, told us the animals would not want to be outdoors in the cold. She spent her time in the snow, making snow men, and throwing snowballs in the back yard. By mid-afternoon, the snow had almost disappeared.

Barre and Marion at West Geyser Basin

The summer started out with Barre and Eric co-teaching an aquatic plant mini-course at the University of Michigan Biological Station. We then continued west to Yellowstone National Park where Eric and Barre continued with the second year of the survey of aquatic plants of the Park. This proved to be a rewarding summer because a number of new species and populations of plants were located. Some of the sampling was in the extreme southwestern section of the Park where few visitors ever venture. Life was cozy in our FEMA trailer with the three of us plus 'Moose' Eric's dog. Marion and Moose did a lot of walking each day, and Marion was able to read six books, as well as meet and visit with our neighbors who were volunteers in the Park.

Bison at Hayden Valley, Yellowstone, N.P.
Between the animals on and along the road and the tourists viewing them every day, it proved to be an adventure as we headed out for the days sampling. This summer the Grizzly Bears were relatively common. Fortunately we were not threatened by any. Animals seen during the summer in order of numbers included: bison, elk, mule deer, grizzlies, black bears, big-horn sheep, and pronhorn antelope. No moose, we see them in New England each summer. The weather was delightful. In the morning we turned the heat on in the trailer. By 9:00am it was very comfortble. It did snow on July 6, just north of us in the Park. We did get a chance to visit many of the geyser basins and see many of the larger geysers. Our favorites were Grand Geyser and Bee Hive Geyser. We often had to wait while bison meandered in the road, taking their time, walking slowly. Marion encountered them while driving on errands , and one day a 15 mile drive took 45 minutes. She enjoyed the close-up views of the valley and the bison while waiting.

New modular home across the street from us

The fall coloration was early this year and was not particularly colorful. It was very dry this summer which probably affected the coloration. We watched as our new neighbors built a modular home across the street. It was fascinating to see the sections lifted into place by the large crane. The house was finished just in time to move in for Christmas.

Mt. Livermore, West Texas

In late September Barre traveled to San Angelo, Texas to the International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society to present the nomination of Surrey Jacobs into the IWGS Hall of Fame. Barre also named a new water-lily in memory of Surrey. The two of them have worked on the Australian waterlilies for the past 12 years. While in Texas, Barre traveled to the Davis Mts. of West Texas to collect some aquatics seen there during years earlier while conducting research in the area.

The fall contuinued with us travelling to Durham, New Hampshire to The University of New Hampshire hockey games. This years team is a pleasant surprise. Hopefully they will continue their winning ways after the Christmas break. We look forward to the trip and visits with the hockey fans we know. We also stay overnight with friends (we joke about it being our B and B) and don't have to travel home to the Berkshires in the middle of the night.

Eric continues to teach at the State University of New York at Oswego. He will again be teaching this summer at the University of Michigan Biological Station. Paul, Michelle, and Noel continue to enjoy living in Texas. Paul has had a very productive year working on the computer games for 'Gearbox'. Noel is settling into first grade and Michelle keeps busy with volunteer work at the school, and serves on the Board of Directors of the PTA.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and the best for the new year.

Marion & Barre