The Last Six Months

2020 has been a very long year, and it was August 16 when I had my last blog entry. I started a few times, but never could quite get it together to update friends, family, and anyone else visiting these pages. I have found it an impossible time for making and keeping plans. Three times I was confident enough on returning to the USA that I have booked travel only to have to cancel. As a result, we have been away for coming onto a year now, an unprecedented time. We were scheduled to come home on January 10, 2021, with allowance to include the mandatory two-week quarantine on return to NZ, but that almost certainly is not going to happen now due to the catastrophic COVID-19 situation in CA and the US, certain to have a giant post-holiday surge. Returning now seems especially unwise with several vaccines already being distributed, hopefully in the next 3-6 months. 

COVID-19: Time Magazine's Virus of the Year

Zoom family dinners every Sunday and playing on-line Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing with our two grandkids helps, but as we all know, it is not the same. NZ continues to be the poster-child for pandemic control, and we are staying very vigilant to detect every new case landing on our shores. The numbers remain very low, so testing, tracking, and contact tracing can still work. We can identify each virus genetically to connect cases together one by one. As a result, life here is more normal-seeming than almost anywhere else. There are full sports stadia, concerts, restaurant dining, and domestic tourism. However, the government is stressing that it could all change very quickly, and things won't be "normal" until overseas travel in both directions is restored. The millions of absent tourists and their money are sorely missed. I will described some of our travel and other activities in our lives here further on, but first I need to write the next three paragraphs about what has been occupying so much of my mind and spirit.

My personal lowest point came on September 18, 2020 and the days following Ruth Bader Ginsberg's death. There was never a doubt that the Republicans would renege on their stance not to replace a Supreme Court Justice in an election year. Trump made it very clear what his path to retaining power would be. He fertilized that ground with constant claims that the election would be rigged against him and that mail-in ballots in Blue states would be illegitimate. Even if he didn't win the general election or the Electoral College, he could count on AJ Barr to carry the torch for his multiple lawsuits and eventually get a case to the Supreme Court where the conservative majority would clearly do him right. He said "I need the Supreme Court to count the ballots".

It turned out that by Trump and Barr constantly warning of voter fraud, the officials from both parties were alerted to be extra careful, resulting in the least fraudulent election possible. If any reasonable person had any doubt about his total unfitness for the job, Trump's behavior since the election has sealed the deal. His arguments for cancelling millions of votes against him are patently absurd. Unfortunately, if they had any plausible explanations (a plot by long-dead Venezuelan dictator? Really??), he very well could have had Barr and the Supremes carry out the master plan. Meanwhile, unprecedented death and destruction sweep through the nation with his lack of empathy and leadership underscored, while he continues to host virus-spreading events.

Things are still a giant mess. 74 million people voted for another four years of this, many of whom continue to believe his lies. Worse, a majority of House and Senate Republicans are going along with this nonsense. While Trump will be vacating the White House by January 20, 2021, he and his co-conspirators are busy salting the wells to make a gargantuan task of righting the country even more difficult. Even in the best of times, recovering from what will be over 1/2 million COVID deaths and the ongoing economic recovery will be a huge challenge. By hypnotizing millions of Americans to think the election was fraudulent and continuing to divide instead of uniting us, Mitch McConnell can be expected to maximize his attempts to prevent Biden from succeeding, the country be damned. And based on the Republican perpetuated "voter lack of confidence in elections", they are already plotting to be sure people that they think will not vote for them will have a much harder time. Why should anyone have to wait hours to exercise their right to vote?

Thus ends my soapbox (for now). Now on to the rest. Topics to be covered include (in order):

1. Some domestic travels;
2. Local South Canterbury events including the NZ National Pub Quiz Championships 2020, and
3. Reflections on upcoming milestones.
   

Travel around New Zealand

October

In October we retraced a classic South Island touring loop around the heart of the Southern Alps, from the east side to the West Coast, albeit a bit more leisurely than before. It started with local South Canterbury faves, Lake Tekapo and Aoraki/Mt. Cook, places familiar to any regular blog-followers. We had time to take in new walks and views of these familiar places.

Lake Tekapo from further around the west side

A peek at the peak of Aoraki

View of Mueller Glacier and Lake at Kea Point

Continuing south to Wanaka to enjoy some local food truck cuisine...

..and some local fauna.

Then we headed accross the mountains to the West Coast. A popular place to stretch your legs is at The Blues Pools on the Makarora River. It is a quiet place to relax or take a dip if you brought your togs.

The crossing of the Haast Pass takes you to the West Coast where this monument commemorates the completion of the road in 1965 making it the third trans-alpine option.

Unlike our previous west coast visits, the weather was mostly sunny and clear, so we could finally enjoy the sights.

There are two major glaciers coming off the west side of the Aoraki/Mt. Cook complex: Fox to the south and Franz Josef a bit further north. The whole area was designated a World Heritage Area Te Wahipounamu in 1990. If you are interested in glaciers, see them while you can as they have significantly receded since we first visited in 2010.

Two nights in the tiny village of Fox Glacier was a highlight. In addition to walks to view the glacier and through the rainforest, we were directed to a brand new and surprisingly good restaurant, Betsey Jane Eatery and Bar. 

Trail through the rainforest

A Koru- Unfurling fern frond

Fox Glacier in the afternoon

Another perspective of Fox the next morning

A short drive and hike from the village you will find Lake Matheson and on a clear day be rewarded at the aptly named lookout, The View of Views. It was worth getting up at dawn to capture on of the iconic vistas in NZ.

On a somber note, New Zealand is a land of adventure tourism, and on September 4, 2010 a skydiving expedition from here crashed shortly after take off killing all nine aboard. This is a small local tribute to those who perished.

In the ten years we have had New Zealand as a second home, the people have been through many tragedies, from earthquakes to crashes, to mine explosions to terrorist attacks. We have shared some of that grief with the Kiwis, and are reminded how precious and fragile life can be.

Continuing with the lighter portion of the blog, Franz Josef Glacier was also welcoming to visitors.

The glacier in 1908

Trail to Franz Josef

On to Hokitika, a charming town for artists, tourists, and food (they host an annual Wildfoods Festival in March)..

A bit east of town you can walk through part of the Hokitika Gorge.

A panorama of the Gorge and the milky blue glacial water of the Hokitika River

November

The first part of the month it was back to work for a while with a buildup to two major events at the end of the month. First was Thanksgiving. Friends and colleagues celebrate with a traditional potluck on Saturday November 28th at the Slagle's new house overlooking the ocean. As with most people brave enough to custom-build their own home, this was a labor of love with every detail from the eco-friendly design to the high-tech features to the natural color palette pains-takingly selected. It also took a great deal of patience and perhaps more money than originally planned. The results are truly unique and lovely.

Not the best photo, but you get the idea.

My contribution: pumpkin and pecan pies

The very next day was one for which we had long prepared: the defense of our 2019 NZ National Pub Quiz crown. We were shocked to win last year (for nostalgia, see this article) and with Team URAMIT (Timaru spelled backwards) were keen to prove it was not a fluke. Of course, being 2020 and all, major adjustments to the format were needed. Instead of one mass gathering in Auckland, this year the event would be simulcast to multiple pubs around the country. There were 81 total teams with eight per team spread over five venues. We assembled in Christchurch, eager but not overconfident. It was a difficult quiz, but I am proud to say we rallied at the end and finished up on the virtual podium with a third place bronze. Next year???

URAMIT at the start of the quiz with the trophy (graciously ceded to the 2020 Champs)

The final leader board

The Facebook announcement from Believe It or Not crew

December

Timaru traditionally has a lot of events packed into the holiday season, this year being no exception. Not being a tourist mecca has the advantage that attendance at local activities go on almost as usual. Hopefully my sharing these holiday happenings will cheer my US readers who can't participate now in similar things.

Soap Box Derby (actually on November 15)

Timaru Festival of Roses (December 4-6) in Caroline Bay

Wearable flower-inspired frocks by Jenny Gillies

Timaru Santa Parade (December 6) I always love a parade hearkening back to my Dixon HS band days.

 

Festive Christmas lights

In countries in the Commonwealth, the Annual Christmas Quiz at the hospital in place of the weekly Medical Grand Rounds is a tradition. I presented one for the third time. It is meant to be fun and educational (or at least bizarrely interesting), but since I am drawn to things that are news to me, frankly a bit (too?) hard.

The crowd with a medical student clearly enjoying the experience

Here is a brief sample (answers at the end of the post), but I will not torture you with it all (unless you specifically request it).  

The biggest and oldest Timaru holiday tradition is yet to come: The110th Caroline Bay Carnival December 26-January 10.

And finally, I have excitedly been reading of the Great Conjunction when the planets Jupiter and Saturn nearly "merge" on December 21. Unfortunately that night was cloudy, but on December 16 I looked out my back door and photographed the two planets. When I down loaded it I was amazed to clearly see four moons in a line around Jupiter pointing to Saturn. Maybe you can even imagine a slight oblong "bump" around Saturn at about a 5' angle as the rings? Pretty cool!

Jupiter (LLQ) with four tiny moons pointing toward Saturn (RUQ)

Reflections on Upcoming Milestones

Also very much on my mind are two major events, which are connected. First,  I will turn 70 in January. I wasn't in my consciousness until a few months ago a colleague said "What are you doing for your birthday? It is a BIG one." It got me to thinking, yeah, that's right. I'm not sure how you are to feel entering your 8th decade of life, but like it or not it is milestone. I decided I would take my closest friends here out to dinner, and let Fayne arrange her dream cake. So that will happen. I also had plans to get back to the States and celebrate with friends and family, but that won't happen except virtually via Zoom. Such are our times.

This leads to the second item. I will be resigning from my permanent Medical Staff position here in Timaru as of June 30, 2021. It is a decision I have pondered over the last few years. When is the right time? I still feel competent and valuable in my work, but I don't want to find someone tapping on my shoulder suggesting it is time to move on. In sports they say it is best to trade a player a year too soon rather than a year too late. The legendary physician William Osler once said physicians should stop practicing at age 60. Even the best doctor will have cases "go to custard" as they say here. When that happens, I don't want to be haunted by the idea that only if I had been sharper, more attentive, on the top of my game, things would have turned out better.

I still very much enjoy my work with the students, young doctors, and colleagues, and especially the patients. I really cherish my interactions with them. But truthfully, more and more aspects of the job I have less and less patience for: meetings, office politics, finances, 72 hour weekend call. I won't miss them. I also know it is important for Timaru Hospital to recruit some younger talent, hopefully to carry on for decades to come.

To be clear, my concept is not to retire but to resign my contractual obligations. I hope to still work as a physician for the foreseeable future as a locums here in Timaru and maybe elsewhere in New Zealand. That will give me more freedom to spend longer in the US and to travel when that is once again wise. So we'll see how it works. I will miss many things terribly, some I don't even anticipate. It was a very difficult decision, but it feels right for now.

Last but not least, Merry Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus/Holidays to all of you, and sincere hopes for a brighter 2021!

Our Timaru Christmas Yucca

Answers to Holidays Around the World:

1. B Czech Republic
2. G Wales
3. E Mexico
4. J South Africa
5. A Germany
6. I Isle of Man
7. C France
8. D Peru
9. F Slovakia
10. H USA