As is normal we are ending 2019 with several events which
didn’t make it into the 2018 Pictures in Review. So we will start at the end of 2018.
Both Gary and Vina enjoy taking classes and participating
in other activities with New Frontiers at Mesa Community College.
Another
group that we really enjoy is the Oaks North Hiking Group. This annual holiday tradition
is a great way to end/start the year.
A happy tradition in the Kleemann house is have tamales on
Christmas Eve with family. Once upon a
time the extended family would make them but now we enjoy store bought. Manuel’s in Tempe make great ones. We
brought some with us to San Diego.
The next day we cooked up a
prime rib for the holiday.
An annual tradition for the past several years has been to
enjoy a dinner with friends from Vina’s time in San Diego before Gary. It is a great tradition that I hope will
continue for a long time.
We headed back to Tempe to join Vina’s sisters and brothers-in-law for a New Year’s Eve Mexican dance at the Sheraton Crescent Hotel in
Phoenix. A good time welcoming in the
New Year was had by all and we will do it again this year.
One of our favorite things to do is to enjoy a meal with
friends. Each month during the academic
year, Gary organizes a gathering of former ASU Poly co-workers for lunch.
During the academic year the ASU Emeritus College hosts
“Short Talks” – a luncheon and speaker. Another opportunity to share a meal with
friends old and new.
In March we joined New Frontiers friends for a behind the
scenes tour of Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.
We rode the light rail from Tempe to get to and from the airport.
While Gary has been unable to fit fall and spring hiking
into his schedule, Vina went hiking and took some pictures.
Besides the Short Talks, the Emeritus College also sponsors
monthly colloquiums on a variety of interesting topics. We always learn something when we attend
these events.
When spring arrives in the desert, it can be very
colorful. The palo verde tree in our
front yard has thousands of yellow flowers.
Take a look.
We then headed to San Diego for the summer. We joined the Hiking Group for twice weekly hikes around
San Diego with a special emphasis on hiking the beaches. Pictures from our hikes may be found on a
separate posting on this blog or by clicking here.
On the 4th of July we visited the local Rancho
Bernardo daytime festivities before boarding a bus with friends to watch
fireworks on the Bay.
Good
Friends Dave and Karen Schwalm came for a visit and we visited the Safari
Animal Park.
In August Gary was able to have lunch with two high school
buddies – Larry Pegram and Steve Milakovich.
Another annual tradition that we look forward to each year is
the Ajo High School Class of 1960 Reunion lunch.
Another organization that we participate in and enjoy is
the ASU Retirees Association (ASURA).
It has been an active year filled with many wonderful
experiences and friends. We look forward
to 2020 and the new decade of friends, family and active adventures.
The end of one decade
and the beginning of a new one! We are doing
well and are feeling healthy. We remain
quite active and come together at the end of the day to share our separate
activities. We spend most of the year in
Tempe were we play golf, attend various classes and lectures at ASU and New
Frontiers (Mesa Community College), enjoy dining with friends, attend Broadway
plays at Gammage, enjoy classical concerts at the Phoenix Symphony and ASU football games. Vina has her Mah
Jongg and Spanish groups. Gary
volunteers with the ASU Emeritus College and currently serves as the Director
of the Academy for Continued Learning for the College. We continue to spend our summers in San Diego
golfing, hiking on the beach, playing Mah Jongg, participating in our various
discussion groups, enjoying dining out with friends and on occasion seeing our
two boys. 
This year our big trip was on the Backroads of Iberia – a trip through Portugal and Spain staying in Portuguese pousadas
and Spanish paradores. Still working on
getting the pictures organized but if you would like to see them, click here or scroll down or click the link to the left. 