San Antonio - June 2013

Dale Chihuly's "Fiesta Tower" at the San Antonio Central Library

Born and raised in San Antonio, I left after graduating high school, first for college in Houston, then for grad school in Los Angeles, where I still live today.

I've been visiting family and friends in San Antonio two or three times a year ever since I left, more than 40 years ago. But after my mother's death last year, I hadn't been there again in more than a year, the longest time I had been away from San Antonio in my entire life.

The unveiling of my mother's tombstone took me there this past week. Given the occasion, I of course saw many members of my family. I also saw several friends who live there. But none of my family now lives in San Antonio, so I'm not sure how often I'll be returning in the future.

A few more photos from this trip are here. (Each has a caption and a location map.)

Amend to fix (some of) the Senate's problems

The Los Angeles Times printed this letter from me today:

Let's go a step further: I suggest that we amend the Constitution's advise and consent clause.

The Senate's confirmation power should be changed to a veto power: Every presidential appointment (including judicial) becomes effective unless the Senate, by majority vote, vetoes it within, say, 100 days.

The Times either didn't notice or doesn't care that they printed practically the same letter from me thirteen years ago!

Maryland (May 2013)

Ben and Anita

I went to Havre de Grace, Maryland for my nephew Ben's wedding. Here are more wedding photos. Each photo has a caption and a location map.

Gunpowder Falls State Park

Of course, I spent my extra days exploring the area, particularly hiking in parks. A handful of photos were lost due to my failing camera batteries, but here are the rest. Again, each photo has a caption and a location map.

North Carolina, April 2013

Liz and Jed, plus Cherie, the mother of the bride

I went to the Research Triangle region of North Carolina for my niece Liz's wedding. Because I had never been there before, I spent several extra days. As usual for me, I explored college campuses, visited bookstores, and hiked in parks:

Duke Gardens

Here are more photos, of both the wedding and some of my walks, especially Duke Gardens at Duke University. Each photo has a caption and a location map.

I was a bit surprised to see rainbow flags in more than one or two locations at Duke, including in the frat area. I was also pleased to see several "No on 1" signs still around, nearly a year after voters approved that anti-gay-marriage amendment.

"Repelled, held by the Church" (March, 2013)

I sent the following letter to the Los Angeles Times (not published).

Gale Holland ("Repelled, held by the Church", March 1, 2013) asks herself why she remains a Catholic. She implies, but avoids confronting the biggest answer: brainwashing since birth. Religion drilled into children amounts to one more type of child abuse.

My broken fibula

My broken fibula

During our tour of Chiapas, while in San Cristobal, I had a touch of diarrhea. One night, in a strange hotel room, where it was too cold, and where I didn't turn on any light because I didn't want to wake Victor, I got up to go to the bathroom, and apparently fell down.

The next thing I remember is coming to in the hospital hours later! According to Victor, I was non-responsive after I fell. I don't know if I was knocked out from the fall or from pain, or just went back to sleep, or what. With help from the hotel staff, Victor called an ambulance and got me to a hospital.

The hospital said I had no apparent head injury, but my blood tests showed a bit of salmonella, which probably explains the diarrhea.

I felt fine except for a sore lower right leg. (Since I had been out nearly the whole time, no one even knew my leg hurt, and the hospital never looked at it.) Victor said that my leg was in a very awkward position when he found me. I found that I could stand and walk. I figured it was some sort of sprain.

For the remaining days in Chiapas and then back in Yucatán, I couldn't walk more than ten minutes without stopping to sit down and massaging my shin. After holding up our tour group that way one day, I gave up most walking for the rest of the time in Chiapas.

Back in L.A., whenever it was warm enough, I tried to return to a reduced version of my exercise walks. My leg started to feel a bit better, but a week later, I was concerned because it was still damn sore. I decided to get it looked at, and found that I had broken my fibula! I haven't had a broken bone since I broke my collarbone when I was a toddler. (Hmmm. That was (apparently) also falling out of bed. Maybe I should never leave my bed!)

The radiologist who looked at the X-rays (the image above) wrote, "There is some periosteal suggesting healing." The orthopedic surgeon said that because of the healing that was underway and since I had been walking for two weeks since the injury, I didn't need crutches or a cast (whew!). He said I should stop whenever I felt pain, and we made a follow-up appointment in six weeks. That was this past week, and new X-rays showed more new bone growth, and the doctor said I was doing fine and didn't need to come in again.

I'm pretty much back to normal now, including my hiking. And just in time for warmer weather, too.

Chiapas, Jan. 2013

Victor and Rodney trying on traditional native clothes in Zinacantan.

Sumidero Canyon

Victor and I spent a week in Chiapas. (More photos here.) Most of this was a tour that included Sumidero Canyon, San Cristobal, Agua Azul, Palenque, and more. Neither of us had been there before. Other than deep fog one morning that made the lakes nearly invisible, the weather mostly cooperated.

The only real problem was my accident that kept me from seeing much of Palenque!

Yucatán, Winter 2012-2013

Colorful houses in Merida. (More here.)

This winter, I spent 6½ weeks in Mexico with Victor. Of course, he had to work most days, so I was on my own a lot. As last year, I spent the time on the computer, reading, and walking. While walking, I started taking snapshots of some of the colorful houses.

I love staying drier and warmer in Yucatán than in L.A. in December and January. I love exploring the city on foot. I love that Animaya is about a 20-minute walk away. And, of course, I love spending time with Victor.

On Sundays, we would head toward Progreso and visit Victor's family.

We also spent one week in Chiapas.

Popular voting and same-sex marriage (Nov. '12)

I sent the following letter to the Washington Post, hoping that if it was printed, Supreme Court justices would see it (not published):

The statewide approvals of same-sex marriage are a welcome breakthrough, but civil rights should still never be subject to a popular vote.

A childhood memory

Explorer 1

Late one night when I was 7 years old, my father took me out in our front yard. It was a clear night, and we could see lots of stars. He showed me the Big Dipper and the North Star.

Then he paused, found what he had been looking for, and pointed out one "star" that was slowly moving. I wasn't quite sure I saw the right one.

He told me it was America's first satellite (Explorer 1), and he said I should remember the date: January 31, 1958.

I did remember the "January 31" but I forgot the year until I looked it up much later.

I'm sorry my dad didn't live to see me working at JPL! Today would have been his 87^th birthday.