December 29, 2023

Overview for this week.

1. You know, I lived in New York for seventeen consecutive years and now I'm a part-time New Yorker. When I'm not in New York for the New Year, I always miss being there. There is nothing like Times Square.

2. New Year's resolutions are so easy to make and so very hard to keep. I wish each of you well in your endeavors for the new year.

3. I'm a full moon fanatic and I love watching the heavens. Every night I go out and look at the starry sky hoping to see a meteor, planets or constellations. 2024's night sky starts with the Quadrantids meteor shower next week.

4. When I would swim in the ocean, either in Hawaii or on the mainland, I always feared the octopus, but I can assure they don't often run into humans swimming, and while they are curious, they are also quite shy. I hope you enjoy our coverage of the octopus.

5. Annapurna has always been a favorite mountain of mine, though I never thought I would ever climb it. One of my dreams I still have is to explore the lower trails and just soak in its majesty.

6. Here I am, sitting very close to the therapeutic hot springs of Avalanche Ranch in Redstone, Colorado. We featured Avalanche in September of this year. It's a great place to recharge yourself and I can't say enough about it.

7. Perhaps you'll get a chance to visit Avalanche, or one of the many other hot springs worldwide that you can find in The Ultimate Hot Springs Guide.

8. Who would have thought Ben Franklin could create a musical instrument? Moreover, an instrument that is totally unique, but also mimics the organ quite nicely. I hope you enjoy what you find below. Happy New Year!

9. Oh my, look what's happening with our national parks. I know that I and many other fans of our national parks like to just pull in and check them out if we happen to be driving by. In the new year several of the more popular parks will require reservations, so be sure to check first when planning your next trip.

10. Every year I look forward to the gingerbread contest that my gingerbread house gifts seem to bring on. Again this year, Sunrise Pet Clinic, our favorite pet clinic, has won first place in almost every category. I think you'll enjoy what you see.

11. I want to catch up with Baby Zeus in The Pet's Corner. He's gotten a half free-ride scholarship at Patience Doggy Daycare and Training in Twin Peaks and just doing great.

Now, to this week's Flock.

New Year's Eve is this coming Sunday, December 31. Last year we looked at 35 Best New Year Traditions to Bring You All the Luck and 26 Completely Different New Year's Days Around the World including the Chinese New Year, a 15-day celebration that will begin on February 10 in the coming year. This year we are looking at celebrations around the globe.

Sydney, Australia

Sydney, Australia calls itself the New Year's Eve Capital of the World. Each year they throw an extravagant celebration to back this boast up. As it is one of the first celebrations broadcast live in the west, many in the west are familiar with the massive fire works display over Port Jackson Bay, framed by the iconic Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Paris, France

Paris, France, the city of light, is another iconic city to celebrate New Year's Eve. The city throws a huge block party on the Champs-Elysées with light shows, live music and fireworks over the Arc De Triomphe. Smaller celebrations dot city's famous neighborhoods as well.

London, England

London began throwing their New Year's Eve celebrations on the South Bank of the River Thames in 1999 to celebrate the coming of the new millennium. The city celebrates at midnight to the chimes of Big Ben and a fireworks display launched from barges on the river and the London Eye Ferris wheel.

Times Square, NYC

New Yorker's began celebrating New Year's Eve in Times Square in 1904. The world famous New Year's Eve Ball was first dropped from the flagpole atop One Times Square three years later in 1907. Now, as many as one million revelers descend on Times Square to ring in the new year. Over a billion more around the world join in by watching the celebration as part of their own New Year's Eve traditions.

The Cultivating Health blog at UC Davis has a useful guide to help you choose and keep your New Year's resolutions. 

From: UC Davis, By: Cultivating Health, December 28, 2022

Making New Year’s resolutions is a yearly tradition for many people. Yet, some of us fall short of reaching our goals.

Below are seven tips to help you make and stick to your New Year’s resolutions. By following these suggestions, UC Davis Health experts say you can set yourself up for success.

1. Be picky about your resolutions
2. Plan your resolution
3. Set very specific goals
4. Don’t take on too much
5. Choose a new resolution
6. Identify accountability partners for support
7. Give your resolution time to become a habit

Many of us will include an exercise as one of our New Year's resolutions. If that is the case for you, the following article from Harvard Health will help you stick to the program you decide on.

From: Harvard Health Publishing, April 11, 2017

Exercise shouldn't be something you do only when you want to drop those 10 extra pounds or prepare for the charity 10-kilometer run. To be successful, it should be something you do as routinely as eating, sleeping, and taking your morning shower. That can be difficult, as you may already know. The article linked to below may help you stay on course when your motivation starts to flag. Remember, the result is worth the effort.

From: Marca

As the Earth, Moon and Sun perform their orbital dance, the illuminated part of the Moon is seen or hidden, creating lunar phases, notes National Geographic.

And one of those phases is the full Moon, which occurs when the satellite is behind the Earth relative to the Sun and its face is fully illuminated.

The Full Moons of 2024

For those who love the Moon and the sky, here are the dates of the full Moons in 2024 with their Native American names:

Wolf Moon

Snow Moon

Worm Moon

Pink Moon

Flower Moon

Strawberry Moon

Deer Moon

Sturgeon Moon

Harvest Moon

Hunter's Moon

Beaver Moon

Cold Moon

From: Lonely Planet, By: John Garry, December 27, 2023

In the new year, get ready to turn your eyes to the skies. Between sparkling meteor showers, annual equinox celebrations and one total solar eclipse, 2024 promises to be sensational for stargazers.

So grab a comfy seat – and, if you’re feeling like a modern Galileo, perhaps a telescope – and look up. Here are all the astronomical wonders you won’t want to miss.

January 3–4: the Quadrantids meteor shower peaks 

One of the year’s brightest light shows ignites night skies from December 26 to January 16. Expect approximately 120 meteors streaking per hour during its brief peak on January 4. 

Skywatchers in the northern hemisphere get the best seats to this spectacle, so head to a dark sky park north of the equator for an exceptionally starry experience.

Winter is also a fantastic time of year to spot the northern lights. If you want to aim for an aurora-Quadrantids combo, consider traveling to remote Nordic destinations famous for aurora chasing, like Svalbard in Norway’s stretch of the Arctic Circle.

From: National Geographic Kids

Octopuses are sea animals famous for their rounded bodies, bulging eyes, and eight long arms. They live in all the world’s oceans but are especially abundant in warm, tropical waters. Octopuses, like their cousin, the squid, are often considered “monsters of the deep,” though some species, or types, occupy relatively shallow waters.

Most octopuses stay along the ocean’s floor, although some species are pelagic, which means they live near the water’s surface. Other octopus species live in deep, dark waters, rising from below at dawn and dusk to search for food. Crabs, shrimps, and lobsters rank among their favorite foods, though some can attack larger prey, like sharks. Octopuses typically drop down on their prey from above and, using powerful suctions that line their arms, pull the animal into their mouth. The octopus performs its famous backward swim by blasting water through a muscular tube on the body called a siphon. Octopuses also crawl along the ocean’s floor, tucking their arms into small openings to search for food. Seals, whales, and large fish prey on octopuses.

Look inside the deep-sea Octopus Garden found off California coast

Octopus's garden (2019 Mix)

Annapurna's north side looks quite dry above Base Camp. Photo: @navamuel.andres

From: ExplorersWeb, By Angela Benavides, December 26, 2023

Seizing advantage of stable weather, the Winter Annapurna climbers have not wasted a single minute, even for celebrating Christmas. At this pace, they may summit and be down in time for New Year.

Alex Txikon and his team arrived in Base Camp on Dec. 23 and set off for Camp 1 the following morning.

Prakash Gurung and Yukta G in Tange village some days ago. Photo: Project Together

From: ExplorersWeb, By: Angela Benavides, December 22, 2023

Prakash Gurung and Yukta G are back in Tange with a first ascent under their belts and a message for the climbing community: a cleaner, more sustainable way to challenge Nepal’s peaks is possible.

The climbers became the first to step on the top of 6,759m Khumjungar Himal in the upper Mustang region.

“We had a challenging journey, enduring freezing temperatures and trekking and climbing for several days,” they wrote immediately afterward. They have posted a summit video on Instagram and will share a complete report when they reach Kathmandu

Hot springs around the world have had therapeutic uses for centuries. In addition to being a peaceful break for your mind and spirit, a good soak in a hot spring is good for you skin, aids circulation, and can also function as a natural pain killer.

From: Intermountain Health, November 17, 2023

Well before there was Western civilization, people have enjoyed a good old-fashioned soak in natural hot springs. It’s a steamy and sulfur-smelling tradition that spans the ages and continues to be a staple for spas, resorts and campgrounds around the world. Some people swear by the rejuvenating powers of sulfur springs, but is there any credence to the claims or is it a simple matter of wishful thinking? Let’s clear the air and take a look at the health benefits behind hot springs.

It’s a Friend to Your Skin

Soaking in hot springs can be a great way to naturally detox your skin. Thanks to the high amount of silica in the water, it can also soften rough or dry skin. Plus, the mineral content of sulfur springs has been shown to help persisting skin conditions like psoriasis, acne and eczema. In fact, the treatment of ailments with hot sulfur water has such a rich history, we even have a word for it: balneotherapy.

The Ultimate Hot Springs Guide will help you find hot springs throughout the world whether you are looking for a developed, more pool like hot spring, or an undeveloped back country natural experience.

Now that you've found your hot spring, here's a great etiquette guide for your next soak.

From: Traveling Spud, By: Katie

Looking to learn some proper hot spring etiquette before you have soak? If so, you’re in the right place!

There’s truly nothing more exciting and relaxing than finding a pristine geothermal hot spring in the wilderness! When hot springs are well cared for, they are such a peaceful and special experience. There are a lot of hot springs in the world to enjoy—with over 1,161 throughout the United States and over 130+ in my home state of Idaho alone!

As someone who has been to many hot springs around my state and around the world, I know these geothermal soaking pools are fragile, and it is important to practice proper etiquette when visiting them. Following these tips can help preserve the beauty of the springs, as well as make the experience safe and enjoyable for everyone. Here are my favorite tips and tricks for following proper hot spring etiquette. 

Cita George's New Year's suggestion for welcoming in the new year with the delicious sound of the armonica. Thank you Cita

Arches National Park

From: Live Now Fox 4, By: Catherine Stoddard, December 16, 2023

If you're planning on visiting a national park somewhere in the United States in 2024, be sure to check if you may require a reservation to enter. The National Park Service announced in November that at least three parks would see the return of their visitor management system next year, with Yosemite National Park joining that list just this month. The reservation system originally launched in pilot form in 2020 and was used during several seasons following the COVID-19 pandemic both in Yosemite and several NPS sites around the country. 

"We saw gridlock traffic and frustrated visitors return to Yosemite this year when its reservation system was suspended. We strongly support visitor use management at Arches and other parks to ensure poor visitor experience conditions don’t return there. Utah State University research at Arches and Glacier parks proves that reservation systems are working and largely welcomed by visitors," Cassidy Jones, senior visitation program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, said in a statement. "After years of study and consideration, Rocky Mountain is advancing a plan that could lead to making its popular timed-entry system permanent, and Arches and other parks are weighing public comments that will ideally lead in a similar direction." 

The results are in. the recipients of this year’s Christmas cookie and gingerbread house kits that I send out each year have shared their creations, and I am ready to reveal the results. For the gingerbread houses, Sunrise Pet Clinic has done it again. Just like last year, they were over the top. So, Sunrise Pet Clinic gets a first place in landscape design and creativity. They also get a first in humor and creative use of materials. Not to be outdone, the staff and families of Reid Park Zoo get a first in creative family expression and a first in sweater design and the use of traditional holiday colors for their holiday sweater cookies.

Sunrise Pet Clinic

Sunrise Pet Clinic

Sunrise Pet Clinic

Sunrise Pet Clinic

Sunrise Pet Clinic

Sunrise Pet Clinic

Reid Park Zoo

Here are the Ramsey kids with their ugly sweater cookies. They had a lot of fun.

Reid Park Zoo

Christmas music, hot coco & and cookies. We all had a great time and the kids really loved the activity!

Reid Park Zoo

Horton, the Hornbill, with his gingerbread house! He is a bird of one of the zoo's animal care supervisors.

Reid Park Zoo

Horton with his "finished" gingerbread house.

Baby Zeus got a half free-ride scholarship to Patience Doggy Daycare and Training in Twin Peaks. He's doing great.

Don't Be Shy: Share Your Stories!

I'm looking forward to sharing more of your personal stories - oral, written, or otherwise, as we enter our second year. I'd so love to present them to The Flock, hit a mailbox below to share your story.

Holualoa Ed Fit Wellness & Culture 2

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