



Well, actually it turned into a New Year’s card, but I thought I would keep the blog consistent. This year’s theme was to tell our story as if it was a Dungeons & Dragons adventure.
This year our Dungeons & Dragons adventuring party, armored with masks and wielding +1 Syringes of Vaccines, set out to explore the almost-Forgotten Realms outside our village.
After a series of winter ski adventures in the mountains, our party was ready for warmer climes. Not wanting to get trapped in Mexico by the Covid curse, we headed for the deserts of Death Valley during Spring Break. We descended into Badwater Flats (the Abyss of America), battled hordes of pupfish, wandered through canyons, and risked poisoning at the dinner buffet.
The biggest adventure of the year was to the Big Island of Hawaii. Lacking a spell of Water Breathing, we instead tried snorkeling, meeting manta rays, eels, and more species of tropical fish than we could count. Fortunately these creatures were all friendly and no battles ensued. We walked through treacherous volcano beds and to night-time lava viewing sites. We tried new potions, such as Guava Flows and Mai Tais, and gained extra powers with Hawaiian shaved ice, poke nachos, and more Ahi tuna than we could fit in a Bag of Holding.
We ended the summer with a nautical adventure on the coast of Maine to visit Rich’s parents. We went to the beach, wandered the port of Kennebunk, and sailed in Portland harbor. Nate’s attack rolls were enough to overcome a lobster’s armor class, and he gained experience points by slaying the horrible monster.
Nate practiced his archery, played the tuba (multiclassing into Bard?), and of course played Dungeons & Dragons on a regular basis. He traveled solo to Oklahoma in search of more adventures. After only a few more months of side-quests, he will advance in level to “high school.”
The healing spells and vigorous training of the last few years were finally successful and Dorinna’s hip is once again ready for combat. For the past 13.5 years, she has been highly trained in the Mommy class. Now that Nate is advancing in character levels on his own, she is trying to pick up more hobbies, such as Sorting the Legos and a Return to Knitting. Mostly she reads novels and does word puzzles.
Rich resumed his quests to Redlands, California for work, and continues to enhance his proficiency at bicycling and photography. As a reward for a rough year of adventuring, he traded in a 16-year old Subaru war horse for a more powerful magical steed, a Tesla Model 3.
The Ruh party sends best wishes to yours for a successful 2023 adventure!
The symphony performed:
After recovering, we spent a fun weekend in Colorado Springs. One of the highlights was a trip to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
Pictures from Nate’s fall band concert:
This year’s theme was Dungeons and Dragons. Our family and friends dressed up as characters from the game (plus one unicorn).
After Halloween 2020 was ruined by a global pandemic, and 2021 was ruined by 34-degree rain and sleet, 2022 was just perfect. Warm temps, no wind, no precipitation, just streets crowded with people enjoying the holiday. I made close to two dozen cocktails for parents- my busiest year yet!
Nate’s rogue costume.
Maine vacation photos can be found here.
Photos by Aunt Toni