Christmas 1991:

Well folks; It's that time of year....

Christmas letter time again.... Time to bring you people up to speed on the happenings of the Southern Martin family.

Last Season; January to April

Grandma Toalson down for the winter.. a real snowbird?? She sure can keep busy down here. We did get her to cook" her " traditional Ground Hog day fare (for a menu send a stamped self-addressed envelope). We ( GAM & I) didn't get to deliver her car down this year; she used " Miss Agnes" (our old OLDS Diesel) for her transportation needs. Getting there is half the fun; did not apply to Miss Agnes. She is now a taxi in Port-au-Prince, Haiti(the Olds, not Grandma)... they love diesels over there! We will be reading Gramme's life story in a short while...A few years ago she started the book of her remembrances on our "Apple computer" and has worked on it while here in Marco, however she now has a computer of her own so the book will be forthcoming. We were impressed with the first 60 or so pages ... she has a way with words and can remember forever.

Grandma Martin came down from Ft.Myers during the Christmas holidays and does spend the night every now and then. She, also, is a snowbird..d spending the summers in Blueridge, GA at Beth's place (The Last Resort). She is in good health and still drives to and from Georgia, However this year it took a couple of tries to get there.' In a nut shell" she was hit in the rear-end the Mustang..not Grany) and had the car repaired before leaving on the trip. In Ocala or there-abouts, at the speed of 75, on 1-75, her rear tire came loose, passed her- jumped an overpass-and was a lot further down the road to GA than she was... She, meanwhile managed to slide the Mustang into the center strip and keep it upright. After a trip back (Ft Myers) in the cab of a wrecker, to her friendly bodyshop and another week delay Granny "Hotrod" was on her way North for the duration...

"They don't make em like they used to" (the Grannys not the cars)!

The season was busy, as is expected in South Fl; GAM was bustling and I managed to stay occupied. When you read that the economy is flagging and the housing market is at a standstill it doesn't apply to Marco. We slow down during the off season, however our winters are busier than ever before! GAM is as involved in the First Baptist Church as in past years and continues to be a mainstay to the church.

Nathan is now 13 and incompatible with all mankind over the age of ??? His attitude is such that he may never get to see television again. I had heard that 13 was a torturous age. My misconception was that it was difficult for the child. I guess that I am just too old to remember what I went thru at that age. He is in a public school for the first time in his life and seems to be adapting well enough. He is in classes somewhat larger than he has been used to (8 kids in his 7th grade class). His grades are always going to be better and studying is not necessary.. (says he). OOOHHH well!

April to October

Summer was a blast ...Nate went to Kamp Kanakauk for three weeks and GAM drove up to retrieve him.. After a stay with Grandma Toalson they drove to Blueridge, GA and the last Resort where I came up from Marco to meet the family. Then I took over as duty parent and GAM came back to Marco to attend to business.

Each day that we were in Blue Ridge we went horseback riding in the Mountains. Joe has 10 Horses and We really enjoyed the freedom to pick and ride. Nat was somewhat harder on the animals than I. It got to the point where, when NATE came into sight all the horses hid in the bushes. In horse talk "oh nooo; That redheaded kid again!" They were just lucky he didn't have spurs! It really is beautiful up there and if you get a chance, Go. Its hard to keep up with Beth & Joes kids. They are so busy, however Jenny did take us on a rapid-raft- trip down a really fast river. Super Mom was there in her little cabin and we had 2 get-togethers while there with as much as the family as we could accumulate in one place at one time. Then home to Marco for a week till the lobster season opened in the keys.

Nat and I camped on Sugarloaf Key and ran by boat out to Cudjoe and Summerland Key Reefs to go for the” bugs", as they say in the Keys. My friends Larry DeHays and Phil Braeunig were there on Summerland Key and I got to visit with them. I also spent some time with Phil earlier in the summer( he is a 15 year resident). Larry and his family go down for a few weeks in the summer and are real lobster hunters!

Well, Nathan is now counted among the predators of the ocean.... He got into lobstering in a big way and his family (We'uns) were able to enjoy the fruits of his labor... He is still free-diving as he has not gotten his SCUBA ticket. I'd hate to be a lobster when he can get below 20 feet!

October to the New Year

That brings us back to Marco and the same old thing. You know while we are here we don't think about it but when you leave and see the rest of the world .... Sure is great to get back home.

Spent Thanksgiving at Mom Martin's with brother Ed & Family. Got stuffed like a turkey and was able to sneak out enough turkey & fixings for a few more meals... Ed and wife Dina have 2 boys, Tom-2yrs and Eddie-4yrs. Cute kids and gobs of energy; They wore out Nat with their rough-housing. A great day, as it should be. We (Martin family) are going to Mexico for the Christmas holidays and this will be a treat for all of us. I'm looking forward to seeing the ruins at Ittchy-Gooomy??? If I can't spell or pronounce it will I be able to Find it? Uncle Bill(s) Toalsons have made the arrangements and will be there also so it is almost a family outing. My big concern is keeping Nate out of trouble ! "BIG Dave" , Nate's cousin will hopefully keep an eye on him. From what I hear Dave is the size and weight of a gorilla but with a much better disposition.

You people will just have to wait to see how we fared in Mexico till the next Quarterly Report