I know
you're not fooled. The title says "December 31, 2019" - right
- but I'm starting this at 12:05 p.m., January 31, 2020. At least it's
still only January. See last year's letter regarding time-inflation.
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VISITS
We
indulged in more than the usual visits to and from our beloved
friends and family, and bask in the warmth of loving and being loved.
A visitor in February...
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...warming in the sun
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EVENTS
We
attended Diane's 50th High School reunion in September, and celebrated
our 25th wedding anniversary October 15th.
Probably
the biggest (non) event of the year: a
certain trademark dispute was settled on July 15. That date, along with
March 1, 2016, are set in history as the period in which The Ahwahnee,
Curry Village, Badger Pass, and the Wawona Hotel lived incognito as,
respectively, The Majestic Yosemite, Half Dome Village, Yosemite Ski
& Snowboard Area, and Big Trees Lodge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_National_Park_trademarks_dispute
August 2, 2019: Tom's photo of the dismantled "Big Trees
Lodge" sign that covered the front of the Wawona Hotel for over
three years, along with the store sign and the one that hung by the
driveway entrance to the hotel complex. The signs were sitting in the
manager's office, awaiting transport to the Yosemite Museum and
Archives.
A
promotional video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f40mH2iAFGs
- with Tom was taped in December, 2018, when we were still using the
phony-baloney name "Big Trees Lodge" instead of the correct
"Wawona Hotel." Tom suggested at the time that they not use
the fake name in the video, in case things got settled before Christmas.
Also Tom's in a podcast about Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and music
in Yosemite: https://www.everybodysnationalparks.com/ENP-19-3-Yosemite-John-Muir-and-Theodore-Roosevelt-Camping-Trip
and introduced his first (and probably last) cowboy song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF_8us9QNlE
"Tom & Diane" 2019 sculpture by Diane
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TRAVELS
In
June we drove to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
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Swallow
perched on a barn, Grand Tetons behind
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Diane keeping a safe distance in Yellowstone
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NATURAL
DISASTERS
2019
brought no activity to us in this category. You may have noticed
that we began using these subheadings in last year's letter, and
will probably continue to do so. At this writing, we're having a
warm, dry-ish winter, so we'll have our emergency evacuation stuff
at the ready...
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Old
Faithful Inn |
PASSINGS
May
14th we lost our friend, Marylyn Coons, who was always beyond kind to us
- we remember her fondly.
May
18th marked 40 years since the passing of Tom's boyhood friend and
neighbor Jeff Drinkard, 19, from a climbing accident in Yosemite.
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LIFE
IN THE MOUNTAINS
We
continued to sculpt our yard to make best use of rain
runoff. This was temporarily curtailed when a large,
drought-weakened beetle-infested ponderosa pine died and was cut
into large sections that took up the western edge of our property
until removed in autumn. Hopefully our efforts to encourage rain
and snowmelt to soak into the ground will nourish the remaining
trees.
The
rest of the garden is doing well, though it remains to be seen
(this spring) what all the ground squirrels have consumed.
We
wish all a comfortable, happy and safe 2020.
Love,
Tom
& Diane
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Dinner
with our niece, Emma
Diane
at Roosevelt Lodge, Yellowstone, admiring Yosemite Falls
Beartooth
Highway. We stayed in the car, mostly
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