Greetings Class of 1966

I'm sorry I couldn't be at our 45th class reunion today. Dick and I are on a bicycle tour. Here's a brief summary of what's been going on with me during the last few years.

In 2003, I married Dick Skaug in April and retired in June after 31 years of teaching school in Rio Linda Union School District. That summer we completed our first self-contained bicycle tour from Vancouver BC to Rio Linda:  1400 miles in seven weeks and we fell in love with this style of travel.



Key West, Florida

 Between 2004-07, we completed two more six-month bicycle tours to complete the Pacific, southern-tier states and Atlantic routes plus the circumference of Nova Scotia.

In November 2007, we found a drafty little house to rent for the winter in Whale Cove, Digby Neck, Nova Scotia, and had quite a cold adventure for 3 months, although freshly-caught lobsters were available whenever we wanted.  I thought our bicyle touring days were at an end and told Dick it was time to move on to something else.

By August 2008, we were the proud owners of a 46' catamaran berthed in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. (The name of our boat is now Cuatro de Mayo).  We sailed through the winter and made our way north to Guaymas where the boat has been ever since - OUT of the water and undergoing repairs.  Guaymas really is too hot from April to September, so last year, we decided to finish the circumference of the USA by riding from Seattle WA to Maine.

Portland Light, Maine

Our current bike tour began 24 June in Nicolaus CA and will end in Roanoke VA around the end of September.  This is our LAST bicycle tour - really, this time - 24,000 miles on bicycles is enough!  Next year, Dick and I should be somewhere in the South Pacific. 

Simplifying our lives was essential for our current lifestyle, so we downsized considerably.  Our home is the boat, the house in Rio Linda is a rental, our possessions are minimal.  My oldest son handles all our mail and finances.

About family.  Justin, lives in Nicolaus, on 10 acres with a small herd of cows, 28 walnut trees, and an annual litter of pigs; he works for the City of Sacramento.  Thais, a landscape architect, is married and expecting her second child in mid-October.  Doug, a union electrician, is married and has two sons.  My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about 6 years ago and lives in the memory-care facility.  You can see photos in the blog by clicking on the category "Arlete's family."

About this blog.  I started it in 2007 and the first postings are filled with errors as I learned how to post entries.  I intend to archive our early bike tours as time allows.  I hope you come back and visit periodically.  I'd love to hear from you.  You can post comments to the blog, although some people say it's impossible and I haven't been able to solve the problem at my end.  You can also send me an email at arlete1848@yahoo.com. 

I hope you had a great time at today's reunion.  Love to all, Arlete