Dear Friends and Family, We did it last year, and we're doing it again, it's the dreaded "form" news letter! And we're not apologizing this time. We hope you like it We completed our 2nd year in our lovely home in West Bloomfield, and let us note right up front that not all of you have visited yet! Now, those of you reading this in the Czech Republic, or Finland, or even California, you're excused, but for everyone else we expect your reservation notices! This was the year of the green thumb. Lori's a master gardener! I don't want to say we had a lot, but we used Ryder trucks to take away the excess. We had tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, herbs, strawberries, and more. Our cherry trees went wild, and we had enough apples and pears for many pies. Some of our final 45 pounds of tomatoes are still ripening in the basement. Best times to visit: For cherries, late June (just ask Dan, Linda and the kids!); for tomatoes, August; for apples and pears, October. For good food, any time. We plan to add a lot more to the mix next year, so don't miss out! Our flower gardens are also improving every year. Fred and Carol both made it out, Debbie came out from Boston, Sara came out from Missouri, Doug came in from North Carolina, so you can make it here, too! The Orel B&B surfsite went operational in '95. Those of you with web access may find our page at "http://matt.orel.ws" (no quotes!). During the growing seasons, we'll keep you up to date on our garden. We also have a significant amount of space devoted to Matt's favorite R&R artist, Bruce Springsteen. We've now had a total of over 3,500 "hits" since August. Our web site contains links to some other favorite sites, including *home pages of friends and family*. If you have a home page and would like to be linked to ours, please let us know! We'd also like to have your recommendations for improvements to our page. Our own touring this year was limited but rewarding. In January, we managed a brief stop in Minneapolis, and visited the Mall of America with Randi and Remi, while on our way to a much-need Utah ski-break. We highly recommend Park City, by the way, and can tell you where *not* to stay. In February, we visited Pittsburgh, where Gwen lives, to see her production of "Unidentified Human Remains and the True Meaning of Love." Matt provided a tape of "Billy, Don't Be a Hero," which was absolutely crucial to the intermission. Stephen and Bill were there, too. The play was so good it's been made into a mediocre movie. Without the song. Our summer tour started with a visit to Ohio, including a stay at the renowned Bernstein B&B, a game at Jacobs Field, and a July 4 hexing contest with Monica ("Elway sucks") Bernstein. Our backroads journey continued to East Liverpool and over to West Virginia, once home to the great pottery industry of the US, and still very scenic, though only a couple of major manufacturers remain. Another highlight of the trip was a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. We returned to Cleveland in September for the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (go, get in any way you can -- that's what Paul did!), and in October, when we missed the Indians' games but had a blast at Sara and Gary's wedding. We visited Canada several times. We attended the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on- the-Lake, saw a magnificent production of Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband," and also had an opportunity to visit with Jerry and Diane. We went on to many wineries (good whites, don't touch the reds) and to Niagara Falls, which is best visited on weekdays. In August, Matt presented a paper at a conference in Montreal. Montreal is a great city for walking, and a beautiful city, too, but it has a really ugly baseball stadium. Lori made the most of it while Matt was at the conference, visiting the museums and botanical gardens, and getting soused at riverside bistros. In July, we visited Rob and Amy and the Wheatens in Chicago, where we also saw the inspiring Monet exhibit and weathered the heat to see a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Chicago was also our destination for our fall stealth trips in pursuit of the ultimate Springsteen experience -- the live concert. These trips, made possible with the extensive help (and tolerance) of Rob and Amy, and ticket-meisters Ray, Judi and Kevin, are detailed more in our web pages. We made it out to New Jersey twice this year, first over Memorial Day, and then for Thanksgiving. The 2nd trip happily coincided with a Springsteen concert in Red Bank. Unhappily, we were unable to get tickets, despite freezing our asses off with birthday girl Susan West outside the theater all afternoon. More happily, we did get to see a wonderfully engaging production of "The Tempest" with Patrick Stewart, the Mondrian exhibit at the MoMA, and enjoy a night of gaming with Fred, Lisa and Allison. We had less time for biking this year than last, but still managed to do our annual fundraiser for the MS Society of Michigan. This year's 30-mile ride raised over $750 -- thanks to everyone who pledged! The ride was through some nearby parks, and was marked by Matt's 30mph flat 4 miles from the finish. We have since bought tire repair equipment. Matt continues to work at GM's Tech Center, designing math based tools. Lori briefly took a part time job at HQ, where she learned many valuable lessons in home electronics, and is now returning to her professional training, with a small lending company called Equity Funding and Associates. As we did last year, we'll be going to California from the 25th to the 31st of December. Those of you in the Bay Area, if you're not on our schedule yet, send us email or call us. We want to see you! We hope we'll see and hear from you in the coming year. The pool will open around May 15, the hot tub will open around 11pm. YOU ARE INVITED!!! email: matt@orel.ws World Wide Web: http://matt.orel.ws Happy New Year! Love, Matt & Lori