Our Stargazer Spring 2022 Trip was a grand success. We had a terrific time visiting friends and family, as well as many memorable US locations. Melinda, Otto and I were so fortunate to be able to spend time exploring and learning.

Some specific memories include: the amazing park rangers, their parks, and what they taught us, all the Dollar Stores we passed and the disappearance of so many family businesses, realizing how short a time homo sapiens have been on the planet and the unwise decisions being made impacting Earth’s future, the trash along the roads and trying to understand why, and our ability to live harmoniously together for 53 days in a small living space.

We drove 8,024 miles and saw a great deal of the US. Painfully included were Trump 2024 Revenge Tour signs, thin blue line flags, and messages to this guy Brandon to get going. Throughout the trip I was motivated to dedicate thought time to understanding what it means to be a patriot.

One Patriot Definition: A person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. A person who regards himself or herself as a defender, especially of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government.

This definition does not work for me. We are all in this together. We live in the United States of America and on planet Earth. Patriots are not the only people who can fly the American flag or any country’s flag.

I am more comfortable thinking of myself as a citizen – a believer in equality for all, being a true neighbor willing to lend a helping hand, dedicating myself to caring for Mother Earth, thinking globally more than nationally, but acting locally, and doing my best to listen, learn, join, gather, serve, argue, share, advocate and vote.

I am a very fortunate person. My opportunities have been enormous. I have done my best to give back, but traveling in Stargazer has reminded me that keeping the faith, having a caring heart and doing my best is a lifelong duty.

Thanks for following Stargazer and listening.