2016 News from the Neergaard and van der Werff Families
Lois & Dick
The (a-hem) maturation process
inexorably continues (good news of course, relatively
speaking). Lois
remains in excellent health;
IÕm choosing to look on myself as a good olÕ vintage
car with a few dents. But
our scope does lessen; the
unimportant evaporates, the importance of importance itself
diminishes, and that which is truly worth caring about becomes
more sharply etched. To
quote a much-admired philosopher-friend [Ed Benton]: ÒThere are four things
that matter: Your
Family, Your Friends - and the Health, and the Wealth to
enjoyÉ.. Your Family and Your Friends.ÓÉ. a simple
truth, as graceful as it is profound.
While Lois and I are
fundamentally sound (those dents be damnedÉ.. let the docs
worry about them), our adventure and travel have much
diminished (as, fortunately, has the urge for them). The high point of
our week remains the family dinner Sue and Jan Willem host
every Sunday. And
I continue to luxuriate in ÒThe Best Shows on EarthÓ, the Met
operas and Bolshoi ballets streamed to local cinemas around
the world. Tennis
locally, has, alas, receded with the evaporating supply of
suitable fourths. Diversion
has been derived from months-long project to patch leaks in
our house foundation Ð trenches dug outside, interior walls
torn outÉÉ a ÒdiversionÓ that will make the coming pleasure of
snowbirding during the winter months in Hilton Head (and with
it the resumption of tennis) all the more sweet.
ÒWhat e-verÓ, as the GenXers
would say, weÕve certainly no reason to complain.
Sue and Jan Willem
Sue and Jan Willem are
now Empty-Nesters, their two sons having gone off to college,
Willem to study Engineering at St Louis University, and Nick
PreMed at John Carroll.
Thus can SueÕs long pent-up desire to Travel the World
now be indulged.
Sue and Jan Willem have
accordingly set out to visit every one of AmericasÕ National
Parks. TheyÕve
already made a good start, going westward to see Yosemite,
Sequoia, KingÕs Canyon, etc.
They did overshoot one of those segments a bit,
continuing westward in a jaunt to China with a stop-off in
Bali (swimming pool IN
their sitting-room); all
first-class, using frequent flyer miles (donÕt all parents
want their kids to have it better than they did?). Inasmuch as
Jan Willem is the CEO of his company (Ecolibrium Solar, provider of frames
for solar panels), he can determine his time schedule to
accommodate these adventures.
The greater issue in this regard is his remaining
undamaged from his weekly over-40s soccer game.
Arthur
ArthurÕs
Òretirement-jobÓ, running his company, Shooting Sight (of
which Sue is Senior Vice President of HR and Customer Service,
and Jan Willem, when heÕs not CEO-ing, is packaging clerk and
CFO), has been doing well enough that a company car was
required. Arthur
really wanted it to be a Porsche; heÕd had one some years ago and quite
liked it. But
then there was his dog Pumpkin.
Practicality demanded a vehicle in which Pumpkin could have easy access
and firm footing, so alas a 911 was out Ð had to be an SUV. Arthur compromised: his company car is
now (heh-heh-heh) indeed an
SUV, but one made by
Porsche..... a Salomon-like decision that satisfied both
Pumpkin and Arthur.
Richard
Richard has definitely
NOT flunked retirement.
He has a high ocean-view place in LA for sunshine by
the sea, and an apartment in London for keeping up the sparkle
in life. Between
times he and his delightful lady-friend Thi travel the world,
with emphasis on visits to ThiÕs home in Viet Nam. AND
he's both studying and doing art, creating interesting display
pieces out of parts of exotic cars (click here for a
look!).
.
RichardÕs son Samer is
enjoying his second year studying Engineering at Boston
University. Richard's
daughter Lila is with him in London, taking a gap year and
gaining business experience working in an organic-foods store.
Peter and Cathy
Peter and Cathy continue to
work for IBM. Given their current job
responsibilities, their plans/hopes to relocate to Hilton
Head are, at this point, on hold, and it now appears
they'll be staying in Pittsburgh for a while.
Um.... except when they're scuba diving down in Turks and
Caicos (which seems to my inexact [envious?]
eye to be every third month).
Sons Steven and Alex are progressing well in High- and
Grammer school. Like every other grandchild in the
world, they're above average.