Farewell Charlie

I was never much of a fan of ABC News. Even when the station I worked for, News10, transitioned from CBS to ABC in the mid-90s, I still would switch back to CBS (or sometimes NBC) when I watched the evening newscast. The reporters on CBS seemed more experienced and savvy, and the anchors at ABC seemed self-indulgent (especially Peter Jennings).

That all changed dramatically two years ago when Charles Gibson was selected to be the latest in a string of anchors to have been pushed through the revolving door at ABC. With Mr. Gibson, there were no gimmicks. There was no air of superiority. Here was an incredibly seasoned and intelligent newsman who had the ability (I guess you might say talent, though I don't particularly like that word when it comes to describing news reporters) to make sense out of what was happening in the world in his own folksy way. I sometimes told my colleagues that Mr. Gibson was the Walter Cronkite of a new generation (if only that generation still got its news from the half hour evening newscasts).

Though I had long ago stopped being a regular viewer of the evening network newscasts, that changed with Mr. Gibson. I recorded each broadcast, and zapping through commercials, would watch the 22 minutes of the most important news of the day. Especially living in a foreign country, it took on new significance and for the first time, became "appointment" television for me.

Tonight, Charlie Gibson anchors his final newscast before heading off into retirement. This week, ABC has presented some of the highlights of his 30+ year distinguished career at the network. Though he somewhat sheepishly introduced the segments each evening, it was evident that he not only was deservedly proud of his accomplishments during his career, but he truly enjoyed what he did. As he put it, it really is the best job in the world.

As he departs, he creates a void in the evening news arena. While Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer are likewise experienced, neither has cultivated the aura of authority associated with the leader of a news organization. And Brian Williams, whose NBC Nightly News is the top rated network newscast, still comes off as the epitome of the news anchor caricature .

If I were Mr. Gibson, I'd be doing the same thing. At age 66, leaving while on top, looking forward to what hopefully will be many years of a healthy happy retirement. And while I wish him well , selfishly I also wish his tenure would have spanned more than two and a half years. Because come Monday, the delivery of news in America will not be the same.

Christmas 2009

Every year I say the same thing. Where did the time go? It is as true in 2009 as it ever has been ... even though it is our first full year of retirement when we thought we’d have all the time in the world.

When we left our jobs in March, 2008, some warned us that we would be totally bored and would want to return to work within a year. Being neither bored (we don't have time to be bored), nor having any desire to return to our jobs (done that), we seem to be muddling through somehow living in Puerto Vallarta from October through June and returning to California for the summer months.

2009 was another year of adventure and revelation ... of swine flu and travel and school and sports and even a bit of work … the ongoing process of figuring out where we want to be and what we want to do. It seems the more time we spend in Mexico, the more we enjoy it. The challenges become fewer, the rewards greater. Of course, a lot of that is due to an attitude adjustment and the acceptance that manana doesn’t necessarily mean tomorrow. It’s just sometime in the future other than today. Through it, we have become more tolerant and patient. Forcing U.S. timetables and expectations and customs on Mexico doesn’t work, nor is it right.

Probably more than anything, 2009 could be described as a year of travel. And as we found, there is such a thing as too much. Kurt’s mom spent the holidays with us last year, and while she was here, we drove to San Miguel de Allende and spent a fun week in that quaint Mexican town in January. In February, we did an RSVP cruise out of Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean, our first of two cruises for the year. In March, after the Caribbean cruise, I made an unannounced last minute trip back to northern California. My former boss at News10, Stacy Owen, was leaving the station and I wanted to surprise her at her going away party ... but that was only part of the fun. I didn't tell my family that I was coming back to the U.S. My mom damn near died of shock when I rang her doorbell and there I was. She just kept saying, "I can't believe it, I can't believe it." We had a fun weekend.

Then, it was back to PV for the rest of March and into June (with a few side trips to Sayulita and Mascota). In June, we left Mexico for the summer. After heading to the Bay Area in June for the wedding of Kurt’s nephew, then Laguna Beach in July for Kurt’s birthday, we ventured to Tahiti for the big travel event of the year.

We flew from LA to Papeete for a 10 day cruise aboard the MS Paul Gauguin which included stops at about 6 ports. It is a beautiful part of the world, unlike any other place we've visited. Moorea and Bora Bora are spectacular, and the ship itself was amazing. There were only 300 passengers, and the cruise was all inclusive (tours, tipping, recreation, adult beverages) so you're not nickel and dimed (like on other ships where you can rack up an onboard bill which totals nearly as much as the cruise itself). The food was gourmet (we knew it would be good from the first night we boarded when as a midnight snack they had the best soft shell crabs we've ever had ... and the caviar for lunch the next day wasn't too bad either). Lots of snorkeling, swimming with sting rays and sharks and hiking. As beautiful as it was, we probably won't go back .... there are other places we want to see first.

During the summer, we centered our activities out of Palm Springs where we still have a home that we rent out as a vacation rental. Believe it or not, the 115 degree weather in the desert is much more desirable than the 95 degrees weather in Puerto Vallarta where daily torrential rains assure that the humidity hovers at or near 100% all the time. But in reality, we really weren’t in Palm Springs for very long at any one time.

In August, we drove up the eastern Sierra, and spent several days in Graeagle at Kurt’s mom’s mountain cabin. From there, it was off to Clear Lake for three weeks, including several days with my mom. Then we made our way up the California and Oregon coast ... Crescent City, Yachats, then Portland where we got to see our friends Butch and Dave and their two great kids. We really liked Portland and thought it was a city where eventually we could live. From there it was up to Seattle for 11 days, staying at a house right on Puget Sound. We liked it so much, we're going back next year.

After driving back to Palm Springs, we were there for only a few days before flying to Kona for two weeks. We could have gone without the Hawaii trip (remember, I said there is such a thing as too much travel), but it was nice spending time with Kurt's mom and sister who were there with us. We got back to Palm Springs in mid-October (the nicest time of the year there), but it was a short stay. On October 27, we flew back to Puerto Vallarta for the winter.

2010 will probably bring a lighter travel schedule, though we are doing several vacation home exchanges (we swap Palm Springs for a week or so with others who have vacation homes) and we will be visiting San Miguel de Allende, Seattle, and Gabriola Island (a short ferry hope from Victoria, BC). We also keep looking for last minute cruise specials, one of the benefits of having the freedom to go when you want to go, and not worry about work schedules.

During the summer, we made some good decisions. Last year, we got too involved with the politics of living in a condominium (it's not all fun). So this year, we've separated ourselves from the pettiness that at times seemed to thrive here, and we are much happier to be away from it. We also decided to pursue interests beyond the circle of friends we have made in our complex. Kurt has joined the PV Tennis Club and plays tennis several times a week. I have gone back to school and am taking Spanish classes at the University of Guadalajara PV campus. I also take several long walks through different neighborhoods here each week, meeting locals and talking Spanish. These activities have introduced us to new friends and people in the community. And again, they have provided a good diversion from the politics at Condominios Avalon. That being said, we have developed some very good relationships with some of our new neighbors here, particularly David & Nelly who live directly below us and came to visit us at Clear Lake this past summer.

In addition to all that, I was back at work in 2009 (but for only two days). When the swine flu first surfaced in Mexico in spring, I did several TV reports for KTVU, Channel 2 in Oakland/San Francisco and News10 in Sacramento … back to shooting, writing, editing, and feeding over the Internet. I also did several interviews with KGO Radio in San Francisco and KFBK Radio in Sacramento. It was fun, but just for a couple of days. As I sit here in Puerto Vallarta and watch the evening newscasts where reporters are standing in the pouring rain or blowing snow, I realize how much I really do not miss it.

Our families are both doing well. As I mentioned, Kurt's nephew Sean got married in June. Also in June, my youngest nephew, Jason, graduated from Nevada Union High School and is now attending Chico State. Except for chronic back pain, my mom is doing great. She still goes to Tahoe a lot with my brother and sister-in-law and each week enjoys a martini lunch with one of her friends in Nevada City. And we are doing great. No swine flu in this household.

Likewise, we hope that this letter finds you and your family well. Merry Christmas, best wishes for 2010, and if your travels bring you to Puerto Vallarta, let us know and we’ll get together for a cerveza or margarita.