“The Reason for the Season”* - 2023

Thoughts-n-prayers again go out to you & yours during this special time of year. As I write this on the 2nd day of Hanukkah, Winter Solstice is just around the corner (12/21/23 @ 8:37PM MST), followed closely by Christmas and other notable celebrations! May you enjoy them deeply. As for us 2023 has been another adventure in roller-coaster-ing: We’re still here, outside Santa Fe and intend to be for most of the next year. We had some short trips, w/ annual visit back to Pacific Bch./San Diego; Phil also made it to gettogether functions in Burbank (McCambridge Park Boys and the Nov. Senior Bulldog Luncheon - no, it had nothing to do with the old family kennel). http://travelranger87508.blogspot.com/2023/11/my-hometown.html and http://travelranger87508.blogspot.com/2023/11/goin-back-memories-from-home.html Phil also sojourned to Belize to join the UT-Austin (& Humboldt) Archaeological Field School. Some new friends, and you can read more about that here: http://travelranger87508.blogspot.com/2023/11/goin-back-memories-from-home.html

By far our biggest trip of the year was to be Bali & Raja Ampat (east Indonesia coral reefs), BUT less than 2-weeks before embarkation the biliary duct infections came back in a big way, slamming our plans to the realm of almost. The medical team counseled me to stay close to “western medical intervention” or else consequences could be very dire. Medical conditions continue to challenge me, but this is neither the time nor place for that. We continue on one-dayat- a-time, confidently hoping the next day is better…WORLDWIDE! Meme kept quite busy with my myriad of health & life issues (“I don’t know what I’d do without her”). She also continued rock-climbing and studying Spanish. She acquired a cold plunge unit: keeps the water ca. 38F. I’ve gotten in to my mid-thigh a couple of times, but the peripheral neuropathy in the feet goes into overdrive.

Justin continues working as an attorney for the State (NM) Public Defender: now with a Probation Violation unit. Good works & two-thumbs-up here! He keeps active with a stationery bicycle, doing yoga, and keeping up on movies. I still manage to get out for some SiteWatch steward work on BLM (no, the original one: Bureau of Land Management) and Santa Fe County Open Space lands. The La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs (BLM, outside town) were hit with some vile vandalism early in the year: the community was enraged. SiteWatch has a long history at the site, including with the removal of graffiti. A reward of $10k is till unclaimed = if you know who did it, it could be a very Merry Christmas for you.

Translucent obsidian (Maya site, present day Belize)

*-Historically that’d be the returning of light (in the northern hemispheres: Colonialism Lives! On)