Xmas 2017
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Another year. The neck is brown from the sun. Hands callous from toiling the earth. There have been many a smile. And more than a few tears. But steadfast determination. For all of those who still complain about the length of my annual letter, stop here. You are not worthy of what is to come. Only the penitent man may pass (very hard to sneak an Indiana Jones quote into these letters).
Hard to believe we have only technically been in the house for a year and a half. Many steps make a long journey, many projects truly make a house your own. And there is no greater satisfaction than kicking off your shoes and watching TV amongst your accomplishments. Unless you are a millennial, but don’t start me.
Instead of boring you with too many bags of concrete in the wheelbarrow, or finding hidden pipes with the Sawzall, or getting shocked by mystery light switches that go nowhere, I invite you to come visit. Plenty of extra bedrooms, good food, and free laughter. Play “Where’s Waldo” with the mistakes I fixed before Nancy got home to see them. Just don’t touch anything metallic if your socks are damp.
Time to get down to it. Family trip (sans Jac). There is a lot of history in the Badland of SD. Also a heck of a lot of miles between. But a app to find local breweries along the route and a couple of empty growler in truck got us thru some pretty long stretches. We toured Custer’s Battlefield just a couple of days before the 141st anniversary re-enactment. Devils tower was pretty awesome. Especially when Mitch and I jogged the outer 2.5-mile loop around the monolith to see if he was still fit from spring high school track. Unfortunately for me, I forgot we were at 5,000′ and I had just donated blood four days before. But what doesn’t kill you makes you…. pretty sore and sick. It gave Nancy a chance to fall in love with the quirky town of Hulett, WY, which has a surprising amount of Italian and German cowboys. I personally relished the barren and timeless Badlands and got in a nice six-mile solo hike. Nancy and Mitch appreciated the AC in the Dodge. The Minuteman Missile NM outside of Rapid City is a must see for people who can appreciate the Cold War and the Raegan years.
Couldn’t get a tour of the silo where you can actually still turn the keys to end the world, but still appreciate the fact the RC has more fallout shelters per capita than any other city in the US. Maybe because of those 400+ multi head nukes that were once just outside of town. The only saving grace being Wall Drug is in the blast zone, which would almost make it worth it. This was my first visit to Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse since 1982. Mt R has four dedicated highway lanes going into it, toll booths to take parking fees, a 2500 space garage, and Thomas Jefferson Ice cream for eight bucks a scoop with a mile long line.
Crazy Horse has a couple of new fingers carved out on the hand and a nostril on the equine. Yeah. We did get a chance to take in Custer Park and see the bison with their spring calves, drive the Dodge thru a I 00 inch tunnel with the mirrors folded in (honking, of course), and climb/hike the highest point in SD (Harney Peak). Topped it off with two days in Deadwood (at a 130 year ‘hotel’ ‘antique store’ ‘deli’ ‘thrift shop’ that was across between a Stephen King story and one of the Saw horror movies).
I have an entire bit on the black-footed weasel vs. prairie dog from Grassland NM, but short on space. Was glad we went in June before the summer heated up and the motorcycles where out in force.
Big changes at Liberty Mutual. There is a re-org ‘transformation’ affecting thousands, of which Nancy and I have both been affected by. They have thinned the work force with a combination of layoffs and having people reapply for their existing jobs that have been retitled. Nancy has a ‘go forward’ role, I am still searching for mine. A little frustrating to be told the skillsets acquired and performance given over the last 24 years at LM do not fit current opportunities. To lift my spirits, I remembered it was time for my first colonoscopy. Although commonly a dreaded and feared procedure, in comparison to my treatment at LM, I look back on it with almost a soothing sentimental fondness. Helen Keller once said when one door closes, a window opens. So, it may finally be time to decide what I want to do with my life (and take 39 paid weeks to figure it out).
What about Jac? Jac who? All I know is there in someone in Montana who keeps tapping our bank account every couple of months. She a junior at MSU this year, keeping grades in the 3.9 zone, a 2-year boyfriend, AOPi officer, climber, skier, and with a little luck still our daughter and not part of some cult. We get a rare Sasquatch glimpse of her on parent’s weekend, holidays, and when she needs to shop for clothes. This summer she is doing an internship at Boeing so can pay homage to the coast on which she was raised and visit friends and extended family. We haven’t measured her height on the back of the closet door for a couple of years now, so I’m considering her feral and into the wild at this point. I almost expect to see her trail blog on the PCT any time now.
What about Mitch? With the Barry White voice and stride of a circus clown on stilts, he has a learner’s permit and just one big project away from his Eagle Scout. He was on the cross-country team again this year (which is a very personal and rewarding sport, kind of like watching a three-day cricket tournament in the rain). But I’ve never done miles in the five-minute zone so hard not to be proud. Spring he will be back in track, looking at trying the javelin this year. Nice to see him pick up a skill that will be useful in the zombie apocalypse. He also got a role in Beauty and the Beast at school. Add forty hours of video gaming and week, free food, and living in our basement it’s starting to sound like a great life that he might never want leave.
What about Nancy? Nancy started off the year with a week in Cabo. Always a nice place to be in January. Then she followed up her annual Palm Springs trip with a weekend in Walla Walla wine country, which very likely will make its way on the calendar many more times. We did a marathon drive down to CA over spring break to visit Nancy’s father and bring back some sentimental items as John thinned out the family house of many years after the passing of his wife Eleanor in early 2016. Been a long time since I’ve done 1-5 end to end but was good visiting family and friends in the warm Californian sun. Only ran out of gas once. With great sadness, John passed away unexpectedly this fall and Nancy found herself back in CA for several weeks sharing the loss and the celebration of his life with family and starting the long estate settlement process. Next summer we will be spending time with much extended family in both John and Eleanor’s native RI and share final wishes and thoughts as their ashes are scattered at sea.
What about Dave? He still walks and hikes. He strives to fix more than he breaks. He builds some of the coolest stuff you’ll never see (i.e., an electric Swiss Army bicycle). He makes lists, completes them, and makes more. Dave has been the same for fifty years. Most say that is his problem.
