The Year in Review - 2024
Anne & Stewart French

Click here for our Movies (on youtube.com)
Here are our Joyful Noise Concert Band of North Texas concerts (on vimeo.com)

Hard to believe it's already time for another year in review, French style. Why is it that as the years get shorter, it takes longer to do anything?

Mid-January 2024 brought the first snow cover on our newly installed whole-house generator. Luckily, the Texas grid held up this time so we didn't have to use it but we're ready! Stewart was worried for our local bird friends so he put heating pads under both birdbaths front and back. It worked great!

In February, a new tradition formed. After a celebratory lunch with brother Glenn for his wife Mina's birthday, Stewart & Mina sat down at her piano and started playing duets. Each has pursued piano separately for years and often play for each other and whoever is in earshot, but playing together brought a fun new aspect to their music.

Later that month, Anne went to Houston to help sister Trina out after her cataract surgery, driving her around, visiting with Melanie, Brad, Charlie and Robyn, and listening to the original songs still on Anne's old iPod that she had gifted Trina many, many moons ago.

Stewart released his 3rd free app for the iPhone and iPad, SayItAgain. This app is used when transcribing voice recordings and the automated tools just can't keep up. Even OpenAI did a poor job with his Mom's strong Kentucky accent. He was super excited to attend (virtually) the Apple World Wide Developer's Conference in Cupertino this year. Now to come up with new apps that use all that tech.

March was busy starting with Anne's first clarinet recital. It was online with her Clarinet Transformation Community (CTC), a weekly Zoom session featuring Master Classes where a set of students perform each week from all around the world while the teacher, Michelle Anderson in Vancouver, provides tips and tricks. For the recital, Stewart backed her on piano as they performed Debussy's "Girl with the Flaxon Hair". Even recorded it was nerve wracking but so fun hearing what her classmates had chosen to present. As a recital, there was no critique, just applause.

Stewart joined Anne playing music again later in March when the Joyful Noise Concert Band presented their spring concert at the Sanctuary Event Center in McKinney, with Anne on clarinet and Stewart on alto saxophone. Then later in the year we loaded up our instruments and joined the band playing the Star-Spangled Banner at the Frisco Roughrider's game, a local Texas Rangers double-A affiliate baseball team. What a fun experience! We couldn't bring ourselves to stay for the game though since despite being so early in the season, temps were already over 100 degrees.

In late March, Anne's women's club auctioned an experience as part of the yearly fundraiser for the Newcomer Friends of Greater Plano. She is co-lead of the Arts & Leisure Activity group so they chose to auction an "Easy Pace Amazing Race" consisting of challenges like counting the number of 1895 smallpox victims in a suburban 12-grave cemetery, replicating a line dance and Giant Jenga artwork in a park pavillion and, of course, ax throwing.

The annual Easter Hill Country Bike Tour (resurrected after nearly being cancelled last year and now called the Easter Bike Tour) happened the last weekend of March. Cool and overcast, we rode jacketed along the Guadelupe river among the yellow, lavender and red-orange wildflowers that accompanied the bluebonnets this year. This year was challenging and Anne had to walk the steepest climb, a trigger that sent her in search of an e-bike for future rides. On the drive home we stopped to visit with long time friends Steve and Doris in their beautiful home on Lake Buchanan. The lack of rain left a sea of wildflowers where once there was water.

In April, Anne took the Newcomers on a guided birdwalk in Connemara, a gorgeous time of year in North Texas.

The following week brought the Total Solar Eclipse and we were well within the 4-minute path. We settled in with neighbors at a nearby park, awed by the street lights coming on in mid-afternoon, worrying that clouds would obscure it only to be gob-smacked when the eclipse poked through at exactly the peak time, then watching the sun/dark border line glide across the park as neighbors and kids from the nearby elementary school shrieked in amazement.

Also in April we rode Bike The Bluebonnets, feeding the horses at Sugar Ridge Ranch, posing with many recumbent riders among the bluebonnets that stretched for miles with Texas and American flags flapping in the breeze.

Our friends, Mike & Linda, had hosted a fun Friendsgiving last year and opted to add a spring version this year. So the Old Farts Club gathered at the Linnig's house and enjoyed lots of great food, conversation and reminiscing of the old times at work from which most of us have gladly retired.

In May, Anne joined sisters, Trina, Trese and Kath on a trip to Wild Dunes, SC. Although it was situated right on the beach, the birding opportunities were slim so we took a bus tour of old Charleston, walked the boardwalk, hiked the Shell Trail, visited the Aquarium, took the Sunset Dolphin Tour to the Boneyard and ate breakfast at the Sea Biscuit Cafe which only took cash but luckily positioned a big red ATM right in front of the restaurant. Trina coached us in the art of ordering a large lunch and taking half home for dinner while we had a glass of wine and played 10,000.

Our cycling adventures took a fun turn in May when our e-bikes arrived at the local Trek bike shop. These things are an absolute blast. Ours provide assist giving you more power proportionate to the power you put in. So we still get a great workout but are home much sooner.

Emily, Andrew, and Mia visited from Austin in late May, squeezing all the cats (Marley, Cooper and SeaBreeze), finishing the Book Nook we had started at Christmas last December and of course, playing many games of 10,000.

A huge storm blew through at the end of May and uprooted and ripped limbs off many trees in the area. We were lucky this time (not so much in November when a large limb was blown off our Chinese Pistache). The hiking trails nearby are showing lots of tree damage these days.

June brought the Durant Rotary Magnolia Bike Rally, one of our favorite yearly rides, in southern Oklahoma. It always has friendly staff and this was our first rally on the new e-bikes. What a ball! We flew around the route, gunning it to get a good hard ride but ending well before the heat of the day took over. Stewart ended with just a tiny bit of battery power left.

Stewart's brother's daughter, Meredith, husband Tommy and their three kids, Ben, Gabe and Bridget, visited the following week. We did a tour of the nearby Dinosaur factory where lifelike animatronic dinosaurs are made. The boys had fun pushing the levers to make the demo dino turn his head and move his legs. Later, we worked jigsaw puzzles while Ben erected barrier walls to keep the cats away using Giant Jenga blocks. Those things are versatile!

In mid-June, we headed to Hudson Valley in upstate New York for a cycling vacation tour with Backroads. We had a fantastic time biking the Hudson River Valley, stopping in Woodstock and at the Troutbeck Inn. Watching/listening to the Woodstock drum circle was fun and riding the Harlem Bike Path through the cool mountain passages made for a perfect cycling day. If only Anne had had her e-bike she might have had better luck climbing some of the stiffer mountain roads in the Catskills.

As usual, our July was occupied with following the Tour de France, enjoying the scenery, the rivalries, the triumphs and tragedies. We got together several times with fellow tour afficiandos Vicky & Dave and Joanne & Jeff to discuss and cheer on the progression of the race.

A highlight of the CTC Master Classes for us this year was our performance of Skyscraper, a piece for piano, clarinet and alto sax. You guessed it, Stewart performed 2 of the 3 parts. It was a challenge musically and technically but came out pretty good.

Nothing could top Anne's clarinet year more than Clarinetfest in Dublin, Ireland. Five days of rehearsals, concerts, master classes, headliner performances and partying with my Zoom classmates from 7am to 10pm every day. We stayed in the dorms at Trinity College, mine being the oldest building on campus having been built in 1699 and updated only 2 years ago to feature hot water! We walked along the River Liffey to the Dublin Convention Center and ate in local pubs, playing together in the Amateur / Enthusiasts Choir and sneaking around backstage to hear headliners warming up in the little rehearsal rooms adjacent to the stage. An absolute delight every single day.

More bicycle racing viewing capped August, with the Women's Tour de France and the Spanish Vuelta, followed by get-togethers for cycling-centric chats.

In September, Stewart & Anne did a birdwalk at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center. It is a nature preserve which purifies river water by running it through native plants for a fraction the cost of chemical treatments. The water goes up to Lake Lavon, has minor treatment, and becomes the drinking water for north Texas. Anne was so impressed, she took the Newcomers on a guided tour here later in the month.

Then Anne drove to Houston for Layla's Quinceanera held at St. Arnold's Brewing Company. Layla is Doug & Manasi's dog and she was celebrated as she reached her 15th birthday. Trina and Anne also took part in daughter Melanie's neighborhood wine walk block party. These folks really outdid themselves with the snacks and beverages that random people just showed up and enjoyed.

The Joyful Noise Fall Concert was presented twice in October/November, once at the Sanctuary Event Center in McKinney and once at the Conservatory in Plano. It was a fun setlist, consisting of themes from movies including James Bond, Toy Story, Coco, Mary Poppins and a medley of John Williams.

At the end of October, Ron and Sharon held their annual Haunted House Party. There is not an inch of the house that is not displaying frightening or gruesome decor, most of it animated by Ron's obsession with wiring things together to make them lurch, sing, growl and dance. So impressive!

October brought a visit from sister Trina, Doug & Manasi, and Brandi & Lamar. We spent some time flying kites at Brandi & Lamar's then put up Halloween decorations at the house, a major event in this neighborhood. Halloween was a hoot again this year, bringing 251 scary visitors. This seemed to be the year of inflatables as several waddled from house to house, pretending to ride on the backs of dinosaurs with fake legs flapping off the sides.

In November, our home generator finally came on! No weather issue, but there were technicians working on an electrical box in our neighborhood. This bodes well for working when we actually need it.

The Linnigs hosted us again with Friendsgiving at their house. It was another memorable event, one we hope to continue to enjoy. This time they managed to gift us with a fantastic view of the Super Moon from their back yard.

Anne's CTC class held another recital in November and this time Stewart backed her on piano on a Rick Sowash piece, "Sanctuary at 3am". Rick is contemporary composer living in Columbus, Ohio, and he gives his music away. He has pieces for lots of different instrument ensembles and they are lovely. He even answers his email at rick@sowash.com.

We hadn't planned much for Thanksgiving this year since we were leaving for Palm Springs the following Saturday. That was a good thing since we were nearby on Tuesday, 11/19, when Mina called from Japan to say that her insurance company had texted her that Glenn's car had been in an accident. She couldn't reach him and wasn't due to get back to the US until the next day. We were able to connect with him, and spent the day at the hospital trying to get updates while he was stationed in the ER hallway. Finally he got a room and we were able to find out his scans confirmed a broken rib but no other major issues. He was alert and his pain was managed. He went home later in the week and we were able to bring them Thanksgiving dinner as he recovered with Mina and son Andrew providing caregiving. Stewart & I had both developed colds despite my wearing a mask the entire day at the hospital, so we weren't able to have dinner with them. Luckily, the symptoms subsided just in time for our trip to Palm Springs.

We left on Saturday, 11/30, and landed in the desert just as north Texas dove into the 30's. Palm Springs had cooled from its high of 125 degrees over the summer to a pleasant stretch of 50-80 degree days while we were there, cycling the Joshua Tree National Park with Trek Travel. We had never been there and weren't prepared for the super dry air. But we rented e-bikes that matched our home bikes exactly and once we got the power settings tuned to match those at home, the cycling was a breeze. The park roads were smooth as silk and Trek even provided an architectural tour of the mid-century modern and Spanish Colonial buildings throughout Palm Springs. The Palm Springs and Agua Caliente art centers were fantastic. There is a street fair every Thursday starting at 5:30pm and the vibe is so cool and just freakin pleasant.

Our kittens Cooper, Marley, and SeaBreeze are doing great. They run the house while we are away and direct us when food is needed, the catbox should be cleaned, or playing with super-balls is required. We are the happy humans that service their every desire. Also, the neighbor girls love to drop by and carry the kittens around and play wand toys with them. The cats love it!

Anne got fascinated with the Marie Kondo tidying process and read her book thoroughly. Then we started the process with clothes, then books, then paper. When done we had a closet full of empty hangers, many empty bookshelves, and empty file cabinets. Thank goodness Staples has a drop-box for Iron Mountain paper shredding, and the local library would take all these books and CDs.

We've had lots of fun with our friends this year. Maria and Ethan came over for bagels and conversation on the porch, we watched several movies with Maria at our local Cinemark, and had dinner at her house. Every Thursday we meet our TI/Raytheon buds are various restaurants for lunch and conversations. Anne also meets her TI DLP buds for Friday Happy Hours. Carla & Jay invited us over for dinner and to play Pandemic the board game. The neighborhood girls, The Montgomery Troupe Players, hosted an outdoor play about the world becoming a better place. ChatGPT helped them come up with the name of their Troupe.

We hope everyone has a wonderful 2025!