In fond memory

My dad would have celebrated his 101st birthday today. (He married late in life and was 40 years old when I was born). He loved being in nature and he loved to walk, so I decided to honor him by taking a beautiful hike in the Chiricahua National Monument on the other side of our valley. (See Dan's web site for some beautiful photos).

My dad was a quiet, understated, man who loved simple things in life, with everything in moderation. He once told me that having a glass of port after dinner while listening to some Haydn string quartets and sitting in the sun at 30,000 feet, was certainly one of life's great pleasures.

He would have enjoyed the hike to the Natural Bridge: unequalled scenery, varying between hillside and valley walking, and not another soul on the trail. He might have grumbled a little at the elevation changes: after all, he was a flat lander.

We had a little picnic afterwards at Masai Point. This on the shortest day of the year, December 21. I miss you, Pap.