leftovers

Even though a lot of terrible things happened to a lot of people this year, I personally can't complain too much as I had a good year despite some major heartbreaks. The loss of my aunt Mary, and my collaborator Amy Crosby, were both extremely sad moments this past year. My hometown of Paradise, Kansas, suffered terrible floods in the spring, and then just a couple of weeks ago, catastrophic wildfires that destroyed many peoples' homes and livelihood. My ancestral home, the Stielow/Strecker farmstead, was one of the places decimated by fire. We had just all visited it following the celebration of life for my aunt Mary back in July. Having said all that, I had many great moments this year, if things were different due to the continuing pandemic. I got to spend time with my parents, niece and nephew several times throughout the year, including a great Thanksgiving trip together to Newport Coast. I was able to make it to the 4th annual Paradise Fall Festival to see my uncle Ronnie