The Ending Is Incredible

The past couple weeks have been insanely beautiful. No rain, beach parties, shooting guns, dirt biking, camping, sea kayaking, swimming, crabbing, whales, all the best stuff. I'm beyond thankful. It's been an amazing experience, and I'm so fucking humbled by it all. The kids will remember this for the rest of their lives, I'm sure.

Outside

This past week or so, the Summer of Bummer has been a little more gracious. Sunshine. No rain. It's been awesome. We went camping all weekend. The kids got to kayak on the ocean. They saw eagles and seals and crabs and salmon. We laughed with friends, and they played in the forest. It was beautiful, and I'm humble and grateful.

You Bow To No One

My son and I finished the Lord of the Rings movies, and holy shit, we wept. They're beautiful movies, and I appreciate them, but they will get you so hard.

It's been beautiful up here in Alaska, and we are coming out of the illness and the struggle and trying to set up these last two weeks for some incredible times. Hopefully we can adventure a little bit before we head back down south, but even that will be an adventure. We shall see how it goes, but I'm really fucking excited.

Independence Day or Empire Day

This Independence Day has a different connotation than it used to. Here is a transcript from the end of the second season of Andor:

My name is Marva Carassi Andor. I'm honored to stand before you. I'm honored to be a Daughter of Ferrix, and honored to be worthy of the stone. Strange, I feel as if I can see you. I was six, I think, first time I touched a funerary stone, heard our music, felt our history, holding my sister's hand as we walked all the way from Fountain Square. Where you stand now, I've been more times than I can remember. I always wanted to be lifted. I was always eager, always waiting to be inspired. I remember every time it happened, every time the dead lifted me with their truth. And now I'm dead, and I yearn to lift you, not because I want to shine or even be remembered. It's because I want you to go on. I want Ferrix to continue. In my waning hours, that's what comforts me most. But I fear for you. We've been sleeping. We've had each other, and Ferrix, our work, our days. We had each other, and they left us alone. We kept the trade lanes open, and they left us alone. We took their money and ignored them, we kept their engines churning, and the moment they pulled away, we forgot them. Because we had each other. We had Ferrix. Yet we were sleeping. I've been sleeping, and I've been turning away from the truth I wanted not to face. There is a wound that won't heal at the center of the galaxy. There is a darkness reaching like rust into everything around us. We let it grow, and now it's here. It's here and it's not visiting anymore. It wants to stay. The Empire is a disease that thrives in darkness. It is never more alive than when we sleep. It's easy for the dead to tell you to fight, and maybe it's true, maybe fighting is useless. Perhaps it's too late, but I'll tell you this: if I could do it again, I'd wake up early and be fighting these bastards from the start. Fight the Empire!