This has been another pretty unstable year. But it has ended on a very sweet note with some good changes for us.
At the end of 2018 Gary sent out an application for a job at Sandia National Labs, somewhere he has been applying to on an irregular basis since about 1985. Back then, home computers were just getting started, there was no email, and no internet. A paper form had to be filled out by hand and snail mailed. Much to his shock - this time, for the first time - they contacted him back. After a phone screen they announced they wanted him to come out and interview.
He went ... ended up months later with a job offer ... and now Gary, Carolyn, and Gillian are living just outside of Albuquerque New Mexico. Gary's reconnected with his best friends from his time in school here, Bill Resnick and Terry Jameison.
True to form, shortly after Gary left Symanec they had an enormous layoff. The company was split in two by a new owner, one to service businesses and the other to service retail. It remains to be seen if they will thrive. Will they follow in the footsteps of Hirst Research (out of business), Lucent (out of business), Hyperfeed (out of business), Neotick (out of business), Infinium (out of business) and others? Let's hope not. Gary still has friends working there, although many have been laid off in the months since he left. We frankly have no idea how splitting the company will help either fragment - there is a lot of technology that they have in common, so presumably moving forward they will be developing new technologies twice.
We all love the Albuquerque area. We rented a house for 6 months and after selling our LA digs for a substantial profit, ended up purchasing a (different) lovely house with a gorgeous view of Sandia Peak. It's about 45 minutes from Rio Rancho to Gary's job.
Unpacking has been an adventure and a tedious chore. The movers from Los Angeles lost a couple of boxes, so we filed a claim against the insurance company. They dragged their feet for months, but in the end Gary sent them a letter which he copied to his new employer and pointed out that future business with Sandia might hang on how this claim was treated. The insurance company mailed the check two days later. Some of the boxes we are opening haven't been opened in 5 years because our Los Angeles digs didn't have room for it all. We are slowly plowing our way through it all, but we've been slowed down by the large number of things we keep bumping into that either need updating, repair, or replacement. New roof ... termites ... new garbage disposal ... new washer & dryer ... new dishwasher ... new lighting fixtures ...plumbing problems ...
Carolyn left California State University with a heavy heart. She misses her students (many of whom have stayed in touch with her) and her co-workers. Getting her license here in New Mexico was a very drawn out process, but she finally was able to get it done. She's in touch with the University of New Mexico, hopefully she'll be able to get a similar position.
Gillian had a harrowing year, but she's glad for surviving it. In April she attended a friend's wedding in New Hampshire as a bridesmaid. She was also able to visit her boyfriend a few times. However, by June she fell ill and was forced to put her job search on hold to tend to her health. She is pursuing a promising lead for a meteorological position at a missile range 3 hours south of Albuquerque.
Ryan is still in Virginia, and came to New Mexico for the first time just before Christmas for a three week visit. He loves his work at Fannie Mae. The dogs went berserk when he walked though the door. He's pursing his gaming hobby and has started working out regularly.
Carolyn is still going to a gym where she is making some friends. In September she went to Chicago briefly for the funeral of a good friend Jane who passed away after 5 years battling cancer. While in Chicago she also went to the funeral of a colleague she worked with who also passed away due to cancer. Although it was a very sad visit she was able to spend time with Jane's family, with friends she used to work with, and a few other friends in between.
Gary and Gillian found a judo school, and Gary found somewhere to folk dance ... and now that the weather has cooled down he is taking advantage of the trails less than a quarter mile from his house to scooter with the dogs along the Rio Grande almost daily. No trips for him this year - he had to miss his friend Betty's 90th birthday party up in Iron River because it was too soon after he started at Sandia to take the time off. He's hoping to make it up to Chicago this summer. And he is looking forward to his first skijoring race in several years in early January. Gusty may be getting older, but he still lives to run.
In November Carolyn was back in Chicago on the way to Wales. Her good friend Cheryl had hip surgery so she stayed with her and helped her out for a week. They had a relaxing time mostly and enjoyed the respite from unpacking (Lyn) and work (Cheryl). She then spent a couple of weeks in Wales where she had planned a 90th birthday celebration for her Mum. It went very well and we are grateful for all those friends and family who visited her & her Mum, came to her lunch at a local pub, the carers and staff who helped her set it up and came with them, and gave Carolyn lifts to and fro. Sadly, her Auntie Jeanne passed away during her trip after a very long struggle with debilitating pain and poor health. But Carolyn was glad to be there at the time with Jeanne's daughter Nicky & son-in-law Tony who are lifelong friends even though she unfortunately missed the funeral by a few days. Carolyn missed some friends in Chicago both times but managed to visit with quite a few. Hopefully she will be back next year.
Some of you may know that Carolyn's Mum broke her leg very badly a year ago. Carolyn went there in January during her semester break from work. Pat was in a leg brace for a few months and has since been unable to walk due to balance and vertigo probably cause by the progression of dementia. She's being cared for extremely well by Haulfryn, her care home, who set up face time with Carolyn a couple of times a week. She's forgetting who a lot of people are but regular contact via facetime is helping her to remember Carolyn.
We greatly hope that this will be our last move.
We have plenty of room for visitors, a private heated pool that includes a hot tub, a gorgeous view of Sandia Peak, and all the dog anyone could want. Please do come visit us in Rio Rancho. There are lots of touristy things to keep you busy!
Gary, Carolyn, Gillian, Ryan, Gusty, and Vita
Here is all our contact information along with our new address:
Gary personal cell(630)401-0065 day cell(505)206-6376 garyfenchel@gmail.com
Carolyn (630)660-3717 cphf75@gmail.com
Gillian (630)660-8800 gmhfenchel@gmail.com
2121 Clearwater Loop NE, Rio Rancho NM 87144
Ryan (630)401-9466 screwbucket@gmail.com
Contact Ryan for snail mail information
Here are some pictures:
Our annual family Christmas picture. The dogs appear to be just a bit camera shy. This was taken by our new neighbors, Israelis who we happened to meet many months earlier in a parking lot. We were quite surprised to realize they were our new next-door-neighbors!
The front of our new house on Christmas day. We still haven't gotten around to picking the persimmons from the tree! They are, alas, ruined now.
The rear of the house in the summer. The pool is heated.
Sundown from our back window in the summer. That's Sandia Peak.
This is the actual unretouched view from our back porch on Xmas day. We took a break from cooking dinner to grab it.
Here is another picture of pretty much the same thing, but in the winter at a different time of day. The camera was a bit tipped. There is skiing available on the top of that mountain.
This is the Rio Grande about a quarter mile from our house this past summer. The picture was taken from the trail Gary uses to scooter the dogs in the winter.
Another shot of the Rio Grande, approximately the same location, but taken in the fall.
Weather in New Mexico is dramatic. This is a storm happening in the distance with a sharply defined rain column. The nearby mountains make for some odd winds which contribute to the dramatic weather.
Gusty enjoying his early Christmas present of a new bed.
Vita relaxing on a couch
At the end of 2018 Gary sent out an application for a job at Sandia National Labs, somewhere he has been applying to on an irregular basis since about 1985. Back then, home computers were just getting started, there was no email, and no internet. A paper form had to be filled out by hand and snail mailed. Much to his shock - this time, for the first time - they contacted him back. After a phone screen they announced they wanted him to come out and interview.
He went ... ended up months later with a job offer ... and now Gary, Carolyn, and Gillian are living just outside of Albuquerque New Mexico. Gary's reconnected with his best friends from his time in school here, Bill Resnick and Terry Jameison.
True to form, shortly after Gary left Symanec they had an enormous layoff. The company was split in two by a new owner, one to service businesses and the other to service retail. It remains to be seen if they will thrive. Will they follow in the footsteps of Hirst Research (out of business), Lucent (out of business), Hyperfeed (out of business), Neotick (out of business), Infinium (out of business) and others? Let's hope not. Gary still has friends working there, although many have been laid off in the months since he left. We frankly have no idea how splitting the company will help either fragment - there is a lot of technology that they have in common, so presumably moving forward they will be developing new technologies twice.
We all love the Albuquerque area. We rented a house for 6 months and after selling our LA digs for a substantial profit, ended up purchasing a (different) lovely house with a gorgeous view of Sandia Peak. It's about 45 minutes from Rio Rancho to Gary's job.
Unpacking has been an adventure and a tedious chore. The movers from Los Angeles lost a couple of boxes, so we filed a claim against the insurance company. They dragged their feet for months, but in the end Gary sent them a letter which he copied to his new employer and pointed out that future business with Sandia might hang on how this claim was treated. The insurance company mailed the check two days later. Some of the boxes we are opening haven't been opened in 5 years because our Los Angeles digs didn't have room for it all. We are slowly plowing our way through it all, but we've been slowed down by the large number of things we keep bumping into that either need updating, repair, or replacement. New roof ... termites ... new garbage disposal ... new washer & dryer ... new dishwasher ... new lighting fixtures ...plumbing problems ...
Carolyn left California State University with a heavy heart. She misses her students (many of whom have stayed in touch with her) and her co-workers. Getting her license here in New Mexico was a very drawn out process, but she finally was able to get it done. She's in touch with the University of New Mexico, hopefully she'll be able to get a similar position.
Gillian had a harrowing year, but she's glad for surviving it. In April she attended a friend's wedding in New Hampshire as a bridesmaid. She was also able to visit her boyfriend a few times. However, by June she fell ill and was forced to put her job search on hold to tend to her health. She is pursuing a promising lead for a meteorological position at a missile range 3 hours south of Albuquerque.
Ryan is still in Virginia, and came to New Mexico for the first time just before Christmas for a three week visit. He loves his work at Fannie Mae. The dogs went berserk when he walked though the door. He's pursing his gaming hobby and has started working out regularly.
Carolyn is still going to a gym where she is making some friends. In September she went to Chicago briefly for the funeral of a good friend Jane who passed away after 5 years battling cancer. While in Chicago she also went to the funeral of a colleague she worked with who also passed away due to cancer. Although it was a very sad visit she was able to spend time with Jane's family, with friends she used to work with, and a few other friends in between.
Gary and Gillian found a judo school, and Gary found somewhere to folk dance ... and now that the weather has cooled down he is taking advantage of the trails less than a quarter mile from his house to scooter with the dogs along the Rio Grande almost daily. No trips for him this year - he had to miss his friend Betty's 90th birthday party up in Iron River because it was too soon after he started at Sandia to take the time off. He's hoping to make it up to Chicago this summer. And he is looking forward to his first skijoring race in several years in early January. Gusty may be getting older, but he still lives to run.
In November Carolyn was back in Chicago on the way to Wales. Her good friend Cheryl had hip surgery so she stayed with her and helped her out for a week. They had a relaxing time mostly and enjoyed the respite from unpacking (Lyn) and work (Cheryl). She then spent a couple of weeks in Wales where she had planned a 90th birthday celebration for her Mum. It went very well and we are grateful for all those friends and family who visited her & her Mum, came to her lunch at a local pub, the carers and staff who helped her set it up and came with them, and gave Carolyn lifts to and fro. Sadly, her Auntie Jeanne passed away during her trip after a very long struggle with debilitating pain and poor health. But Carolyn was glad to be there at the time with Jeanne's daughter Nicky & son-in-law Tony who are lifelong friends even though she unfortunately missed the funeral by a few days. Carolyn missed some friends in Chicago both times but managed to visit with quite a few. Hopefully she will be back next year.
Some of you may know that Carolyn's Mum broke her leg very badly a year ago. Carolyn went there in January during her semester break from work. Pat was in a leg brace for a few months and has since been unable to walk due to balance and vertigo probably cause by the progression of dementia. She's being cared for extremely well by Haulfryn, her care home, who set up face time with Carolyn a couple of times a week. She's forgetting who a lot of people are but regular contact via facetime is helping her to remember Carolyn.
We greatly hope that this will be our last move.
We have plenty of room for visitors, a private heated pool that includes a hot tub, a gorgeous view of Sandia Peak, and all the dog anyone could want. Please do come visit us in Rio Rancho. There are lots of touristy things to keep you busy!
Gary, Carolyn, Gillian, Ryan, Gusty, and Vita
Here is all our contact information along with our new address:
Gary personal cell(630)401-0065 day cell(505)206-6376 garyfenchel@gmail.com
Carolyn (630)660-3717 cphf75@gmail.com
Gillian (630)660-8800 gmhfenchel@gmail.com
2121 Clearwater Loop NE, Rio Rancho NM 87144
Ryan (630)401-9466 screwbucket@gmail.com
Contact Ryan for snail mail information
Here are some pictures:
Our annual family Christmas picture. The dogs appear to be just a bit camera shy. This was taken by our new neighbors, Israelis who we happened to meet many months earlier in a parking lot. We were quite surprised to realize they were our new next-door-neighbors!
The front of our new house on Christmas day. We still haven't gotten around to picking the persimmons from the tree! They are, alas, ruined now.
The rear of the house in the summer. The pool is heated.
Sundown from our back window in the summer. That's Sandia Peak.
This is the actual unretouched view from our back porch on Xmas day. We took a break from cooking dinner to grab it.
Here is another picture of pretty much the same thing, but in the winter at a different time of day. The camera was a bit tipped. There is skiing available on the top of that mountain.
This is the Rio Grande about a quarter mile from our house this past summer. The picture was taken from the trail Gary uses to scooter the dogs in the winter.
Another shot of the Rio Grande, approximately the same location, but taken in the fall.
Weather in New Mexico is dramatic. This is a storm happening in the distance with a sharply defined rain column. The nearby mountains make for some odd winds which contribute to the dramatic weather.
Gusty enjoying his early Christmas present of a new bed.
Vita relaxing on a couch