It was on Friday the thirteenth of September some eleven years ago that Chrystal and I stood up in front of friends and family to affirm our love and intentions. The ceremony was everything we’d hoped, as was the receptions – one on this coast, one on the other coast – and the honeymoon in Ireland was fantastic, something both of us will remember forever.

ARRL’s Field Day is the largest ham radio event of the year. While strictly speaking it is not a contest, I decided this year to participate as an individual and set myself some goals – which I reached!

Herein lies some thoughts and introspection now that I am finally playing with a full deck. ♦️ ♣️ ♥️ ♠️

Last April I got another phone call from my older sister about a parent passing away. This time it was my dad, and the phone call was the only similarity between this and my mom’s situation.

Two weeks ago, I got a call I’d been dreading since, well, the last time I made a blog post here. It was my sister, telling me that my mother had passed away.