December 28, 2016

Happy end of 2016! Since I last wrote, Matt and I have traveled many miles and spent time with many of you. In July, we drove on our great southwest adventure, which took us to Colorado and Santa Fe. While in Colorado, we treated my father and brother to a hot air balloon ride. This is something we have been hoping to do for years, and it was simply marvelous to finally make it happen. We had perfect weather, and, as luck would have it, were given our own balloon (with pilot of course). I couldn’t believe this stroke of good luck. Dad smiled ear to ear the entire trip. The photos, which are posted on my shutterfly site (brookecrowley.shutterfly.com, password = monkey) look like I photoshopped little balloons onto the front range of Colorado. I promise that they were real. For the most part, the trip was perfectly serene and the whole experience was rather surreal. However, our landing was surprisingly involved. We came down quickly, hung on to whatever we could get ahold of, hit the ground roughly, and then spent about 10 seconds tipping, bouncing, and dragging to a stop. Whew! We landed in a large abandoned field filled with thistles. Matt and Scott were good sports and walked through the thistles to help guide the balloon towards the truck and trailer, which were parked near the field entrance. Dad and I got to sit in the balloon…

Matt and I next headed south to New Mexico for a reunion with my labmates from graduate school. It was wonderful to see everybody and to spend a few days exploring Santa Fe. I have not been there since I was quite little. It has not lost its charm. A number of us took a trip out to Ghost Ranch, which was the Georgia O’Keefe’s home for many years and is famous for its Coelophysis dinosaurs. While in town, Matt and I also decided to check out an art experience called “Meow Wolf”, which we had learned about from a friend. I don’t want to give anything away, but if you find yourself in Santa Fe, it is well worth a visit.

In Late September, I attended the 50th Anniversary celebration for the Duke Lemur Center and then continued on to the coast for a few days in the Outer Banks. I haven’t been there since I was little, and it was so special to get to go back. We stayed about 200 feet from the beach in a little bungalow in Nagshead. Our roof-top deck, which lifted us above the dunes, gave us prime views at sunset. We drove South down to Hatteras and North up to Duck, stopping at lighthouses and scenic shorelines along the way. We also verified that my grandparent’s house is still standing. The trees they planted back in the late 70’s are now quite mighty. Evenings on the beach were ideal. The air and water were warm, the sand was soft, and the wildlife was highly amusing. We didn’t see any wild ponies but we did see a lot of other critters. I particularly enjoyed the plovers and the crabs, both of which are excellent scuttlers. Matt and I made nightly pilgrimages out to the Nags Head Pier and I managed to swim in the ocean three of the four days we were there (I was forced to stay out of the water thanks to unforgiving surf and currents). My swimsuit and I continued to be sandy for quite some time after we got back into Cincinnati, but it was worth it. Overall this was a very relaxing trip and I am hopeful that we can visit this area again in the not-too-distant future.

In October and November, we stayed relatively local, but did host a number of visiting friends and family members, including Mamy, who was on his first trip away from Madagascar. Mamy and two other friends spent Halloween with us. I imagine it was quite the cultural experience for him. He took it all in stride, including dressing up in a costume for our party. We also hosted Thanksgiving at our house again. This year we were joined by Matt’s parents and my father and brother. We had a low-key weekend eating a lot of food and playing with Legos and bunnies.

I had a pretty rewarding fall semester. Both of my classes were filled with interested and engaged students, and I enjoyed teaching them very much. Nevertheless, I was also happy when the semester ended at the beginning of December. Matt and I immediately departed for Shanghai, China. We were treated to a very brief but luxurious business trip, complete with a three-day excursion to Hangzhou, a city about two hours southwest of Shanghai that is known for its lovely lake and temples, and Wuzhen, a 1300-year-old water town. Shanghai was more western and far larger than I was expecting. It was humbling to be surrounded by the sounds, smells, and sites that make up this city of 25+ million people. We enjoyed walking through meandering Yu Garden and the old sector of Shanghai. We also enjoyed several evenings along the Bund, which is known for its massive skyscrapers that are adorned with pulsating, colored screens (very impressive and very futuristic). And we enjoyed the food. But I was ready to get out of the city after ~24 hours. Hangzhou was also quite populous, but Matt and I were able to spend a morning walking along the lakeshore, and we also got to go out in a boat for a bit. We also got to visit Lingyin Temple, which is a massive Zen Buddhist complex in the hills to the west of Hangzhou. We only had about half an hour at Lingyin, but I am so glad that we were able to visit. The temple has been used for almost 2000 years, and the spirituality was tangible. It is hard for me to pinpoint my favorite part of the temple, but the hall of 500 golden arhat, or luohan statues stands out as a high point. This is a building filled with 500 statues of enlightened people that are 2-3x the size of a normal human. There are so many of them, all lined up in neat rows just above eye level, and each one is unique. The historic water town of Wuzhen is a charming little walled city full of canals, narrow alleys, and intricately-carved wooden buildings. Think extra charming Chinese Venice that is only traversed by man-powered boats and pedestrians. We had the privilege of spending a night in the town, and Matt and I took advantage of this opportunity to explore all the nooks and crannies both during the day and after dark. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time in this magic place that is stuck in time. These experiences helped satiate my need for walking and nature and helped offset the slightly trapped feeling that I had felt in Shanghai.

We had one final day in Shanghai, and then took an overnight flight back to the US. We spent a couple of days exploring San Francisco (both in rain and in sun) and Santa Cruz by foot, and also got to celebrate our friend’s wedding in the Central Valley. We had a day back in Cincinnati and then headed up to Michigan to spend Christmas with my mother, brother and grandmother. We rented an apartment in downtown Kalamazoo and had a great, low-key holiday filled with food, beer, and games.

Now we’re back to Cincinnati and looking forward to spending time at home. After several weeks of travel, we are ready to buckle down and get back to “normal life”. 2016 has been a year full of adventure, joy, and some sorrow. We are ready to wish it adieu and welcome in the New Year. I hope that you are all enjoying the end of your 2016 as well and that 2017 treats you very well.

Until next year!