I must tell you -- I really hate the "year in review" letters many
folks like to send out during the holidays. They always contain the
most amazing tidbits...little Anna is top of her class at
MIT...James just made partner...we took a cruise around the
world...Bill was student of the week TWELVE times this year! Ugh!
This morning I opened up another envelope, this one from my good
friends Bill and Wanda. As I opened the letter, several pictures
fell out. I was dismayed to see yet another "year in review"
letter. Not Bill too! He always does the basic card. Sigh... I
started to read.
We rang in the new year in France, high atop the Eiffel
Tower at the stroke of midnight. We had a private tour of
Versailles the next morning -- you should see the pictures of the
swans that Wanda took that morning! We enjoyed a wonderful walk
under the trees in the Bois De Boulogne before we left for home.
Sadly, we returned home to find that our maid had run off with the
butler, taking the Bentley with them.
...
Meanwhile, Wanda's father was appointed to the House of Lords back
home in the UK...what an honor!
...
Closer to home, our daughter Jenny, who is finishing up her
coursework in Farm Science at Cal Poly, was elated to pass her cow
milking exam on the third try. On a more somber note, Jenny's
"musician" boyfriend gave her an engagement ring over spring break,
but we have high hopes that she'll come to her senses soon.
...
Our oldest son Frank, who you'll recall is an anspiring actor down
in Burbank, was cast as Tracy's husband for the upcoming Partridge
Family Reunion miniseries.
...
We spent two wonderful weeks on the island of Maui in June, the
highlight being a long swim with Honu (sea turtles) on Kaanapali
Beach. I've attached a great shot from the trip showing Wanda just
as she dove into a wave. And Wanda insists that I attach this shot
of a poor kid leaping out of the way as I attempt to surf a large
wave.
...
One of the big oak trees in our front yard had to come down this
year, so we planted a nice mature elm in its place.
...
Wanda went on a ladies-only trip to Vegas in October, and none of
the participants are willing to breathe a word about what went on.
Lord only knows what transpired, but Bill is planning to take some
of the guys out there himself to see if he can find anything out.
...
The really big news is that Bill finally took the big leap and
started his own business, which is doing quite well so
far!
"Man, that doesn't sound like Bill at all", I thought. Then I
turned over the paper and saw a little handwritten note: Steve
-- I know you like puzzle caches, so I hid an ammo box containing a
few geocoins and some other goodies for you. The coordinates are
hidden in my letter. Happy holidays!
Oh ho! I stared at the page for a couple of minutes, scribbled
down some numbers, grabbed my GPSr, and headed out the door...
Note: This isn't supposed to be a hard puzzle, so please feel
free to contact me if you'd like a hint. Based on feedback I've
been getting, it is turning out to be much harder than I expected.
[12/28/05: Added a puzzle hint. And another.]
