Christmas Letters from Lester and Winifred
1926-1933 Life on Mt. Abrams. Lots of early life reminiscences.
1951 CA smoke jump. Later account of 1951 jump in the Trinity Alps.
1953 letter from Kayima, SL. Moving into their first home in S.L., with a pregnant sheep and a monkey.
1974 Hiking in Imatong range. Brave 4-day off-trail hike in south Sudan! The doc says 1974, but they didn't got to Sudan until 1978.
1980 Christmas In Juba. Graduations: Joel from Yale, Julie from WSU, Ethan (BS) Stanford. Grace in Rumford w/ Robert. Winnie has arthritis. Lester climbing jebels.
1983 Christmas Leaving Juba. Dorcas, Chris, and Caleb visit. Joel in Everett. Julie in Juba. Ethan married. Natalie born.
1984 Letter from Khartoum. Lester's travels through the desert.
1986 Christmas Working in Pakistan. Lester gets pleurisy. Trip to Kunjarab Pass w/ Ethan, Joel, and spouses. Travel w/ Grace & Lester's brother..
1987 to Malcolm and Louise Loring. From Pakistan. Visited Thailand. Poppy eradication.
1987 Christmas Left Pakistan. Visited Delhi, Thailand, Mass., Maine. Cross-country road trip. Everett born.
1988 Christmas Laurestine and Fanny died. Ezra born. Visited Valdez, Ohio, Georgia, Nebraska, CA, and Maine.
1989 Christmas Returned to work in Sudan; ended early. Visit to Ethiopia. Julie becomes NP. Joel becomes daycare provider.
1990 Christmas Julie and Harry wedding. Grace and Steve wedding. Hannah and Everett born. Return from Pakistan. Winnie's 50th HS and 45th? York reunions. Ethan moves to Seattle.
1991 Christmas Visited Rarotonga and Hawaii. Built Habitat house in Yakima. Enclosed porch. Clinton and Emily born. Babysitting Hannah.
1992 Christmas Lester visits Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Lester climbs Mt. St. Helens. Winnie mastectomy. Visited Maine, Michigan, Minnesota. Skagit Adult Daycare opens.
1993 Christmas Lester teaches English in Kiev. Visited Minsk and Maine. More climbing. Winnie working in Pakistan alone. Jeremy born.
1994 Christmas Lester visits Kiev, works in Zimbabwe. Both visit Hawaii. Winnie's 50th in York, Nebraska. Volunteering.
1995 Christmas Lester works in Ukraine, Indonesia. Climbing Cascades. Habitat for Humanity. Grace marries Paul. Visited Oklahoma, Maine. Alden born.
1996 Jun Round Robin (letter to Lester's siblings). Lester in the Philippines. California visit. Birds.
1996 Christmas Lester works in Philippines, Mauritania. Volunteering. Visit California. Winnie fighting diabetes. Both working in Guatemala.
1997 Christmas Visited Maine. Volunteering. Winnie stopped singing, joined bell choir. Lester working in Brazil twice.
1998 Christmas Lester working in Haiti, Bolivia. Volunteering.
1999 Feb Round Robin. Lester working in Bolivia. Caleb and Meredith married.
1999 Aug Round Robin. Darby born. Winnie renews medical license for 3 years. Lester eye tracking issue.
1999 Christmas Caleb married. Darby born. Lester eye tracking issue. Lester working in Brazil
2000 Round Robin: Lester's eye, Lester working in Brazil
2000 Christmas Lester working in Bolivia
2001 Christmas Hellen's brain cancer. Natalie valedictorian.
2002 Christmas Hosting Servants of Sierra Leone in Mt. Vernon, 50th anniversary, "Bradford House" opens, Winnie broken shin, sister Helen died,
2003 Christmas Lester does 6-day, 45-mile backpack!
2004 Christmas Lester climbs Mt. Baker w/ Joel, Everett, Luke (he did it 30 years before). 4-day backpack along Olympic coast. Volunteering. Ashlin born.
2005 Christmas Lester officiates at Natalie's wedding, trail work (10 ton log!), tutoring
8/2006 letter to smoke-jumper friend Edward: Smoke jumping memories, VOCA, trail work
10/2006 letter to smoke-jumper friend Edward: reading, Haiti, trail work (with bears), volunteering
2007 Christmas More volunteering. Joel climbed Rainier. Otto born.
2008 Christmas Lester skiing, tutoring, trail work, Habitat. Lester works in South Africa. Winnie Hospice. Visits.
2009 Christmas Lester dizzy spells. Winnie tremors. Visits from Mary and Joel. Mary's Forrest died.
2010 January update Winnie breaks hip. Daily routines described.
2010 Christmas Winnie home, now with ramp. Everett wedding. Visits. Lester trail work.
2010 Christmas appendage Thanksgiving
2011 Christmas Winnie's biography published. Lester backing off a bit on skiing, running, and traveling.
2012 Christmas Winnie's 90th bd. 60th anniversary. Volunteering. Aging.
2013 Christmas Joel retires and travels. Silas born. Volunteering.
2014 Christmas Hildegaard finally dies. Kids on Kilimanjaro. No more skiing.
2015 Christmas Still volunteering. Lester gets pacemaker, not working well.
2016 letter to Jerry Fitzgerald. Trip to Zebalos to see Caleb et al.
2016 Christmas Winnie broken wrist. Gie hired as caregiver. Joel, Luke, Dorcas, Hannah, Harry, and Julie go to Sierra Leone. Joel dies.
2017 Christmas Lester diagnosed with Parkinson's. Winnie breaks humerus. Winnie's 95th bd, 65th anniversary.
2018 letter to Jerry Fitzgerald. Birthday parties for Lester and Darby.
2018 Lester's Parkinson's: falls and paper thin skin.
2019 letter to Jerry Fitzgerald. Challenges with health.
2019 Lester dies. Luke engaged. Dorcas visits Sierra Leone. Hannah marries Corey. Winnie stroke.