Memories of 2009

2009 started out as a good year. My web site was doing about as well as it ever did, allowing me to feel confident about moving into a much nicer house. At the time I thought the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008 had hit bottom. Boy, was I wrong about that. The value of my house plunged about another 40%. However, it rebounded, although it took years.

The big trip of 2009 was to China, mostly to see the total eclipse of July 22. As long as we traveled that far, we traveled about the Yangtze River area, including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chongqing, and the Three Gorges Dam. We also did a shorter trip to San Felipe, Mexico. I made a business trip by myself to visit my friends at Bodog in Montreal. The financial crisis aside, it was a fun and successful year.

great hall
Great Hall of the People, Chongqing, China
Hooters
Hooters, Shanghai, China
Venetian
Venetian Macao, China
Leifeng Pagoda
Leifeng Pagoda, Hangzhou, China
Total solar eclipse
Total solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 from Hangzhou, China
John McCaffrey
Back side of a tombstone of John Laird McCaffrey (1940-1995) in Montreal. Note the first letter of each line in the poem and read from top to bottom.
San Felipe
Fishing in San Felipe, Baja, Mexico