Life of Wry

After quite a bit of ado, I got the 2024 Peterson Family Calendar designed and ordered today. I don’t know why I don’t start these things earlier in December, I sure could, but I just don’t. This year’s was complicated by the fact Costco has now closed its photo center and moved all of its customers’ photo accounts to Shutterfly. I had to get used to that user interface and deal with some complicated payment/discount issues (significant discount: I saved over $100 because of my Costco membership). But in the end.. not a big deal.

Here are this year’s photos. It’s almost magical the way each family member’s photo adorns the month of his or her birthday — kind of amazing how that’s worked out over the years. The other rule is, I have to use a photo taken between Jan and Dec of the previous year, which works well for everyone except Jay since we don’t always see him in any given year. For him, I screen shotted a Zoom meet up.

Cover: Our family home; art by former neighbor David Charleton.

January: me, with Matt in Chicago, on the architectural boat tour (freezing, but we drank bloody Marys anyway!).

February: Magnolia (incredible photo taken by Alexis).

March: Juniper, in her apartment’s pool.

April: Jim, pictured with his siblings on his 70th birthday and with Peter and Maya on Mt. Dana in Yosemite.

May: Michael (whose birthday is really in August), pictured here at Legends with his sister, Pam. Not sure who took this picture.

June: Peter and Maya, cute (and convenient) that they have birthdays one day apart.

July: River (left photo taken by Alexis, the other by me).

August: John (both photos taken by Alexis)

September: Matt

October: Jay (whose birthday is in September). No current, in-person photo since he’s in Thailand, but the Zoom photo is at least current, and I thought it’d be nice to show a side-by-side contrast from the 1950s. Lol.

November: Chris.. I had a lot of good ones of him so I used them. Chris and me at Thanksgiving; Chris and Pam in North Carolina (photo credit Pam); Chris and Pam also at Thanksgiving; Chris and Juniper in John’s apartment.

December: the Peterson kids, River, Magnolia and Juniper (this is the page previously reserved for Alexis who has a December birthday, but, well… they’re separated.. and, well… it’s tricky.