What a Year
Merry Christmas, Friends!
I used to send Christmas cards to my friends and family. I enjoyed that that ritual. I also used to weigh 154 pounds and be a good runner. Things change. 🤣 Over the last decade, I've worked to reduce my own waste, to take less from Earth. (I spend a lot of time thinking about how much we consume.) My intention, long-delayed, has been to create an e-card / letter. This is the first version. And this still wasn't ready by Christmas. Oh, well. It's 2020. We have learned to be flexible.
I used to send Christmas cards to my friends and family. I enjoyed that that ritual. I also used to weigh 154 pounds and be a good runner. Things change. 🤣 Over the last decade, I've worked to reduce my own waste, to take less from Earth. (I spend a lot of time thinking about how much we consume.) My intention, long-delayed, has been to create an e-card / letter. This is the first version. And this still wasn't ready by Christmas. Oh, well. It's 2020. We have learned to be flexible.
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The geology links across the top this page are there because this e-card is piggybacking on the site that I run in teaching geology at Chandler Gilbert Community College. I work and have worked with some really good people and have some inspired and inspiring students. I love this job and feel like we are making a difference in the lives of students and maybe for the planet.
Our spring semester started normally. I was teaching Geological Disasters & the Environment and helping out with the Intro Geology field trips to the Superstitions. By March, we had transitioned to on-line. That was a lot of work, but my students adapted well. I'm proud of them. We will continue with on-line classes through at least this spring. |
Geology field trip to the Superstition Mountains
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My "research project" at CGCC has been approved. We will experiment with the properties of compressed earth blocks (CEBs) with the eventual goal of building a model modernized hogan. This is an odd project, I know, but it will involve a variety of students from geology, the trades, engineering, and students who just want to make a difference. If all works out, we could take this concept to the Navajo reservation near my home town of Winslow, Arizona or to folks in central Arizona. (Here's a video on CEBs by Jim Hallock with whom I have corresponded.) that explains CEBs I'm also about to experiment with wood-chip blocks (That video is by my comrade, Igor. ;) ) that should fit like legos, perhaps combining that method with 'foamcrete' and using a slipform method of construction. When we meet on campus again, I should have some results that will speed the process. |
Oh, yeaaaah! Gotta love Craig's List.
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I just went though my pictures from the last year. Whoa! Not much happened. Or I accidentally deleted a lot of images. (True.) A letter like this normally would include images from Shenzhen or Shanghai where since 2015 I have been teaching hands-on science to the cutest little kids. I really enjoy this work, though the little kids can be a challenge. Staying in AZ this summer made some folks happy. I still miss my friends in China and reflect every day on how lucky I am to do teach there and to explore. Along with living in Samoa, in Greece, and working on the volcano in Hawaii, this work in China has been a highlight of my life. I love the culture, the people, and the adventure. Hopefully, with vaccines coming, I can return to China this summer. This may be optimistic.
I'm getting a LOT of sleep. I can afford to sleep a bit more as I'm saving lots of time by not shaving. :)
Yeti the mountain bike and I are getting out a lot. For a long while, we would bike up the wash behind my house to some nearby mountains, but lately I've been loading Yeti on the Chevy Bolt EV (charged largely from my solar panels) and wandering. This is a good time to meet critters and get some good geology pictures for class. I can't imagine what it would be like to live in an apartment in a big city and not be able to get out. I'm really fortunate. Thanks, Mom. You made this possible.
Yeti the mountain bike and I are getting out a lot. For a long while, we would bike up the wash behind my house to some nearby mountains, but lately I've been loading Yeti on the Chevy Bolt EV (charged largely from my solar panels) and wandering. This is a good time to meet critters and get some good geology pictures for class. I can't imagine what it would be like to live in an apartment in a big city and not be able to get out. I'm really fortunate. Thanks, Mom. You made this possible.
A jenny and her colt above Lake Pleasant.
Bolty enjoys the view while I'm out biking in Sedona
A rare Sonoran toad. No, I did not lick it.
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Hills up the wash from my house.
Yeti below Brown's Mountain near my house.
Scorpion family.
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Beautiful day biking in Sedona.
So cute!
Stink bug revival observed during a night ride.
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We often suffer more often in imagination that reality. - Seneca
The above is one of my favorite quotes and is a lesson I keep learning. (Slow learner.) But I'm not sure that this quote applies to 2020 as our year really was filled with a lot of suffering, suffering that at least in part did not have to be. I'm looking forward to a new administration that will listen to science, to leadership that cares more about the people than appearances. I am looking forward to progress on climate change and energy. Renewable energy is the biggest wealth-creation opportunity in years. We as a country can make progress, provide meaningful employment, clean our air, water and soils, provide a healthier world for our children, and really make America great. We can be leaders again. Addressing these scientific challenges honestly will benefit our economy and all of our society.
See all that stuff? It used to be money. All that money? It used to be time.
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The pandemic has had some good outcomes. I'm cooking more and getting haircuts at home. I've had a lot of time to declutter. Thanks to selling my unwanted stuff on Craig's List & eBay, I'm now a millionaire! The back yard is neater, looking slightly less like the yard of a Winslow Baptist who stores stuff like his father, thinking, "I may need that someday." Having empty drawers and closets feels good. Ooh, one of my favorite Audible books on this topic is Goodbye, Things. I'm doing a lot of reading, starting with the classics. -> The down time has allowed me to pick up the guitar again, too. I'm getting almost decent at the 12 songs I know. |
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The at-home time is great for learning to do things I've always wanted since the Mother Earth News subscription days.
Making fermented sauerkraut is really easy and the result is really good for the digestive tract. I'm still learning.
Making fermented sauerkraut is really easy and the result is really good for the digestive tract. I'm still learning.
Throughout the year, I've still had a chance to meet with friends and loved ones. Life is good and 2021 will be better.
A long lunch with Jon and Jennifer. Thanks, guys!
Biking with Paul. Bolty T. EV is chatting with the Tesla.
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In the McDowells with Jeffy G. and his electrocycle.
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Pizza with Victor, pre-COVID. Always fun.
With a lot of light, I can bike all night. :)
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That's enough.
Thanks to all of you for your friendship. Life is full because of you. Let's make 2021 better together.
Fondly,
Jeff
Thanks to all of you for your friendship. Life is full because of you. Let's make 2021 better together.
Fondly,
Jeff
* At last,