Washoe County, working towards the grader good at year’s near end as we
took a frosty walk, packed up and were out the gate and down the road by 10:13
to California, gas at $4.79/ga.,
Sierra Valley, the Summit of Donner – with Japanese tourists clowning in the snow –
and the wonderful Mysteries of CalTrans to slow us considerably down.
In the Valley Cali drivers mind their phones, trust the algorithm to drive their Cybers
and it took an extra [and exhausting] hour just to get to a freezing house and well into the night before the heaters had any effect. Last day [of the calendar year], same weather
but at least one traffic cone finding comfort in its relationship with a concrete wall while
the hill became and remained, well, wet.
We spent the year’s last day damply in downtown Benicia
before settling in for
the Eve’s feast of various delicacies and, thanks to Bryan [who spent the week in Vienna],
some very interesting champagne along with the last of his chocolates as we waited
to toast the installation of New York’s first Muslim Mayor, then onwards unto TWO-OH-TWO-SIX!
Grand wrap up!
Cozy celebration is the best…
Yes, a dark year ending with a cozy celebration (tasty treats and warmth) plus Mamdani’s win (hopefully auspicious) seem captured correctly by the colorfully crushed cone cuddling concrete. May 2026 reveal the cone bouncing back to its original, pre-mashed state.
Did you see Mamdabi’s inauguration? We saw it on YouTube with fried chicken and champagne. It was a Democratic Socialist’s dream with AOC opening the show.
Didn’t watch it but heard it was inspirational…light for the future!
Loved your on the road musings, esp. the ‘mysteries of Cal Trans and the ‘driver’ of the Cyber. But I am reading a book about the fall of the Austrian Hungarian Empire and the rearrangement of the different parts of the Empire. Vienna remained an important city (hard to believe these days, unless…..) and the rise of the Social Democrats. I have always thought there was more of a connection to the A/H Empire to US than usually explored. Leave it to a Ukrainian historian to connect some dots.
I too enjoyed the cuddling of the cone and concrete…you are such a sentimentalist!