2022 Christmas Letter

 

My mom, my hero!

I’ll admit I had not taken the whole thing very seriously. But standing atop the 70-foot concrete wall, looking down at the makeshift dock that was floating in the old port of Montreal with 50 bobbing bathing caps about to launch into the port waters, there was a part of me that feared for my wife’s safety. In a pandemic silver lining, there were spaces available for “volunteer athletes” in the Triathlon World Championships on the Canadian National Team and Carolyn and her sister Jenn had managed to snag two spots. For a glorious weekend in June, we all got to support them as they competed alongside the best triathletes in the world. No more pandemic stupor, the event was back on, the gun went off and there were high fives all around at the finish line. 2022 was the year we took a post-pandemic laxative and got on with it.

Carolyn was not the only one to take the plunge this year, Maggie and David were married in October. I am sure that you saw the engagement video in your Tik Tok feed at some point.  In the gamified world they have now gotten to Level 3: meet, engage, marry. They earn a badge and get showered with gifts. The event was a joy, but the unvarnished Dazed Dad take on it is,” wow that was a lot of work for a lot of people” (mainly not me). Something more akin to a barn-raising rather than just a barn wedding

The literal moving this year was done by Hannah. Now that real school was back in session, she moved to Boston get a graduate degree at Tufts. Prior to that, the University was paying her in her job as a Lab Manager at UofT…now she is paying the university. Tufts is an archetypal red brick, green lawn private university with everything a budding academic could require. Hannah loves the Child Development program and has a shared house with good roommates. There is really no reason to ever leave that platonic Shangri-La except that after a few years you have to face up to the serious financial implications of your actions.

Driving the 'new car' to Boston

171 College St., Somerville

Carolyn and I spent about 2 months cycle touring. In May we rode north along the Danube from Belgrade and then west through Hungary, Austria and on to Munich. In November we drove to Nashville and rode to Baton Rouge mostly on a linear National Park road that passes through Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. Needless to say, the two rides were vastly different. The first ride is the Old World, the second is the new reality. But in both places, you meet kind and interesting people along what is, at times, a challenging journey. There is still marketing consulting work to be done, we just squeeze it into the times when we are not out riding a bike.

On the Natchez Trace Parkway

The mighty Danube

Now that we are all moving on, we are sad to lose the Zoom cocktails and social hibernation. But we are excited about actually spending time with friends and family this year. In person, in real life. I will still be riding my bike in the metaverse of Zwift during the winter. Too fun to give up.  Apparently, this is the online future of everything (doubtful), along with endless sports betting…or at least endless ads for sports betting! We hope you have short odds on a happy and healthy holiday. See you in the new year. 

"America" - Counting the cars on the Natchez Trace Parkway....(Solby Version)

 With a nod to Simon and Garfunkel

"Let us go touring, we'll tackle the tough climbs together 
We sold our real estate back in TO
So we packed up our thermarests, in search of warm blue skies,
And drove off to look for America. 

"Marc", I said as we crossed with our Nexus in Windsor
“High Park seems like a dream to me now"
It took us six days to cycle to Tupelo
We’ve come to cycle America

Laughing in the tent
Watching games on our cell phones
Kim said the bakery at French Camp worth a stop by
Dave said be careful in Jackson it's really a city 

 
“Toss me a Builders Bar, I think there's one in my tube bag”
"We ate the last an hour ago"
So I looked at the scenery, he read his average speed,
And the sun rose over a cotton field. 

 
"Marc, we're lost”, I said, though he knew I was teasing. 
Waters empty, butt's aching and I do know why 
Counting the cars on the Natchez Trace Parkway 
They've all come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America

https://youtu.be/Eo2ZsAOlvEM