Hau'oli Makahiki Hou! Happy New Year!

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou! Happy New Year! I hope this letter finds you in good health, spirits, and living a life you love. Retirement year-2 has been full of travel and fun. Here is how my year went:

A NY Times article enticed. I texted sister Gina in the waning days of January, “Would you be interested in an Amsterdam rendezvous?” That led to a 10-day, spring excursion to Amsterdam and London. Amsterdam RIJKS Museum held a Vermeer (one Dutch Master) exhibit: 28 of the known 36 paintings. 450,000 tickets sold out worldwide, in 4 days. We also toured the Van Gogh museum, discovered creamy eggs (YUM), visited the Hague to see The Girl with the Pearl Earring (who had already returned home from the RIJKS), admired the works of numerous Dutch Masters, hunted down a Dutch Baby (which is, as we discovered, not Dutch but German), ate Dutch pancakes (like a humongous crêpe - served sweet or savory), and walked, and walked, and walked. We arrived in London nearly 2-weeks prior to the King’s coronation and stayed near the Paddington station and Kensington Palace. Eating fish and chips at a local pub on our first night, we then vowed to eat international cuisine for all subsequent meals. What an adventure - and such ono grinds (good food)! BIL Michael and I were London neophytes so we played tourist: British Museum (I got totally waylaid in the Polynesian halls by Hoa Hakananai-a Moai stone figure from Rapa Nui and by Capt. Cook artifacts from Hawaii), London Tower and Bridge, the Shard, etc. We also visited the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, which is ground zero for Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

I made two trips to Oahu. My first trip coincided with the visit of niece Lael and her family. They are all active and beautiful. The triplets will turn six and Alanna, eight, in 2024. I camped in Yosemite five different weeks. Two were volunteer weeks, one doing trail maintenance on an obscure trail between Tioga Pass Rd and the Hetch Hetchty reservoir. I climbed to Sierra Point, an old trail closed by rockfall in the 70’s. It’s a steep 1/2 mile and the real task is in sniffing out the old trail after crossing a boulder field. But the view… 5 waterfalls from a single perch: Vernal, Nevada, Illilouette, Yosemite, and Little Yosemite falls. It was worth all the effort and every scrape. I was also in the park twice with the Chinese Pilgrimage, a program that honors the work of the Chinese in literally building Yosemite NP.

I began hiking with two new groups. The German Hiking Club was started over 40-years ago in Grass Valley, about 90-minutes north of me. They hike in areas completely unfamiliar to me and that is attractive. I am also learning to guide hikes in the Sutter Buttes (Histum Yani or Middle Mountain to the native peoples). That has me hiking in the mountains twice a week or more - and that makes me happy. To that end, I walk 5-6 miles on most days. When I’m training for something, I add ankle weights and a weighted backpack (a not-so-new activity newly named “rucking”).

My ukulele band, renamed Ka Pili (the Connection), is refocusing our sound after our friend and bandmate Malia moved to Fremont, CA. (Lotta tears shed by all ovah dat one). I also continue to perfect my gluten-free baking - just for the heck of it. Los Gatos (the cats): Cali quietly passed at 21 years on Dec 14th. The boys: Koa Manoa and KeaMoku (6yo) - are delightful as ever and grow more affectionate with age. Favorite binges of 2023? Netflix docu-series on The Blue Zones, those 5 global areas that contain an unusual concentration of centenarians. The series looks for commonalities. Best Book: Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia. This book distills the commonalities of the Blue Zone denizens into increasing “healthspan” vs lifespan in suburbia. How do we get there? Can we reap the benefits of a long, healthy life outside of the Blue Zones? How do we replicate their lifestyle in the burbs? This book is fascinating despite being dense with medical jargon. What’s on tap for 2024? Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in late February. I will definitely kick up my weight training, stair running, maybe even hiking in the Sierra w/ankle weights as Day-3 will be 17-miles with vertical elevation gain and loss. Honolulu in March for a family reunion and to commit Aunt Sandra’s ashes to the ocean. Joshua Tree NP with friends in early April for the spring bloom. Mt Fuji in September. It’s a staircase = more stair training. Lots of ukulele rehearsals as Kimi and I get deep into duet-mode. I am thankful for good friends, a wonderful cat-sitter, and good health. Eh - how you? I would love to hear. May you live fully and prosper in 2024. Love and Aloha ~Lorin