Hayeshome
2021 Hayes Family News
Wow—what a year! We hope you are doing well and continuing to survive the global craziness. 2021 was certainly a year of change and a lot has happened to catch you up on.
- In February we moved from Los Gatos, CA to our long-time vacation home in Incline Village, NV on the shores of Lake Tahoe, to begin a new chapter in our lives. While moving to such a beautiful and idyllic spot in the Sierra Nevada mountains was exciting, the process of moving from a large house to one half the size that was already fully furnished was not. We spent months before and after the move sorting and reconciling between the houses and storage locations. Leaving our previous house in Los Gatos was hard too, so the experience was pretty stressful!
- We always planned to buy a larger house in Incline Village once we sold the one in Los Gatos and were lucky enough to find a house we loved in the same development. With great views of the lake, walking distance to the ski lifts in winter, and four-plus bedrooms to accommodate family and visitors (and all our stuff!)—it was ideal. We learned that moving 400 yards down the road is nearly as hard as moving across the country, but are now happily settled in #142
- Simon has been enjoying mountain life. After the ski season ended, Simon was able to do a lot of scuba diving as a volunteer for "Clean Up the Lake"—a charity focused on pulling trash out of Lake Tahoe (it is very sad to see the amount of trash people dump into such a pristine lake). Inspired by all that diving, Simon embarked on training and was certified as PADI Divemaster. In addition, he is working as a strategic advisor to startups to help them build a business development function.
- Simon’s last company, Confluent, went public in July and did very well in the markets. Happily, selling the shares he earned by working there has brought financial security and therefore a lot of options for our next chapter.
- Debi continued to work with existing clients remotely but has decided to wind down her practice as she shifts into semi-retirement. In line with this objective, she resigned as editor-in-chief of the professional journal, The American Homeopath, a position she held for twelve years. While she is less keen on skiing, Debi has enjoyed the beauty of the mountains and hiking in the Sierra Nevada.
- That beauty and outdoor activity were badly disrupted in August and September with the arrival of fire season. The Caldor Fire was particularly scary as it burned over 200,000 acres, crossed the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and entered the Tahoe basin. This prompted the evacuation of thousands from South Lake Tahoe. Living 20 miles north at the other end of the lake meant we were not immediately threatened, but the smoke was apocalyptic and left us hunkered down inside running air purifiers 24 hours a day. Climate change is upon us...
- In October we traveled on a three-week trip to the UK and Switzerland to see our families for the first time in two and a half years. The trip allowed us to catch up with Tristan in Cambridge as well as visit Debi’s mother, Doreen, brother Pete and extended family in Evesham. We also traveled to Nyon to see Ken and Anne (Simon’s parents) as well as brother Andrew and his family. The trip went off remarkably smoothly and seems to have been perfectly timed as COVID restrictions were reduced at that time and manageable prior to the winter wave..
- While in Nyon, we were able to participate in a joint celebration for Ken’s eightieth Birthday and Andrew and Anfissa's tenth wedding anniversary, both of which occurred last winter in the teeth of the COVID restrictions. It was such a pleasure to gather with old friends and family once again.
- One of the plans for our next chapter is to travel a lot more to catch up on people and places we have missed over the years. COVID inevitably has restricted that so far but so has our old dog, Rosie. She came with us to Tahoe aged 14 and successfully navigated the change of house and surroundings. The change to a townhouse meant lots of stairs and no garden which was confusing but she coped with it admirably. The new house is on four floors but it has an elevator—the “magic box” she remains confused by—which is much easier for her. Despite a few health issues she is soldiering on and will turn 15 in January—pretty old for a Labrador!
- Aidan and Jessica were able to look after Rosie while we were in Europe as they have a house and garden in San Mateo, not far from San Francisco Airport. It has been the site of many family gatherings (outside) since we moved to Tahoe. Both are doing well—Aidan has changed roles but remains an engineering manager at Lockheed Martin Missile and Space. Jessica is working for a consulting company that advises non-profits. They completed their remodeled kitchen earlier this year, which we are envious of as the kitchen in our new house is small by comparison.
- Tristan is finalizing his PhD. in Biological Anthropology at Cambridge—he should soon publish his paper on Beethoven's genome (derived from locks of hair taken on his deathbed). It has been quite a journey and story—something he may commit to a book after he has completed his thesis. He is likely to do a “postdoc” after he finishes and is considering various options
- Rory is in his final year of Law School at Santa Clara University and continuing to do well. He and his girlfriend, Jessica, got an apartment together after we sold the house in Los Gatos and they now also live in San Mateo. Rory was working as a clerk to a Federal Judge as part of his externship this semester. The judge is presiding over the fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes—the founder and CEO of Theranos, which has been interesting for Rory to attend. 2022 will see him graduate, take the California Bar exam (reportedly the most difficult in the USA), and (hopefully) be gainfully employed as a lawyer.
We want to wish you and yours a very happy holiday season and a safe and prosperous 2022.
- Simon and Debi
Proudly powered by Weebly