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\large{\textbf{Winter Solstice Greetings \hfill 2017}}

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Hello to all my friends and family.  %
I hope that you are feeling peaceful, cozy, and happy in these winter months.  %
As I write this letter, the ice fishing season has begun in Madison.  %
Brave individuals have taken to the lake near my apartment to test their luck.  %

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I'm now in the middle of my 7th year of graduate school.  %
Time flies, and I'm begrudgingly trying to wrap up this phase of my life.  %
Not sure what comes  next.

My good friend Tyler graduated this spring.  %
I am happy to see him move on to better things, but sad that we are no longer living in the same
place.  %
Perhaps life will bring us together again at a later date.  %
In celebration, Tyler and I took a short vacation together.  %
We camped at beautiful Wyalusing State Park---Tyler's first camping experience!  %
The midwestern summer rains caught us, but we had fun despite the weather.  %
We also visited House on the Rock and New Glarus Brewery.  %

On August 21st of this year a total solar eclipse crossed much of the Continental US.  %
My parents and I took this as an opportunity for family vacation.  %
We visited the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, at the intersection of Kentucky and
Tennessee.  %
After a bit of stress, we ended up finding a nice waterside campsite (right).  %
The very large lakes were too large for our small Alumacraft, so we did not get much fishing
done.  %
I did get lots of reading done, and the time spent away was nice.  %
The eclipse itself was pretty magical.  %
The family (including Karaby) put on our swimsuits and waded into the lake to watch.  %

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In early October I traveled to beautiful Arcata to visit my good friend Claire
and her husband, Ralph.  %
Claire and Ralph have a wonderful home on a gravel road nestled among impossibly tall redwood
trees.  %
I enjoyed exploring Arcata and the nearby town of Eureka.  %
Humboldt State, where Claire works, has interesting California architecture---one of Claire's
colleagues has an office with only outdoor entrance!  %
The local Ma-Le'l dunes (left) were interesting---very windy with alien landscape and flora.  %
Making pasties and horchata, and enjoying Claire's famous pie, were the highlights of the trip for
me.  %

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Stay in touch---note new address. \hfill Blaise Jonathan Thompson \\*
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725 W Washington Ave. Apt 306 \\*
Madison, Wisconsin 53715 \\*
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1-424-225-2493 \\*
blaise@untzag.com \\*
http://blaise.social

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