Ludlow, December 2020
Dear Friends,
As I sit down to write this New Years’ letter and I am reviewing last year’s letter, I make the unsurprising observation that many plans did not quite turn out the way that we had hoped. No doubt you can sympathize! 2020 has been an unusual and challenging year, to say the least, and yet we can count ourselves quite fortunate that we are all healthy and happy and have so far managed to adjust and roll with the changes and challenges in a fairly positive way. We realize that not everyone may have fared as well, but we hope that this letter finds you and your family healthy and with a positive outlook for the new year!
Needless to say, we did not travel to Germany and Ireland for Easter as we had planned. Instead, we found ourselves homebound. My work in real estate sales slowed down and adapted to a ‘work-from-home’ situation as much as possible. Matt used his time in the spring to open up the roof of our home and build us two beautiful dormers that give us a stunning view over the mountains to the South. Klara’s school shut down in March and her teachers made a great effort to adapt and offer some online instruction. We were able to enjoy our big yard, plant a modest vegetable garden with Rosa’s help, appreciate the stunning array of daffodils in our yard, and watch spring slowly turn the grey and white mountains into a vast sea of green.
Throughout this unusual time, Klara continued to thrive. The biggest challenge for her was and continues to be the restrictions on social interactions with her peers. Long Facetime and WeChat conversations with her friends started replacing the in-person playtime. She and her cousin Quinn were still able to meet in the woods between our two homes. Thankfully, the town of Ludlow managed to put together summer camps for the local kids and so Klara got plenty of opportunities to spend time with friends over the summer holiday. John and Rosa jumped in where they could to take her to swimming lessons, which she thoroughly enjoyed. She is becoming a very confident swimmer as a result. At the end of August, Klara turned 9 and we were able to have an outdoor birthday party for her and a small number of her friends. We were also very grateful that school started up again in early September and Klara entered 4th grade. She took part in the fall soccer season, which she was very excited about. In addition, Klara became an aunt this year! Her brother, Sebastian, and his wife, Autumn, had a son whom they named, John Kenneth. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, we have not yet been able to meet Klara’s nephew in person, but we hope to get the chance in the new year!
As spring turned to summer Matthew was offered a job in the management of a local construction company which he had been wanting to work for for a long time. It did not take a lot of convincing for him to change his plan from becoming a home inspector to taking the job. Six months in, he is still loving it and has solidly established himself as an indispensable member of the team. I’d say it is safe to say that as long as we live in the area that’s where he will be. But then it is so hard to say anything with certainty these days… One of his first contributions to the company was to hire his friend, Kryz, for the summer. Kryz, a hard-working Polish dude, duly arrived, pitched his tent on our porch, and stayed for a few months. It was lovely to have the extra company during an otherwise socially deprived summer.
After the restrictions on work eased somewhat in the real estate world, all hell broke loose in my work of selling homes. Vermont with its rural setting, low population, and very low case count of Covid 19, became the place to be! Houses that had been on the market for years were flying off the shelves and property prices increased by over 20% within a matter of a few months. It was busy!! Juggling the increased workload and the new challenges at home with Klara not being in school and Matt in full time work slowly shifted my priorities and the passing thought of taking some time off and staying home took root and eventually turned into a real plan. After a stellar second year in real estate, I decided to take a break, focus on personal projects, and manage the home, Klara, and our furry family members, Daisy and Biscuit. One project I hope to spend time on is adding stories to this blog. Check it out if you are interested and have a chance. I have at this time no exact plans in terms of what I will do for work next and when, I am simply excited to see where the road takes me.
As a family, we took up paddleboarding this past summer, which we discovered is a lovely way to spend a hot summer afternoon. Klara, with her newly acquired swimming skills, spent more time ‘off-board’ than ‘on-board’. We look forward to doing more of it next summer. Last year’s winter season was cut short for us with the arrival of Covid and on the very last day on the mountain, Klara had a rather unfortunate experience with a nosebleed that just would not stop. It meant she had to get a ride down the mountain on a sled. Her lingering apprehension to get back up on the mountain has led us to decide to take a break from the mountain winter sports this season. Her school has also opted not to run the yearly winter program for the kids this year due to added logistical challenges. We hope to take full advantage of our sledding hill instead and build an army of snowmen.
As for the coming year, well, we are hopeful that some travel is on the horizon again! My brother Julian has announced plans to visit us in Vermont next summer with the whole family of 6 as well as my mother. In November 2021 Klara, Matt, and I hope to make the trip across the Atlantic to visit Germany and join my mother for the journey back on the Queen Mary 2 from Hamburg to New York City. For my mother it would be the third time crossing the Atlantic this way, for us three it would be the first time and probably one of those ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ deals. Matt certainly would consider it to be a bucket-list item. So we have all fingers and toes crossed that travel will become easier as we make our way into 2021 and we can all meet up in person again soon! The picture above is from a virtual Skype Family meeting with my brother Julian in Germany (plus kids Hanno and Karla), my mother in Germany, myself in Vermont, my sister Annika in Germany, and my brother David in China. My brother David, his wife Miki, and their daughter Sophia did manage to surprise us with an unexpected visit to Vermont in January of 2020. We loved the surprise!!! But the only time we left Vermont for more than a shopping trip in 2020 was to spend a long summer weekend in Hull, MA, visiting Klara’s friend Charlotte. So we are very much overdue for some travel time. It was 2017 when we were last in Germany!!
Of course, we can dream and hope and plan, but in the end, we still just have to wait and see, as we always do, what life brings and go with the flow. But regardless, we are looking forward, as always, to a new year and new adventures ahead. We hope that you and your loved ones stay healthy and positive and are able to enjoy a prosperous 2021!
With much love and good wishes,
Uli, Matt & Klara
Daisy & Biscuit
Images:
1. Klara, Uli, and Matt on a Thanksgiving Walk in Vermont - November 26, 2020
2. Matt on the roof building a dormer - April 28, 2020
3. Klara's tropical-themed birthday cake - August 22, 2020
4. Klara, Matt, and Samson the Gorilla - September 23, 2020
5. Uli, Klara, and Matt paddleboarding - June 21, 2020
6. Riemenschneider Skype family meeting - Summer, 2020
7. Biscuit and Daisy enjoying daycare time - Fall 2020