Nate (22) graduated from UW-Madison in May. He managed one of our kitchens at The Festival during the summer and he’s busy doing odd jobs around the house and at The Park. He’ll work for us at the Fest again next summer and then he’ll move to Madison. He says it’s because he’ll be working as an intern or some such thing in his major (Environmental Sciences) but we all know it’s so he can be with his girlfriend Maddie. (we don’t blame him😊)

Haley (20) is a junior in college and just finished her first semester in the Nursing Program at Winona State University. Her clinicals have been at Mayo-Rochester and she really enjoys all she is learning. She continues to work as a CNA at Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center when she is home. As part of her double major in Spanish, she will spend some time in Costa Rica next summer.

Kiana (17) is a junior at Menomonie High School. She was cleared to start playing soccer again at the end of October. Her recovery from ACL reconstruction was a long one and she is very happy to be back playing indoor as she prepares to get on the field for the spring high school season. She is starting to look at colleges and for the moment is drawn to interior design as a potential area of study. She worked as a babysitter last summer but is now throwing around the idea of starting an online clothing store with one of her friends. We’ll keep you posted.

Pudge has had another challenging year with regard to his eyes. He had a third detached retina (in the “Better Eye”) in February. The recovery included two more weeks face down…a posture he didn’t want to have to do again, but retaining eyesight will make you do just about anything. Since then he has had two other procedures and may have more to do at the start of 2023. These health challenges have shifted our timelines and priorities, as he adjusts to a different level of engagement with the projects, businesses and properties we have. He will have compromised vision and his physical work cannot be what it was, so we’re adjusting. He is working hard to stay positive and find outlets that he can enjoy. He and I are in the infancy stages of creating a shared podcast as an extension of his Tik Tok account Mutter Nonsense. He may not be able to be as physical as he’s used to, but that has not stopped him from being as ridiculous (and funny) as he’s always been.

 I have been busy navigating the ups and downs in our house, traveling to and from Colorado a number of times to help my mom move, work at the festival, and for my father’s funeral in October. I coached the girls high school soccer team last spring and will continue to do that until Park work gets to be too much. My writing has taken a back seat because of the craze of this past year, but I plan to prioritize the youth sports book and get it finished and published by the end of next year. In addition to writing, I will take photos, work with Pudge for his final year as Operations at the Colorado Fest, and hopefully open The Park after the chalet renovation is completed. (we’re aiming for early fall!)

The big group pictures on our card tell some of the bigger parts of this year’s story.

The top photo is from Fran’s 80^th birthday celebration and we used that opportunity to get Pudge’s extended family together. The bottom picture was taken at my dad’s funeral, another large gathering of family, and we are glad we had a chance to get a group photo with my grandmother who turns 100 in January.

We wish all our family and friends many big, important moments of celebration and all the support and love you need for those times that are difficult. We are increasingly grateful for this full life we get to live and we hope you all know how much we appreciate having you in our lives.

Peace and Love! The Franks

Including Ozzy (2) and Dickens (13)