Christmas Letter 2025

 Merry Christmas to all! Welcome to the Downing annual Christmas letter! It’s been a good, and interesting year with several twists and turns that kept us on our toes and leaning forward into things that are setting an adventurous stage for the coming year. Thanks for joining us along the way!

“Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.”

Louis E. Boone

Skateboards and Sheriffs

Sophia’s summer adventures started with a week in police custody. Well, it was actually a summer camp hosted and operated by the Florida Sheriff’s association. After an arduous application and delayed processing, we were excited to send her off to camp. Although she was a bit apprehensive, she came to realize that Florida’s summer activities are regularly disrupted by extreme afternoon storms filled with amazing displays of lightning and intense downpours that keep even the hardiest of campers indoors. While she’s excited to go next year, the expectations of tromping through the Florida wilderness have been significantly adjusted to match the reality of life in Florida. So, what do we do next? Send her to a skateboard camp, of course! No, this one wasn’t a week away dodging summer storms and flashes of lightning. This was a day camp that introduced her to the adrenaline-filled thrill zone of a bunch of kids trying to figure out how to skateboard in a concrete playground with ramps and drops and rails and bowls. Avoiding collisions, trips, and falls were more about pure luck than any skill these newbies might develop in the five-day adventure. Alas, Sophia was rolling through the park in style as she successfully navigated through the concrete jungle, which was impossible at the beginning of the camp. 

Professional Pivot

Since 2011, I’ve grown into a subject matter expert on federal and state regulations regarding requirements to include small, disadvantaged businesses on major construction projects, like highways, buildings, bridges, and other large infrastructure improvements. In a recent national conference, I proclaimed that I'd win a drawing for a bottle of bourbon, and to everyone's astonishment, I did! I also won a bottle of Hawaiian rum! Over 5,000 potential winners and I walked away pretty happy!

I’ve taken a few professional detours here and there, but primarily this has been my area of expertise. For years, I anticipated that the court system might ultimately change the regulations that were the foundation of my specialty. However, the bandaid was torn off on October 3rd, and a significant, and controversial part was suddenly removed, reworded, and restructured across the entire nation. Well, that was a surprise! No time to wait, it seems! Without missing a beat, my company assured me that my position wouldn't be impacted while the federal regulations are getting figured out, and I would simply pivot to other roles in the company for a while. As of December, I've taken on interim roles with both corporate business development and enhancing project operations on some major highway contracts, taking me into territories and experiences that will certainly be exciting and adventurous with a world to explore and help build, literally. 

Sourdough and Sweets 

Sophia’s Saturday bake sales from the tree covered driveway in our quiet community emerged as an opportunity to grow something special - a cottage bakery named Sourdough and Sweets! Cheryl and Sophia came up with the name, Cheryl being the sourdough master with an ever-expanding selection of amazing breads and cinnamon rolls, and Sophia is the “sweets” with cookies and brownies and yummies, oh my! I am The Jam Man with delicious small batch jams and chutneys to pair with almost anything. Mmmm! This fall season, as a family, we stepped into the wild adventure of operating as a vendor twice a month at a local Saturday market, along with online orders that keep growing.

Occasionally we return to the roots of where it started and hold pop-up sales in the driveway, which is always a treat! Sophia is getting early experience in marketing, price competitiveness, profit & loss, cost-of-goods sold, bulk production, customer experience, and strategic scaling. Check us out at: www.sourdough-and-sweets.com 

Oh, Truck!

I’ve been a proud owner of a Harley Davidson since 2018. It made its way from Oregon to Tampa, FL in 2021, and has been my primary mode of transportation aside from Cheryl’s MINI Cooper. Through torrential rain storms and extreme heat, it’s served me well with only one engine issue. As time passed and we settled into our Florida lifestyle, it became increasingly clear that the MINI and Harley needed to be supplemented, even to the point of considering swapping the Harley for a truck of some type. To be fair, we packed A LOT inside the compact MINI Cooper! It’s quite spacious when you absolutely need it to be! However, the utility of a larger vehicle came with benefits we could scarcely ignore any longer, and we went on the hunt. I realized a couple things rather quickly. First, the value of Harley Davidson’s were depressingly weak and the value of trucks were surprisingly high. Even trucks with significant mechanical issues were well beyond what I was willing to pay. So, I set my cash-price target and pressed forward, intent on keeping my Harley safely parked in my warm garage. I ultimately found a 20-year-old Ford that looked good, ran reasonably well and I knew I could work on it without enlisting the help of a high-priced mechanic. I’ve had to do some work since it came to stay with us, but it has become a valuable addition to the home at just the right time, and without a loan!

No hurricanes - No honey-do projects 

After 2024’s messy hurricane season that blasted across the region with terrible consequences to many, we were braced for another whirlwind of wild weather. However, this year marks the first year since 2014 a hurricane did not develop and hit land in the Gulf. A nice little respite from last year, I’d say! Along with that, this marks the first year (that I can remember) without a significant honey-do project for the house. Whew! 

“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.”

Niels Bohr (1885 - 1962)

Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Downings