The HP's Year in Review

The HP with (from left) Clover, Romain,
Forrest, Sarah, Scott, Jeff, Steve and Henry

Greetings and happy new year from California! The Hermit Philosopher's year can be summarized in three words: busy with travel. It included about 30,000 airline miles visiting NYC, Lancaster County (PA), Atlanta, and Indiana, plus twice each to St. Louis, Portland and San Jose. Some highlights follow.

The Indiana trip was for a 50th (egad!) reunion at DePauw University. The heat, humidity and gnats of those few days in June reminded me why I'm glad I don't live in Indiana any more. 

Jeff, Steve and Henry

In NYC Henry and his grandpa had some bonding time while Steve and Jeff took in the Harry Potter show on Broadway. That's a seven-hour, two-part extravaganza with a break for dinner. We stayed in a hotel just a block from Times Square and attended the "Gazillion Bubble Show" where Henry thrilled the audience as the newest "bubble boy." 

Henry bubbling with joy

After leaving the Big Apple, we joined my sisters and their families in Pennsylvania Dutch country. That’s where our ancestors  landed in the mid-1700s and one of the few places I go where people don’t always have to ask how to spell my name. 

The first St. Louis trip was fun: attending the PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club. The second was more somber: a memorial service for Sue, who succumbed to Parkinson’s Disease in August. She had been my friend since college and an exceptionally kind and loving mother and grandmother. She is missed by family and friends alike.

The HP taught health law again in the Executive MBA Program at Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage. That gig required five separate 3-hour treks over the mountains and through the deert to the Palms Springs area, staying at least one night on each occasion. The students were working professionals (MDs, RNs, and hospital execs), so they brought real-life experience to the classroom and made teaching a great pleasure. I won’t be doing it again, however: I’ve passed it on to a fellow health lawyer who lives less than an hour from the hospital instead of 150 miles away as I do.

When I’m not traveling, I’m either playing bridge, working on the 9^th edition of my textbook (MS due June 30), or simply enjoying life in America’s Finest City. If you're in the area, do let me know. Though not as big as the house my ancestor built 220 years ago, I do have room for one or two guests. 

All the best for 2019 and beyond!

The Showalter manor house, built 1799

Desert sunrise near Palm Springs, CA