2021

Maybe a retirement blog.

As the days lengthen, and the sun rises earlier, the cats seem to feel that their meal time should keep sidereal time, but that requires that they wake me up earlier. Something they feel is in their wheelhouse.

I retired from Utah State University on 01 January 2021 after just over thirty years at USU. Moving from responsibility for small grains cultivar development, genetics research, and teaching to responsibility mainly for making my own coffee in the morning has been significant. Luckily USU has hired an excellent faculty member in my position and I am still involved in a small way in preparing the program for her arrival in July.  I always wanted at least one of the bunt resistance genes to be sequenced and cloned before I retired, but now as I feel we are getting closer to this, I hope to see it before I die.

My original plan for retirement was to use up some annual leave and spend my last day "at work" sipping wine on Spencer Beach in New Zealand with my grand-daughters. SARS-CoV-2 put an end to that plan, but it was some consolation to know that my daughter and her family were safe in a relatively disease free country that implemented scientific principles quickly in response to the pandemic spread. Instead, I've been taking walks with my wife around the neighborhood and skiing. Now the skiing is coming to an end and it's time to plant the garden. Coming up is a plan to visit Mesa Verde in May. During my time at USU, I've been within about 80 kilometers of Mesa Verde probably over a hundred times while working on plots in San Juan county, UT; but never have had time to visit. The time is approaching.

In the meantime, watching cricket from New Zealand, cooking, keeping the house clean(ish), skiing, and a ceramics class have kept me busy. The slower pace of life takes some adjustment, but really it's easier to go this direction than the reverse.

Having a research nursery in Eastland Utah for 30 years, I have probably been within an hour and a half drive of Mesa Verde National Park a hundred times over that time. Finally, it was time for a visit. My 40th wedding anniversary with Pam was the perfect occasion to tow our small travel trailer to Southern Utah and Colorado. I got to check out my plots in Eastland, visit the SW Colorado research center, and spend three nights in Mesa Verde National Park. It was a wonderful experience.

A quick trip into the mountains to escape the heat in Logan. Camping at the summit of Logan Canyon.

Visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.