The long-awaited Behrens/Spokane street closure became reality in March.

With God’s help and many friends and relatives pitching in, we successfully moved out of our house in California, then not once but twice into apartments in Washington.

Our house in El Cerrito was rented out in June to a very nice family with two young kids. They appreciate both the house and the neighborhood, and have done a great job of transforming the backyard into a pleasant place for play and relaxation.

Without interruption in work, Gilbert took a Bechtel position in a project in Richland, and began commuting to Washington in February.

Made up of Richland, Kennewick and Pasco. Located two hours drive east of the Cascades, it does not rain much here. There is greenery due to its proximity to the Columbia River. People here warn that this place "grows on you." Many have moved to this area with intentions of staying for a couple of years only to find themselves still here after as many as 24 years!

Family moved up in April, when it was still chilly and windy (perhaps more windy than Chicago in the summer and winter). But that gave way in the summer to temperatures averaging in the 80s and exceeding 102 degrees Fahrenheit-- thank God it was a DRY heat.

With fewer daylight hours came refreshing fall colors in some of the relatively sparse (for Washington state) number of trees. Fun seeing and trampling through piles of dry leaves without having to rake any! Deciduous trees "disappearing," revealing the stark horizon for miles around. Flat except for a few token hills. Sky appears incredibly BIG. More rain expected, perhaps even a bit of snow, as winter approaches. Air can get so dry that cars, doorknobs and rugs give electric shocks.

We made some use of the swimming pool and exercise equipment at the apartment complex we first stayed at, and we all did some form of dancing throughout the year.

Gilbert participated in a dance demo for a work Christmas party. Winnie was in a fashion show. Josiah and Mommy got photographed one windy day by a local newspaper photographer.

Gilbert got to play some organized volleyball for the first time in many years during the spring, then played on a softball team with some co-workers during the summer. Because the project has a British company as prime contractor, about half the softball team had not played before and the early games were moral victories when we went consecutive innings without the opposition batting around. As the losing streak was well on its way to double digits, Gilbert was certain it would not go on forever after one night when the previous game was called due to rain (a rarity) and he grabbed some bats and said "Let’s take batting practice" and the entire team followed to practice for over an hour in the rain. A couple of late-season wins probably stopped the opposition from laughing and a first-round playoff win avoided a last-place finish.

Winnie celebrated her 40^th birthday in this desert, but she hopes it’s not the first of 40 years in the "wilderness" as the Israelites had before entering the promised land.

For Josiah’s 3^rd birthday, we went to a nearby truck stop where he could enjoy watching big rigs lumber around and park all in rows. Instead of regular birthday cake, he got strawberries and whipped cream topped with three donut holes doubling as candle holders. He liked the car tent we got him for his twin mattress, and the Brio starter set from our former neighbors in El Cerrito.

Gilbert and Winnie celebrated 6 years of marriage in November!

Formal night aboard the cruise ship Statendam

In October, en route to the airport, we made a last-minute change of which apartment to move to.

Why the second move in Washington? Our things in storage were being delivered and we needed another room to put the big furniture in. More importantly, we are expecting a new sibling for Josiah by mid-January, 2000! (And Winnie’s Mom is planning to come stay with us after Christmas until baby’s at least a month old.) J