It was a year of loss and gain. Wars and terrorism continue to plague mostly innocent civilians, including a horrendous Christmas market attack in Europe, and, only 3 hours into the new year, another similar one in New Orleans. One of the biggest losses for the world in general is probably seeing Trump 6 days from the White House, winning the US election and leaving much of the civilized world aghast at what is to come. There is no doubt that 2025 will be an interesting year, if more than a bit depressing. It will be another year of horrible climate news, as lives and property continue to take a beating from nature's warnings that we seem not to heed. Though there are few complaints here at the Homestead, places we love and care about are suffering badly. The UK really took a series of hits from the climate this year, as did the US, Spain, South America, and many other locations. California had record fires yet again, and the year turned out to be the world's warmest on record. What is Trump's answer to all this? Drill baby, drill. Pump even more oil out of the ground and send it into the atmosphere. Many times I am glad to be an old duffer; sitting around and watching the planet die will not occupy me for too many more years, at least.
Between Deb and I we lost 3 family members this year. My dad passed away in March, Deb's sister during the summer, and a well-like uncle, my mother's brother, died this autumn. I have one remaining aunt, and my mother and brother surviving me (and two lovely nieces). Deb has one older sister still chugging along. And while my overall health has been okay and I continue to stay fit, my bout with kidney stones really knocked me for a loop. Hope that never happens again. And Deb's health has hit a few bumps in the road as well. Most telling is her inability to hike up mountains, due to some mystery condition yet to be determined.
But we continued to travel! After six long years we finally returned to New Mexico, and enjoyed one fine hike in the Manzano Mountains. More visits are in the planning stages. We undertook two road trips (not counting two trips to Sudbury), one in the deep south and one in the west. Our first trip to New Orleans saw us visit four new states together, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. We hit the state highpoint in those states, as well as visited some major archaeological sights. In addition we had time to hit some New Orleans attractions. We flew to New Orleans and rented a car, thus creating a road trip as well as a visit to a major new city. Our western trip saw us conclude a trip began in 2023. We had to abort that trip when Deb took a bad fall in Oklahoma, with an already broken wrist. But 2024 allowed us to complete the journey, which saw the Texas highpoint also summited. Our return to New Mexico was taken as a good omen.
Aside from returning to New Mexico again in 2025, we hope to get back to London UK and Vienna at least one more time in the near future, and possibly undertake a visit to a major new (for us) European city, such as Berlin. We have access to direct flights from Detroit to several seductive sounding cities as well.
Meanwhile there are two movies to mention, both of them SF. The Quatermass Experiment is a 2005 tv bit of flotsam from the UK that should never have been made. Why follow a 1950s SF story so closely in 2005? The story of Britain's first manned mission to outer space makes no sense today. We've been there for nearly 70 years now, and this creaky rehash of a strange life form overtaking the mission and causing havoc on board and back home, works only as a 1950s story. If it's supposed to be the 1950s, then we were fooled. Quatermass stories are a favourite of mine, and I much rather would have had a new story rather than this dated rehash. David Tenant and Adrian Dunbar do there best, but the actor that plays Quatermass (Jason Flemyng) is flat and hardly credible as the great man. Probably best avoided.
Turning to Arrival, from 2016, we come across a major SF film that had somehow escaped our view until now. It is showing on Paramount, to which we recently subscribed. This, my friends, is one of the top first contact movies ever made, and is possibly the best one. When 12 gigantic starships land on Earth at different locations, the world is turned upside down. Directed by Denis Villenueve from a story by Ted Chiang, this one pushed all the right buttons for great SF viewing. Louis Banks is played by Amy Adams, a linguist tasked by the US military to communicate with the giant and mysterious heptapods. While I have read better novels of first contact throughout my Avon/Equinox SF Rediscovery series, it is hard to find a better film on the subject. Watch as Louise learns how to deal with the present by learning an alien language that allows her to see into her future actions. A totally remarkable and unmissable film, and worth more than a single viewing.
Wishing anyone who stops by here a very prosperous and Happy 2025! Good luck with that--I think you will need it.
Mapman Mike
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