Dean LeBaron Stuck At Home - Messages From Friends

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The powder avalanche had fallen down from the Hinterrugg. The other day we read in our newspaper that the avalanche security committee has shot down the avalanche with the 12 cm Mortar of our Military Command down by the lake. Three days before they tried to shoot the snow down, but without success.

Then a day later a first avalanche came down early in the morning. We witnessed a sudden upcoming heavy wind and then the window of the kitchen was blind, covered by snow. If you look at the pictures I got from a friend, we were very lucky that nobody in Walenstadt was injured when the big avalanche came,and the damage in the forest is not very high.

Note from Dean: Walenstadt is at the eastern end of the Walensee, opposite from Weesen. It can see seen in the telephoto of the webcam on www.deanlebaron.com

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Christmas and Get-Well greetings from the girls and boys of J and K House in Kathmandu run
by Nepal Youth Opportunity Foundation to which we provide some support.

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Hi, Dean. Glad to hear you are getting about. What a zany website...only you!! Bought a loft-condo in Printers Row in Chicago. The experience was unnerving because my realtor (I now realize) had a hate relationship with owner's
realtor...so I fired mine to get the place (at his price, natch!)

Tried out my new company name Speaking with Beth Urech at some business meetings in Chicago,
and it doesn't work so I am trying out new names: What do you think of calling my company Speaking Unlimited.

We've secured the website but of course need to do a full search. Other option is to go with Beth Urech, Inc. (I also have the website www.bethurech.com)

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Look how much snow they have in Weesen. Adriana (Treir-Fullemann) is becoming an eskimo.

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Hi Dean, Hope things are progressing for you and that you are ambling
around again.

Have you had time to run the GEM?

Are you still going to get to FL this season?

Needless to say all is well here and the weather is tolerable........well better than that.

Hello to Donna and Ellie. Candy says Hi!

regards,

Jim

Jimbo: I can report that the GEM long bed truck is a gripper on snow and ice. We put chains on just in case. And I've bought slats for the sides and roof in preparation for the conversion to a woodie for kids to go to the beach in the summer. Should be a ball...already they are in drivers training for it. Have not made FL but might come down in lieu of Switzerland. It depends on the pace of mending. The thing I liked about April in Switzerland, in addition to the good friends we have there, is that I could go up to ski and stay down for hiking/biking.

This year my alternatives might be clipped. But we'll surely see you and Candy at the clubhouse or on the docks this Spring. Boating has not dropped off the choices. For the moment we are having a winter to remember as you have seen. And it is coming down now on top of the meter or so we already have. See you in the Spring...great to hear from you.....dean

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I finally visited your “stuckathome” site and was knocked out. If not a first, it certainly has to be on
thetop 10 creative list for cheering up patients and informing friends and family of the patient’s status.
I enjoyed reading the unbelievable number of get well wishes. Your status as of last week sounded
very good except for the C- that Spa Chairperson, Dr. Carpenter, gave you for tap dancing. Actually
our daughter Rachel is an accomplished tap dancer, still taking lessons. She may visit NH soon with
her friend. If she does, maybe she can help you improve your grade.

Ralph...that's it, tap dancing. And here I think I accomplish something with a 90 degree flex.

Glad you like the site John and Donna arranged for me. It certainly is warming to the spirit to have the greetings of family, friends, neighbors like you. I miss skiing this year. The ski area made money on my season pass since I did nothing to wear out the snow but we are having the ski season of a lifetime and I'm watching ESPN to experience it vicariously. Come on up to your house next door soon....dean

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Glad you're making such great progress. Keep up the good work. Kudos to
your "staff" for keeping you contained.

Thanks, Jack and Peggy. Looking forward to seeing you around Oakledge and elsewhere when all
this leg stuff is over..and there is an end in sight. Appreciate your greetings......dean

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Hello, Hi this is Audrey, Earl's daughter and I am sorry to here that you are "stuck at home" recooperating. I hope this message finds you on your feet real soon.
I am actually looking for copies of any old family photograghs that any one may have, I am trying to preserve the family history through picture for myself but mostly for my children. I have 2, Karlie will be 5 in June and Cory will be 2 next month.

Any photos that you may have would be so much appreciated.I hope that your mother is doing well I
have such wonderful memories of our visits. Please let her know that I think of her often.

I will keep you in my prayers for a ful recovery and I ask that you may do the same for us, my husband, Steve, is a Marine and he may be deployed very soon, so any prayers for him as well as all our troops will be a blessing. All our love,

Hi, Audrey..officially we probably should have put you in the "family" section as a cousin, and first one
at that. But since we have not seen each other for eons, I don't think John Sammons (Donna's brother) recognized the name and relationship.

Re: pictures....Elaine is the guardian of family pictures and I'll forward your interest to her. She'll send
you a box full.

Otherwise from this site and deanlebaron.com you know all about me..more than you need and perhaps want. Otherwise trucking along peg leg style around the house but that is better than just a few weeks ago.

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Our prayers are fervently for your full recovery, and we trust that that extra energy sent your way will be helpful. The world needs good men like you, Dean.

With deep appreciation for all of your past work for global freedom and prosperity,

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Janine Naef, granddaughter of Rosemarie & Peter Naef, Walenstadt, Switzerland giving me walking lessons.

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Dean,
I browsed to your WEB site just after the prior e-mail. Was I surprised! Nice to hear your recovery is going well. Hope you are enjoying the Tivo... after its heroic rescue. You can write a new Ultimate book...as you will ultimately recover. You seem to have good expert advice with your PT. All the best, Don

Hi, DeanStuckAtHome--
Sorry to learn of your injury (I cringed when I heard)...I have FINALLY got Don to clean up his home office feng-shui-style, but he refuses to part with any of the cannons! What should I do?--jan

Hope 2002 was a good year for you and your family. We now have 2 grandchildren, 2 and 6, and already have enjoyed grandparent's revenge.

We moved to south weymouth (by great pond) last year. We also have the closed airbase as a neighbor and so far I have enjoyed biking /hiking on the 1600 acres of woods (at least until the development starts) and mile long runways (impressive at sunrise) . Also, there was the hot air balloon show , well attended, and the balloon rides were fun. Most of the balloons managed to land in various golf courses/sand traps around the south shore.

Let me know what's new with you (any new books), and if you get to Boston at all. d

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dean,

today's find:

The CoWorker is a wireless, mobile, remote telepresence platform that provides control of video, audio and movement through any internet browser without additional hardware or software.

http://www.irobot.com/industrial/default.asp

if you can watch the flash demo to see it in action.

They have an office in Milford, NH.

How would something like this work for people who are stuck in bed?

Got this from reading "Beyond Webcams: An Introduction to Online Robots", MIT Press; ; 1st edition (December 1, 2001).

Hope your knee is healing quickly,

regards,

paul t.

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Peter and I just looked at your progress report. Sounds good but I'm sure it goes slowly for you. We have not gone digital yet so pictures are still not part of our life except those we receive. The view from your window is lovely.

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Hi Dean, my computer says your sib site doesn't exist so I'm going this way. Having had hepatitis in 94
I know how hard it is for active people to sib, so here's some mind stimulus. The P-51 release calls it a "dangerous instrumentality", maybe their lawyer was ex-Luftwaffe pilot!Airplane does nice aileron rolls, similar to T-34 that I flew in AF aero club.T-34 apparently replaced the T-28, which must have been fun
to fly, and stays even with P-51 at low altitude up to 300mph.Snaps are not recommended in original flight handbook, much less in antique airplane.

I never liked them because they are violent and put a lot of strain on the airplane. Slow rolls are another matter and very smooth with the power of P-51.The cockpit has 5-point aerobatic harnesses, you feel snug. If you have to bail out they use the polite word "egress" which doesn't look to be too easy.Some people say the P-38 was better than the P-51- it probably was, over water in the Pacific, but I'll still vote for P-51. If this amuses you, let me know. I'll send more. T.

Dean, apparently you liked the first message so here's a little more rambling about non-medical matters.The P-51 cockpit set-up feels just right, man-size stick, throttle, and rudder pedals well placed.
I taxiied it and it takes a gentle touch but is not difficult (tail wheel is full castering except locked for
take-off, so it's mostly slipstream on the rudder that steers).Not sure what happens in a strong cross-wind. The flaps are huge barn-doors that must add more drag than lift when fully extended (60° I think).

The stories about torque problems with high-powered fighters are only part of the picture. Basically, trim changes have to be made for adding power (5° R rudder for takeoff), for lowering or raising gear(strong pitch-down or up), for lowering/raising flaps(pitch effect) so you have to anticipate trim changes. Seems like the trickiest situation would be a go around on instruments at night. Visibility from the front or back seats is excellent. In steep turns you don't need to add back pressure. T.

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Once upon a time, a while back, there was a Presidential election that was too close to call. Neither
the Republican presidential candidate nor the Democratic presidential candidate had enough votes to
win the election.

Therefore, it was decided that there should be an ice fishing contest between the two candidates to determine the final winner. There was much talk about ballot recounting, court challenges, etc., but a week-long ice fishingcompetition seemed the manly way to settle things. The candidate that
caught the most fish at the end of the week would win.

After a lot of back and forth discussion, it was decided that the contest would take place on a remote
and cold lake in Wisconsin. There were to be no observers present, and both men were to be sent out separately on this remote lake and return daily with their catch for counting and verification.

At the end of the first day, George W. returns to the starting line and he has 10 fish. Soon, Al Gore returns and has zero fish. Well, everyone thinks he is just having a bad day, and hopefully, he will
catch up the next day.

At the end of the 2nd day George W. comes in with 20 fish and Al Gore comes in again with none.

That evening, Bill Clinton gets together secretly with Al and says, “I think George W. is a low life
cheatin’ son-of-a-gun. I want you to go out tomorrow and don’t even bother with fishing. Just spy on
him and see if he is cheating in any way.

The next night, after George W. comes back with 50 fish, Bill Clinton says to Al, “Well, what about it.
Is George W. cheatin’?”

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Dear Dean,

Sorry for your long lay up, but you sure kept me entertained going thru your web site. Thanks. Now on to you. That sounded like quite a procedure. With your determination, the outcome
has to be good. Did you ever end up having any improvement with your eye sight? We are trucking
right along. We are send our over flow patients down to Manchester.

We will hear from the navy in feb. about the grant Jay submitted for a multi-place hyper/hypobaric chamber. If that goes thru, we will become a big center for space/flight research and hyperbaric
medicine. You knew us when!

Hope you are on the mend by now. We speak of you often in hyperic land.

Many Hugs, Hermine

Hi, Hermine. Yes, we knew each other when and thanks to you and Jay, you took a guy with no sight
in one eye at about midnight, came in at considerable inconvenience to yourselves, put him in your hypobaric machine taking him down to a pressure depth of 60 ft or so (and only had gone to 35ft to get the scuba ticket) and when I came out after a couple of hours, I could see. Sight was restored...alas it was temporary but worth the shot. Outside of your hit, the O2 supply shut down and another dive with you the next day did not do it. And I remain a Cyclops with only a left eye...but that is just fine. Does
not inhibit me very much although I'm pretty careful of the remaining one. And maintain close contact
with Christopher Chapman who is monitoring both for changes...there are none yet

One of these days there'll be an implant of some sort...natural or electronic. I'll be an early adopter...as you'd expect.

Congrats on all the work you and Jay have done to bring the benefit of hypobarics to this area. And I
sure hope you get that bigger chamber. Would be good to have a buddy or two in there to play chess
or bridge while diving as a diversion from Talking Books.

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It took me a few moments to discern the true meaning of your "repair protocol" thanks to my favorite TSR, Atomica (originally guru.net). But I thought some of the alternative suggested definitions might be more appropriate (see below):

* PWB [Partial Weight Bearing or Paraffin Wax Bath - neither sounds that appealing]
with crutches in cylinder cast or brace.

* AAROM [Active Assistive Range of Motion or Air Ambulance Refueling On the Move - perhaps a better method of descending the Weesen hills] out of brace (with therapist only!) to limits outlined by MD [Medical Doctor or Mean Downtime - can't say I expect you to be happy with your downtime].

* ROM allowance [Range of Motion or Read Only Memory - in either category, more is better]

* Can WBAT [Weight Bearing As Tolerated or Women's Business Advisory Team - perhaps a reflection on your past "women are cheaper" comment] with brace locked in extension (at therapist's discretion).

* AAROM, AROM [Active Range Of Motion or Artificial Rupture Of Membranes - you've done the latter so let's get more of the former] to 115 degrees

* Can begin to push PROM [Passive Range Of Motion or your high school dance - either one, I think you should wait on it] at 12 weeks

* Progress to PRE's [Progressive Resistive Exercise or Process Risk Evaluation -- the latter may be something to consider more of, particularly for alpine descents]

I enjoyed the interpretation of the alphabet soup, physical therapy style. And the wonderful people putting me together again will too. My principle danger is either electrocution from the electronics around me or fire (will have to put on my brace since I don't wear it in bed) from an overloaded circuit. And the snow outside looks inviting..however, the ski area is making money on my unused season pass. I'm not wearing out the snow...or the coffee shop in the lodge this year. Great to hear from you...dean

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Stacy just told me about your "stuckathome" website, so I looked at it. I had heard that you had had to have an operation on your leg, but I had no idea that it was so serious or that you were so laid up until
my recent communication from Stacy.I hope you feel better and are able to be more ambulatory soon.

The New Hampshire view from your window on the website (dated 1/5/03) looks beautiful. It looks like
you have loads of snow. We have about five inches at present in Columbus.School started on Monday
at Otterbein, so I am very busy with all my library work and activities again. The only bad thing about
all the students coming back is that it becomes very difficult to find a parkingplace anywhere near
the library.

My parents and I had a nice Christmas at their house. Nothing fancy -- just the three of us. We talked
to Jeff on the phone, who was gettingsnowed in by a big storm in upstate New York on Christmas Day. They'vesince had another one, so upstate New York is loaded with snow, too.

Take care, and I hope the physical therapy goes well. I'll try to keep in touch more often.

Love,
Betsy

Thanks, Betsy. You are being well informed by Stacy who was here helping out during the holidays and Blake took over as the caregiver earlier this week. I took advantage during his stay to roam a bit more than usual which was probably a good idea...otherwise I might be glued to the bed. And we had a good time together..even did a joint video which is in the video archive on my site under 12/8/03. And we had many other good conversations while picking through the leftovers to put in the microwave....love, dean

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I send you my best wishes for a full and speedy recovery(and return to skiing). I just read through your "Treasury of Investment Wisdom". Impressive and useful work. Thanks to you and your colleaguesfor producing it.

Sincerely,

Doug

Thanks, Doug, for reading Treasury and glad you liked it. There was an earlier incarnation, Ultimate, for the UK audience (and UKpublisher) but the version you read was spiffed up, re-edited andbetter overall. Glad that was the one you read. Yes, skiing is justa fiction for me this year but if I behave there is hope that I can do it again. ESPN on TV is not a substitute....dean

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who was deanchasing? or who was chasing dean?imagining dean immobile for 6 weeks stretches the limits of my mind. please post on the site that we miss him, will be thinking of him, and hopw that he
can utilize all the extra energy to focus on and solve one of the big outstanding challenges: either an unsolved math pproblem or something easier like what we should be doing to prepare for what saddam may be readying for us.

Graham....we have been on the same wanderweg together in Switzerland but during a more compatible season. But we were so engrossed in conversation then that had there been black ice, one of us might have experienced the same tumble. I suspect (hope) you are more nimble than I am and would remember to stretch before tackling the trails. Luckily this section was beside the road so Donna could auto me out in my non-walking position. But I'll be hopping around in no time (hope,again)..re: big challenges, they seem to be increasing in number.

An old friend of mine from MIT used to say the world always had 10 since that is all we could remember at one time. If a new one came, one of the ten would drop off. We seem to be adding now but not dropping/solving any although the PR seems to be focused only on the last one...whichever that might
be and I guess we are supposed to forget the earlier ones regardless of their status. Very strange to me....dean

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Greetings from the Lincoln Rathnam family and his Delphic conversation
with his mystic cousin in Delhi. Christmas 2002 forecast.

Thanks, Lincoln, for letting us put up your conversation. I'm sure many of us will ponder and
appreciate the insights from "Delhi" via Hingham....dean

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Dear Dean,

I hope your recovery is moving along at a brisk pace and you have found enough to keep yourself occupied. My best wishes for a speedy recovery!

You may (or may not) be amused to know that you're in a similar boat as my Newfie, Zillah, was
about a year ago. He, too, fell and hurt his leg! He had ACL surgery about a year ago and it was brutal. Especially on me when he had to go out as Zillah is considerably bigger than me. ;-) I've attached a picture of him for your amusement (Zillah is the big black beast; his partner in crime, the black & white one, is Allegra).

I expect that you will recover just as quickly as Zillah and, not unlike Zillah,
be back in trouble in no time. <g> Just stay off slick surfaces.

If you are looking for some good reading material, I highly recomment Arturo Perez-Reverte. A great mystery novelist. The Club Dumas and The Fencing Master were two of my favorites. I trust Amazon delivers quickly in Switzerland? If not, let me know and I will arrange to have them sent to you.

When will you be back stateside? I need to make a trip to Boston and would love to drop in and see you and Donna.

Pamela...gracious how did you handle a dog (to say nothing about two) with a busted leg? Donna has trouble keeping me restrained from running around and I'm human (almost). Thanks for the reading offer and I'll look up your suggestions..my latest is The Company written by Robert Littell who I think is a relative of my college room-mate, Walter Littell. Beautifully written so you read it slowly even though
its 1k pages or so.....hugs, dean PS...I'm in NH recovering so come up anytime...d

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Dear Dean, happy new Year. I wish you all the best, hope it won't take
that long. Kind regards Dragan Milenkovic

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Have Donna put another log on the fire, stay snug and warm, and enjoy
the beauty that only a New England snowstorm can bring for us.

Bobbie & Walt: You can appreciate NE snow as former New Englanders and frequent summer visitors
to ME. It is lovely, as you can see on my progress page, and I even tried to enhance the vicarious experience by watching ski races on ESPN. Didn't work. However, I'm told that the full extent of the mobility will be evident in a year...so in time for next year. Meanwhile enjoy the winter boating in FL...hugs, dean

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dean,

knowing how much you like GOOGLE (as do I), have you tried their new BETA online shopping search engine FROOGLE?

very nice, and perhaps best online shopping comparison site out there to date.
hope the knee is healing well and quickly. My mother went through having two broken feet (in a fall) last Spring/Summer which kept her off her feet completely for a couple of months. She is back walking and swimming again with no problems. are you recuperating in Switzerland or NH?

I just finished North Star over My Shoulder: A Flying Life by Robert N. Buck, author of Weather Flying --

A really great pilot memoir of flying everything from an open cockpit Pitcairn PA-5 Mailwing to Boeing 747. I learned a lot about usefulness and importance of celestial navigation in long distance flying -- especially over oceans.

If you haven't already read it, I recommend you add it to your growing reading list.

regards,

paul t.

Thanks for the books recommendations, Paul. I'll follow your advice as I usually do.

I've used Copernic Shopper (I'm still using Copernic Summarizer and Copernic Agent Professional
(v 6.0) because I like these Montreal guys and I'm used to it ( <www.copernic.com> ). As Peter
Drucker said, it takes something that is 10x better in price/function to get people to move...you and I might move to the latest just to try but I fall back to the full Copernic line.

I do use Google News beta all the time and find that it is the news source I go to throughout the day
and to cover intl. news in a balanced, non-human editor way...after reading the online NYT first (mostly
for the op-ed).

Lots of time for reading and computer stuff while laid up. That's the good news. The bad is I'm looking
out the window at some of the best skiing snow I've seen in years.

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Belated seasons greetings and very best wishes for 2003.Dean, we apologize for not commiserating sooner.Hopefully, by now you are fully mended and back on the slopes.

Alexandra has been here since Boxing Day and we have enjoyed good skiing only 7 minutes from the house.We also skate on the Gatineau River at the end of the garden (photo attached).

Hope to see you soon.

John and Alexandra: Skiing! Skating! Envy, envy. But I can enjoy the sunsets vicariously from your
pic and on the webcams from Sunapee and Weesen on my site. But that seems very passive. I
like wintertime to frolic in the snow, fall down and go into the lodge for coffee and tall black diamond stories. Alas, not this year. PT starts early next week and we'll see if I can accelerate the schedule
with diligence. But I'm being uncharacteristically good since there is a long list of mobility things that
I wish to continue. At the moment, I hobble with a walker in a way that no old folks home would accept
my application. But getting lots of reading done so there is comp.....love to you both...dean

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Just finished "Prey" and the accompanying bibliography... If you check into
all of the referenced "Artificial Life" articles, you will see that the Swarms actually attack knee-caps before entering the rest of the body! And then they work their way upward. That is the bad news.

The good news is that once they have entered and you have fully metamorphised, you will have gorgeous legs and a body like Brigitte Bardot. Sorry, Donna, I got that wrong!: "Long John" Holmes had nice legs, too. But stay away from the MRI, Dean. You could be a missed program on the Tivo.

Steve et al: Like to hear your cheery voice from Naples. Heard you might have had a line of heavy
storms cross over you yesterday as God was helping you celebrate New Years with His fireworks
and invocation from His Agents, Ashcroft/Ridge, to stay at home for orange alerts.

If you liked "Prey" (I did a book review of it for ComDig since it is all about complexity stuff), read "The Last Jihad" by Joel Rosenberg. It is a thriller account of the post-Bush world by an advisor to Limbaugh, Steve Forbes, etc. so you can imagine his bias. Depending on your own, you'll laugh or cheer but enjoy
it either way. Maybe the best of the crop of bio-terror non-fiction books out now is "The Demon in the Freezer", Richard Preston...but not to be read late at night unless you want nightmares...and this one
is true.

I'm getting tired of seeing all this good skiing snow here..only through a window. Will start PT on
Monday to see what the range of motion might be. And I'm prepared to work with the mantra of our generation "no pain, no gain."

Hugs to you, Karen and kids...see them all soon, hopefully I'll not be horizontal by then. dean

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Should all leg injuries be forgot,
And be banished from your mind.
Should all leg injuries be forgot,
'Till then, have a glass of wine!

Cheers for the new year and best wishes for a speedy recovery, Mo

Indeed, Mo, Donna and I followed your dictum on New Year's Eve with a glass of champagne to cure
any internal infections there might be...alas, I had no excuse since there is none. Can't claim we
stayed up until midnight but my internal clock did wake me up shortly before 12, I raised the back
of my hospital bed and watched the large digital clock face pass 12:00 P and figured I'd made my contribution and went back to sleep. Fortunately a kindly neighbor rang the church bell, an annual tradition, so all was celebrated in the traditional style....all, dean

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Get out of bed...it's the beginning of a new year almost....tons of movies
are here screaming for you. Get well soon.
Tegan

Tegan..thanks for your wishes and I'd love to bolt out of the bed. However, I fear I'd tear up all the good work inside that Dr Noordsij did and don't think he or I want to repeat the job. So its slow..very slow.
Your DVD's help much. Since I was going to be confined to a single floor and mostly a single room, I bought a new TV for here with DVD built in and was amazed to see that these combos sell for $200.
You were ahead of your time recognizing that your business would be moving toward more DVD
rentals than VHF. Next we'll see DVD burners added to the DVD function in these sets.....
s happy new year....dean

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I hope you're giving Donna all the credit she deserves -- deanlebaronstuckathome.com is fabulous! Almost worth having knee surgery for!

Seriously, I hope you're not in too much pain/not to irritated by being stuck on your back. I will send
you some good novels. Have you read Everything is Illuminated? Is one of those rare books that is as good as its hype, and I think you'd love the Ukranian character. Have you read A Dance to the Music of Time? Is fabulous, and very long, perfect for being stuck at home. What about Robertson Davies?
I must confess that I am starting to envy you, thinking of all these books you could read . . .

I am raising one last round of capital (god help me!) for Juice, and then taking the rest of 2003 off write -- am REALLY looking forward to it. I finally finished my novel about Russia -- will send that to you as well, if you can bear it.

Take care, Kim

Kim....great book suggestions and, shame to admit, I've not read any of them. Would be appreciated
or I'll go to www.bestbookbuys.com/ and add to the pile around me. The best one will be the draft of
your novel...is it like the earlier version? I remember it fondly and would help you kick it off anyway I can...Donna is more the pro at those things but between the two of us, we might be able to do
something useful for you....all hugs, dean

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We just found your e-mail and are so sorry to hear about Dean's surgery. In the process of moving
from Oakledge we haven't checked our e-mail as often as we should. We are now in Ct. and will leave
for Fl on on Sat. Our best wishes to you Dean and we will be thinking of you. I know you will follow
the doctor's orders and do your therapy.

Love, Eleanor and Don

Eleanor and Don: Sorry you are no longer at Oakledge. Almost seems to reflect a change of generations. But it is time to consolidate residences; I'm now consolidating into a single room...albeit loaded with electronics, but one room none the less. Hope you are back to visit soon and often....dean

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Dear Mr. LeBaron, I hope you'll feel better soon.
Alex Castaldo, CFA -- acastaldo@att.net
(an occasional browser of your web site)

Alex....thanks for visiting my site and for your wishes. Glad to meet you this way. I'm trying to reswing
my remarks back to more investment themes but global events seem to intrude. I'll get back to the
things that we can influence in our investment work soon.....all best, dean

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Glad to see that you are recovering from your recent surgery.
Hope you, Donna and your family have a nice Christmas and best
wishes for a healthy and Happy New Year.

All the best,
Regina, Sam, Natalie and Sean Zahran

Regina... Yes, this Christmas has been a great family time although everyone seems to be enjoying our beautiful snow except me who can only admire it through a window. Maybe I'll ski vicariously with a ski game or ESPN. Pls. give my greetings to other Batterymarch friends and families....dean

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Dear Dean,
I am sorry to hear that your injury will keep you out of the NFL season this year. While I am
always eager to hear of your latest escapades, I sometimes worry that your adventurous spirit
will lead you into dangerous situations. Therefore, part of me is glad that you are "stuck in bed"
where we can keep you under wraps and make sure you don't get into trouble. Chandler and I
just looked at the pictures that are "not for the queasy," and Chandler now thinks that he might
qualify as "queasy" and wonders if he "looks like that underneath."

I hope to visit you with my parents while I am in VT. I'm sure that you have created an environment
for yourself where at least 5 electronic devices are within arms' reach. It will be great to finally see
you and your new habitat.

Jessie..Here I am in need of just the PT services (well, not quite
yet) that you are trained to do (I think). And you would do it with spirit and motivation for your patients.

Would be delighted to see you and Chandler here...with your parents if they can make another trip.
Your father has been essential in this whole process goading me to be careful and follow the doctor's orders, his and Peter N, the surgeon. And with all this intimidation, I am being good...to everyone's surprise. love, dean

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I really do hope your leg is healing . . . I broke my 22 months ago and I am
still getting my strength back . . . so go easy . . . but take your rehab very seriously!
The early workouts will make a large difference in your eventual recovery!

Best, Rich
Happy Holidays and Hugs from everyone here!

Thanks, Rich, for the PT tip. I start on January 6 and plan to be a devoted exercise nut...another
New Year's Resolution...hopefully this one is kept better than most.....dean

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Dean (and Donna):
I'm having an odd sense of déjà vu. Didn't you flip a car about 12 years ago on that same dreaded
Swiss black ice? What I remember most about that was the typical Dean timing of the retelling of the story -- as you were driving with several Batterymarch clients and myself up those same roads, in
snow, at what I assumed to be a similar speed!I suppose it's good to know that some things don't
change with time (Donna, that warning may be superfluous, but take heed).

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, and happy holidays.
Jeff & Kristin (plus Landon & Miranda).

Yes, Jeff, your memory is very good and better than mine. I have had trouble before on black ice and it should encourage me to search for a technical solution, some kind of tinted glasses that show it up better. Or different footwear. Donna has some grippers that she wears on the bottom of her shoes and
I've thought it a little unnecessary. Guess who is right?.....dean

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dear dean, what most of your correspondents don't know is your bravery and good cheer in all that
has taken place to date. no complaining, trust in your caregivers, and adhering to the game plan is
what you have done from the day you arrived back in n.h.. in my experience this is atypical of what
most patients would have done in a similar situation. thanks for making it easy for all of us taking
part in your care, and special thanks to donna (your main caregiver).

love, howard

Howard (who is present in the first pic on this site); We have guided
my medical care for decades, maybe three of them, in Boston and
herein NH. Thanks for taking the initiative to slap my limping body
intox-ray and MRI just as soon as I left the plane. Since I'm not as
serious about taking care of myself as you would have me be, you
takeup the slack...with love and friendship plus skills...dean

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hi, dean. donna tipped me to your get-well site, and i was pleased to hear that you're recovering well
if slowly. here's some reading matter that needs some editing but has a kind of moral in the kicker.

Joe was moderately successful in his career, but as he got older he was increasingly hampered by terrible headaches. When his personal hygiene and love life started to suffer, he sought medical help.
After being referred from one specialist to another, he finally came across a doctor who solved the problem. "The good news is I can cure your headaches. The bad news is that it will require castration. You have a very rare condition which causes your testicles to press up against the base of your spine. The pressure creates one hell of a headache. The only way to relieve the pressure is to remove the testicles."

Joe was shocked and depressed. He wondered if he had anything to live for. He couldn't concentrate
long enough to answer, but decided he had no choice but to go under the knife.When he left the
hospital, despite the feeling that he was missing an important part of himself, his mind was clear.
And as he walked down the street, he somehow felt like a different person. He could make a new beginning and live a new life.

He walked past a men's clothing store and thought, "That's what I need, a new suit." He entered the
shop and told the salesman, "I'd like a new suit."The salesman eyed him briefly and said, "Let's see . . . size 44 long."Joe laughed, "That's right, how did you know?""It's my job." Joe tried on the suit. It fit perfectly. As Joe admired himself in the mirror, the salesman asked, "How about a new shirt?"Joe thought for a moment and then said, "Sure!"The salesman eyed Joe and said, "Let's see -- 34 sleeve
and 16-and-1/2 neck."Joe was surprised, "That's right, how did you know?"

"It's my job."Joe tried on the shirt, and it fit perfectly. As Joe adjusted the collar in the mirror, the salesman asked, "How about new shoes?"Joe was on a roll and said, "Sure!"
The salesman eyed Joe's feet and said, "Let's see . . . 9 1/2 wide."Joe was astonished, "That's right,
how did you know?"

"It's my job."Joe tried on the shoes and they fit perfectly. Joe walked comfortably around the shop and the salesman asked, "How about a new hat?"Without hesitating, Joe said, "Sure!" The salesman eyed Joe's head and said, "Let's see . . . 7 and 5/8."Joe was incredulous, "That's right, how did you know?"

"It's my job."
The hat fit perfectly. Joe was feeling great, when the salesman asked, "How about some new underwear?"Joe thought for a second and said, "Sure!"The salesman stepped back, eyed Joe's waist
and said, "Let's see . . . size 36."

Joe laughed. "No, I've worn size 34 since I was 18 years old."The salesman shook his head and said, "You can't wear a size 34. It would press your testicles up against the base of your spine and give you one hell of a headache."

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Hi Dean,
Glad to hear that you are recovering fast. These tricky Swiss mountains! I just got back to Switzerland and will attempt a hike in the snow one of these days. Anyway, in the future, stick to your wonderful Boesch-Boat, be it on the Lake of Walensee or back in the U.S. Get well, enjoy Christmas and relax! Read, read, read -- not business books, but poems or some great fiction.
All the best,

Rolf and the entire getAbstract team, Lucerne

Rolf: you and the GetAbstract team are very fit in the Swiss tradition. Partly it is the required military service that keeps people in good, flexible shape. Had I stretched or exercise more before this wanderweg, the slip on black ice would have been just another tumble. But I did it on cold muscle
and instead of stretch it was rip. You will be better....Glad to know you and learn from your product
every week...Merry Christmas...dean

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Hi Dean,
I'm glad to read that you are on the way to get better. It takes a bit patience, I can just imagine,
how you are not made for that, I'm terrible in it myself.

Here you have a picture of our son.You have to scroll down to December 19). The mayor thing he
does at the moment is sleeping and having a drink once in a while.

Get well and enjoy your family.

Hannes

Thanks for your wishes and especially the picture of the latest Fullemann-Trier family member.
He is the prettiest baby at the clinic, but you know that, and has the most expressive hands.
You are very proud..and I know Manuela is relieved to have this phase over.

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Dear Dean,
I showed Stefanie your hospital pictures on your Web site and she wanted to cheer you up with a little song and dance (see video on http://www.stefaniemayer.de/SnG021222.ASF).It looks like you got quite
a cozy arrangement there, but I remember that I found it quite difficult to type on the VAIO while in bed.
I can recommend the contraption that I used after my accident back in 2000 -

(http://www.comdig.de/ComDig00-16/vght.jpg)

Well, we hope you get well soon and we can play some tennis or ping-pong together again.

Thanks to you and especially Stephanie for her cheery dance routine. I look forward to when I can
do the same thing..or play tennis and pingpong with you.

That's a great contraption you have for the computer. I see now the effort it took for you to maintain
the Complexity Digest pace...you did not miss a beat. I'm not as bad since I can sit up and have a
rental hospital bed...it is just that my leg must remain completely straight except that I have to manipulate the patella and the incision to keep things from sticking together inside (at least those
things that are supposed to be mobile).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dean,
Since I was a child -- when I first heard it in my local church -- my favorite Christmas song has been
O' Holy Night. I'm not sure if you know it, but it ends in a crescendo that goes: "Fall on you knees and
hear the angel voices." Well this year, out of respect for your predicament, I promise to sing: "Fall on your behind, and hear the angel voices." I figure it's the least I can do until you're up and at it again.

Yes I know the hymn too but out of respect for its inspirational sound I do not sign it..but listen and
try to produce a saintly smile. But more appropriate for my present post-accident state is "God Rest
Ye Merry Gentlemen."

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Hi Dean:
Sorry to hear about your mishap, but it seems that you are well on the way back to your usual robust self. You know what they say about a butterfly flapping its wings in China causing a storm in North America, well who knows what untold chaos your little episode will have created around the world. If the market crashes in 2003, we can blame you. Anyway, all the best for a speedy recovery and a healthy and happy 2003.

Thanks, Martin, and I hold in my hand, as we speak, the queries and prognostications of my favorite interlocutor, Mr. X. And am delighted he has returned to one of our favorite topic, the Supercycle. Maybe it is too much complexity buzzing around in my head but a phase shift seems overdue. Wouldn't it be ironic if the future does not depend upon all that recent market history we have accumulated in our heads?

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Dear Dean,
Because we are not in the EU, Peter calls Switzerland "Disneyland in the Alps" (in Anaheim they managed only one mini-Matterhorn!)-- For economic fun and games, but they can be treacherous! Witness your slipping on black ice. They should post signs: Beware Gnomes at work!!

Peter over-did on the mountains behind our house in Ascona, and is also stuck-at-home-for-Christmas. But he calls our "Seestern" house here in Küsnacht a first class clinic by the sea -- and it is becoming one of our nicest holidays after all. You did well to go home to be able to enjoy the same -- friends, books, comforts (you are the gimmick-man, we still use your inspiration, the bread-making machine) -- and your own website! Now there's bedside luxury.

We wish you all the best for a complete recovery, with so much going on you might not even want it
to be too speedy!, and look forward to both of you gentlemen meeting and walking perfectly again
around the Alps. It can be a Merry Christmas!

Oh my, Peter, you're laid up too! Shame on both of us for not looking down for the next step. But
Yvonne is right...this home spa business is not bad. You don't have Tivo yet in Switzerland
www.tivo.com for a look at events to come..its now in the UK, but it is very usual. And a huge book rack...currently I'm midway into Michael Crichton's Prey which is advertised as a thriller but really
is an excellent description of complexity science and how it can be (misused).

Like Seestern on Zurichsee, Waypointe has the same vista over Lake Sunapee. I can't see it from the downstairs back room where I'm temporarily stuck on one floor but I do look at http://www.deanlebaron.com/webcam.php to see the view I should see and the one you do.

I know Yvonne is taking excellent care of you...we'll both run around the Alps soon.....dean

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Dean, Are you in Switzerland or in NH? Could well be that I stop by to make you wish that you would
not be nailed to the house and instead being able to kick my butt out of your door! Donna, I wish you strength . . . .Get well soon, let things heel and stay a man of great humor and spirit.

Big hug, Ruben Eingaertner, December 2002

Yes, Reuben, I was in Switzerland enjoying the mountain wanderweg when the accident happenned
and would have been closer to your Austrian base than I am now. Now Stateside. Hope you well...
know you are busy....dean

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Since Donna is filling her section of the site with "jokes" (none of which are worthy of my coveted
Joke Of The Month Award):

My father told me that if more people voted for Al Gore than George Bush the country would be in
a helluva mess. He was right . . .

And, yes; Dean HAS won the coveted Joke Of The Month Award:

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Happy holidays to you too, and BRAVO for the terrific site! What a wonderful idea!!!

Anne-Elisabeth

(PS: this answer is a bit late because I hardly ever check my AOL address these days.
The address above, as well as ae@moutet.net, find me quickest.)

HAPPY Christmas!!!!

Anne-Elisabeth

HAPPY Christmas!!!!

Anne-Elisabeth

Tous mes voeux pour 2003!

A very happy and successful 2003!

A/E: You are a joy in Paris and wherever else you are. Thanks for bring some of that to my bedsite |
via the site Donna arranged (a surprise to me). Glad, always, to be in touch with you and your writing. hugs...dean

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How did your procedure go? We just got back from our cruise (all went well!); I was checking my
e-mail from the ship and was concerned when I heard nothing. Hopefully, the article you forwarded
to me (thanks!) means you are a-ok.

With best wishes to you and yours for a Happy Holiday Season and a HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!!
Hugs

Glad you are safely back from your anthrax investigation cruise in the Caribbean. And the results
were negative. But you are ahead of us learning about precautions. And thanks for recognizing my investment advice to bury gold in different locations. That's a modification of the dictum to deposit in different banks...since all banks are bankrupt all the time anyway and we depend on new depositors
to pay off the old ones (is this called Bank Ponzi?) I wonder if we should be recommending that strategy.

All too depressing and unnecessary if there is a bull market coming, even a non-bull bull market.
I prefer the cheery forecasts.

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Donna, Are you sure the Doctor said he must remain immobile for 6-8 weeks? He is sneaky, you
know, and it's possible he is just trying to get a high level of service and attention from his buddy!
Can we send him a bed-pan, or some such, for Xmas? A length of hose? A plastic bucket?

We are on our way to Florida morning after tomorrow, to prepare the place for your arrival in April. I
will go to the hospital and see if I can make arrangements for one of those traction beds, just in case.
Or maybe a steel cage, because if he has to be good for 12-16 weeks he is going to be tough to
contain and probably dangerous to all around him four months from now.

We'll probably be in touch before Xmas, but if not, do the best you can! Champagne helps!

Lotsa lotsa.

Steve: We'll think of you in FL and hope we can make it as planned. But I have to behave when PT
starts and behavior was never one of my strong suits. I'm moving the patella, as instructed, and massaging the incision so the good work of the surgeon underneath does not adhere but can't do
much else. I think pegleg is my future for a few months after I'm given permission to bear some
weight on the leg. Meanwhile I'll think of you on the boat, the one I own part of the anchor locker.

hugs...dean

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We Swiss-Americans would like to say a few words to you during your recovery in defense of
our Swiss Alpine walking paths.In the first place, they are quite safe. Therefore, under Swiss law,
the person who falls is guilty until proven innocent, something by the way we now understand the president of the United States is also applying to suspects of terrorism.

Your injury was most likely the result of trying to impress your girlfriend with your vigor and therefore
you did not notice the ice (black or white) which caused your fall. On the other hand, we are all grateful that Donna was with you at the time, since her help was certainly needed.

Now following your surgery which went into your thigh and you even pictured it on your Web site, for anyone who had the courage to look, you are well on your way to recovery, albeit it a journey longer
than you would like. But not to worry, the resilience to adversity which has been one of your hallmarks will carry you through nicely thanks also to the finest of care you receive from those at home and your doctors.
Still, we will miss seeing you as soon as you had planned to come back to Switzerland. To remind
you of better times, I am attaching a picture taken last year with you and me on your terrace/balcony
in Weesen together with my son Alfred, his wife Wendy and their children Myles and Lucy. Klara was
the photographer and she joins with me in wishing you all the very best for a speedy recovery "und eine gute Besserung."

Alfred

It is very pleasant to be reminded of our times together in Weesen/Thalwil when I had two working
legs. I'll get back to that point and, with luck and PT skill, will return in the Spring. Will be interesting
to see what is on the roof terrace then.

Thanks for your lifelong friendship...and our information exchange lately of the same age creaks and groans.

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Dean looks good in the pictures. However, we are sending a care package of Hair Coloring (left over
from Strom Thurmond's 100th Birthday party) and depilatories in case you have trouble re-entering the USA with an obviously fake knee brace, in which are concealed small pox and anthrax, and very bad investment advice (the most devastating).

Good fortune and Merries and Hugs. SBS and the other nine souls on board!

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Oh for God's sake, Dean. Quit showing off. You were probably doing some jackass pirouette,
or triple flix-blix. I don't in the least buy Donna's "black-ice-in-the-driveway" bit. By the way,
recover soon.

Tom [Peters]

Alas, Tom, it was black ice on a Swiss wanderweg conveniently beside a tiny road way. The trail
was sharply down hill at 1700 meters and one foot slid forward while the other stayed firm. Ballet
training or even those boring stretching before exercise might have helped but without either I tried
to do an involuntary split with the firm leg collapsing like a bent landing gear on one of my hard
landings, the other out straight down the incline.

Posture on the ground looked as silly as I've been since the kneeling guest of honor at a 45 min.
Tokyo classical tea ceremony and even more painful, difficult to believe. With two sticks in my
hands I slowly slithered over to soft ground and staggered to my feet...so to speak...while Donna
returned on the ice with the car. Knowing that no Swiss would be as unprepared without blankets
and first aid as we were, I got into the car before any one could
see this hunched over old man.

The dumbest thing was not getting x-ray and mri's done there, the center of winter sports medicine.
Since each day felt slightly better I thought it was progress until it leveled out that I could walk with
only one cane instead of two.Hence tests in the States two weeks after the accident and emergency surgery that should have been done immediately in Switzerland.

Learn from your mistakes as someone said once in a management book.....all best and thanks,

dean 12/21/02

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Deano: I did not think you were mortal as you are a God to our kids. We are hoping that you can
spend some of your recuperating in good old NH -- especially when we will be partaking of your hospitality over Martin Luther King week-end. It would not be the same if you were not with us.
Anyhow, we all send condolences and love to you,

Karen, Steve and kids:
Well, this tin God has stitched together strut and a bout of months of controlled, disciplined PT.
We'll be here for your visit but unlikely to join you on the slopes. You can see the Mt Sunapee trails
with the new web cam on my site...put there just to whet your appetite. I thought of Steve in putting
the operation pics on the site...he likes and understands the medical stuff. This one is going to test
my patience...thus, my urge to run and jump is held in check.

Thanks for the virtual greeting on this new site that Donna and her brother, John, arranged. The best
news about my prognosis was when I learned they only paid for a one year site license.

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Virtual visit -- Get well Dean!
Paul Turner

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Hello to all the LeBaron Team: I wish you the best of holidays. I looked at your Web site, Dean, and
saw all those adorable babies. What a lucky man you are!We are making very good use of Dean's
School Bus these days. The Maoist insurgents have declared an indefinite school closure in the Kathmandu Valley (around 5000 schools), and we, like other parents, are scrambling around to find
some productive activities for our kids.

So in addition to some tutoring and gymnastic lessons, we are taking them by the busload to the
library (there are only a couple of libraries open to the public in Kathmandu), as well as to other
activities.We will have our usual boisterous Christmas Eve at K House, with Father Christmas,
stockings for the little kids, and a smashing performance of singing and dancing by the children.

I hope your leg is better, Dean.. Too bad you didn't have a comfortable basket to be carried in, like
I had when I broke it on the trek. I finished the whole trek and saw everything my companions saw
-- but backwards. Thanks again to all of you for your generous help over the years -- it has made an unimaginable difference in the lives of so many wonderful children.
Hugs,

Olga:
I flunked the Himalayan trek tryout in the lower Swiss Alps. No doubt the PT which starts in a
couple of week, painfully so I understand, may put me on the right track again. Would be a
shame to lose those wanderwegs, bike rides, tennis games which allow me to foolishly pretend
I'm a better athlete at 70 (almost...right now with a walker it feels like 90) than at 20. And I thought
I was good with math!

Glad you are still taking care of the kids and thanks for giving our foundation a chance to share in
the joy you are bringing to these young lives.

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Dean: At least you didn't suffer the same fate as Auntie Mame's husband. The mountains in New
England are safer. See you back here soon -- on a mountain.Best wishes for the Holidays,

Hi, Jim:
It would seem that Donna is gaining material for a book on the reluctant patient. I know what a bird must feel like with a clipped wing. Between gathering suggestions for radical improvement in healthcare management (like throw away all pencils and pens), she and I operate on a principle of one new step every day...simple things like taking a shower half in and half out.

Its all very basic and I was reminded of where we end up when it was suggested I get a geri-chair (still don't know what it is but did not like the name).

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Oh My !!! Dean: As our days of youthful invulnerability inexorably fade into the dimming past, it is
only natural that we still try to do things that we ought not to. Viagra works in bed but not on mountains. You have my sympathy even though its only a knee. The leopard on Kilimanjaro was not so lucky.

Jim...
I'm reminded of the crazy things we did...and crazy investments. The picture in mosquito gear from the upper (or lower) Amazon was more like a shot from the Park Ave. Abercrombie than anything else. Rather like the Brits in Egypt at the turn of the century.

At the moment with a busted leg held together with high-tech duct tape Viagra seems like something
I can only read about for a few months. But it is a reminder as to why PT will be worthwhile whenever
that starts.

Hugs to you and Judy.....dean

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If we have learned anything over the past two years, it is that we all know preciously little about the
past, little about the present, and virtually nothing about the future. We now know the first two years
of the Millennium have been nothing short than an unmitigated disaster for many investors.

But we are not sure why. Looking ahead to 2003, one should never forget the words of Jean Jacques Rousseau who wrote that, "the ability to foresee that some things cannot be foreseen is a very
necessary quality." So, while we might enjoy in 2003 a financially better year, it is just as possible
to see a continuation of the present harsh investment environment.

But consider for a moment, the wise words of the Dalai Lama: "Not getting what you want is sometimes
a wonderful stroke of luck." What he meant is that failure of achieving some of our goals will lead to
more time for reflection and thought, greater humility, kindness, and compassion for the less privileged
in our societies.

So my wish for you in 2003 is to have plenty of time for yourself alone and, despite all the travel
warnings, go somewhere where you have never been before. In the present war like atmosphere it
is also important that we the privileged class show the poor and the destitute that we are not the
cause of their misery but that we are here to help and to share our values, knowledge and means
with them. The best hope we have for fighting terrorism, which sadly involves the loss of life of many innocent people, is to address the very causes that give rise to the hatred some people resent towards ourselves. Carl Jung observed that, "The wickedness of others becomes our own wickedness because
it kindles something evil in our own hearts."

We must avoid this at all costs. The war against social injustice and poverty can only be won with
strong morals, self respect, respect and tolerance for others, and a strong sense of responsibility
for all our actions.

It is in this spirit that I wish you and your families all the best for the future. In particular be careful of Swiss mountains. They may have been corrupted by Swiss management style . . . and are, therefore, tricky! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Marc Faber

Marc:

Good advice from a sage friend. I'll have to do the travel virtually but you know I do that anyway. As
this site is correctly named, I'm stuck at home. On the helping people, the American gov't is the least helpful with non-military foreign aid among developed nations, as you know. But we are one of the
most advanced in private aid.

At first, in Switzerland, my efforts to help various causes were rebuffed since it is not the custom there. But now progress has been made and I can make contributions anonymously without anyone thinking
I'm trying to get something in return. I guess for Swiss, and you are a real one and I'm an official part-timer, money is too important to be given away.

Your investment advice remains prescient with an ability to look around corners before they are approached. A laudable and rare skill which I applaud.

dean

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I wanted to wish you both a speedy recovery and as wonderful season and new year. My best,

Tania

Tania:

Thanks for your wishes. Dumb, isn't it, with all the places around the world you and other Batterymarch people have been with me, I have been immune to medical problems outside the States. Of course,
I do remember catching one of our colleagues as he collapsed on the floor of the hotel in Santiago
but that was the exception. We survived and thrived on every other adventure...revolutions, scubas,
long over water journeys and finally I slip within a few miles (vertical) of my Swiss base. Irony.

Best to you and Alex....dean

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Dear Dean, Even your injuries are adventurous and exotic!! I think Donna should nurse you back to help with home-made cookies and chicken soup. But then, she'll probably have it catered and your recovery room decorated for the event!We are thinking of you over the holidays, and wish you well,

I can't complain about Spa Waypointe, or more correctly Spa Donna, as a recuperation place. Here
the chef does come in to discuss the menu as I have suggested to the local hospital. And there are books and more books, afternoon DVD movies and, of course, video conference and all the electronics
at hand. Now if we could just use stem cell to
grow a better leg....hmmmmm? dean

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Greetings to Dean:
So now we know why we haven't seen you at Friday night on the deck or the Harbor Falls Deli,
apart from the fact that the deck and the deli are closed (sadly, permanently for the deli). Truthfully,
you could have stayed here if your goal was to fall on black ice. Since you obviously won't be dropping
by this season, here is a picture of our Christmas tree. Consider it our warmest holiday greetings to
you and wishes for a rapid recovery.

Alas, Peggy and Jack, our presence at Oakledge will have to be virtual for a couple of months. But
when late Spring rolls around and the black flies are here you will see the mosquito traps working at Oakpointe and know that, between our family visits there, we'll arrive
by boat or electric GEM truck. Eager for that time. dean

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Dean,
Just thinking about you and sending my greetings for the holiday season. Please know that if there's anything you need -- I'm here -- at least for awhile.
Will pop in sometime over the holidays -- will call first.
My best to you and hugs!!

Joan

Joannie.. What kind of neighbor am I? Here I am, next door, but not able to offer you a dinner at a
local pub, a fest of some sort. I can look across your lakefront on the south webcam, can call you
on the phone but my world is circumscribed by my arm's length most of the time and by the long
travel to the kitchen with a walker when I get up for what is loosely called "exercise." Up to you to
hop the fence for a coffee, egg nog or something...hope you do...dean

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I am pleased to see that you, at least, are keeping your balance and your sense of adventure.
As it happens, I did recently encounter an entertaining site that is worthy of a pointer: www.dubyadubyadubya.com.

The contents may need a "not politically correct" warning for U.S. visitors. However, I know that your European visitors will enjoy this rare piece of U.S. self-deprecating humor.

Best, Tony

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Dean:
You might be stuck in bed, but I'm sure that a lot of men just might trade places with you for a
little while. You are the king of the castle and being taken care of in style. Your space may be
small but you do have it all, and within the reach your fingertips no less. But we all want you to
get better soon and back to doing things on a normal basis. So don't get to comfortable because
soon you'll be at the mercy of the physical therapist, who will make you exercise daily. Know that
I care and will always be here to help.

Ellie

Ellie...How could I do this without you? People around Sunapee know that you are me since I usually come and go...now I'm stuck and you are the extension of my arms. Each day we think of novel things
to enhance life and it is a special challenge when I can't move. You are correct that the next one will be PT and I'm sure you'll be right behind Karen (the PT person) saying "push him." =====

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First "Amuse Bouche" from Barbara and Peter with love and get well thoughts.
And a Merry Holiday to both.

Barbara and Peter

Peter and Barbara: Not sure my untutored translation of "amuse bouche" works as "entertaining mouth" but I hope to have it in my daily video commentaries and other prognostications. Didn't someone say
that investment forecasts had such a bad record, the commentator learned to be "amuse" in order to explain away their past record. Peter sets such a high standard for himself and he is always modestly pointing out his small shortcomings when the rest of us know he brings an intellectual ethic to our work that is unique...and he is right more often than wrong...a huge success story.

I'm "stuckathome" as Donna correctly puts it so there is lots of time to do stuff I would otherwise defer. Fun reading, latest is Prey by Michael Crichton, a complexity primer masquerading as a science thriller, educational simulations on the computer, Virtual Leading looks promising but is very crude compared with the current advances in video gaming and playing with Ebay while wondering why security markets don't copy its applications. And finally fearing that I might even be right, heaven's, that the dollar weakness is the world's referendum on the US. Happy season to you both, love, dean

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GEORGE BUSH: When you rearrange the letters: HE BUGS GORE.
DORMITORY: When you rearrange the letters: DIRTY ROOM.
EVANGELIST: When you rearrange the letters: EVIL'S AGENT.
PRESBYTERIAN: When you rearrange the letters: BEST IN PRAYER.
DESPERATION: When you rearrange the letters: A ROPE ENDS IT.
THE MORSE CODE: When you rearrange the letters: HERE COME DOTS.
SLOT MACHINES: When you rearrange the letters: CASH LOST IN ME.
ANIMOSITY: When you rearrange the letters: IS NO AMITY.
MOTHER-IN-LAW: When you rearrange the letters: WOMAN HITLER.
SNOOZE ALARMS: When you rearrange the letters: ALAS! NO MORE Z'S.
A DECIMAL POINT: When you rearrange the letters: I'M A DOT IN PLACE.
THE EARTHQUAKES: When you rearrange the letters: THAT QUEER SHAKE.
ELEVEN PLUS TWO: When you rearrange the letters TWELVE PLUS ONE.
And for the grand finale: PRESIDENT CLINTON OF THE USA: When you rearrange the letters
(With no letters left over and using each letter only once): TO COPULATE HE FINDS INTERNS!

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My first sympathetic thoughts go to Donna who apparently is going to have to put up with you for
6 to 8 weeks at home plus a similar period of convalescence. Living 24 hours a day with a guy who sometimes resembles a fly in a bottle would seem to be hard duty.

So what were you doing atop some Swiss mountain that was apparently covered with black ice?
I tend to picture you noodling over some new computer problem as distinct from mountain climbing.
But I guess this is what you do when you move to Switzerland.

Speaking of hiking, last March a 77 year-old friend and I tackled the Appalachian Trail starting from
the south end in Georgia. He was planning to go for about three months and I for about two weeks.
But after some very lousy weather, we cut it short after just four days. We get some flack about this
from our friends, but having climbed Mt. Kahtahdin in Maine a couple of years ago, I'm usually the
only person in the room that can say he's been to the beginning and the end of the Appalachian
Trail plus 26 miles in between!

Nancy and I are both fine, and we celebrated our 50th anniversary year before last. I'm retired now,
but still come down here almost every day. The biggest difference is that I don't get paid!

I've got to go now to do some Santa Claus chores as tomorrow we have two daughters arriving plus
two husbands and five grandkids. This fills the house to capacity and then some.

Be nice to your good nurse-buddy and give her a kiss for me. Maybe we can get you guys over to
the Adirondacks for a few days next summer.

Fond regards to you both.

Tad

Tad and Nancy: Wow, even attempting the Appalachian Trail is a feat and one I can especially envy
while looking at my inert left leg resting on a pillow. It great exercise is to wiggle my toes and ankle.
The achievement of the week is to rotate both ankles in the four arrangements: both to the right, both
to the left, right-left, left-right. So you see what little things I call accomplishment...until I can move.
So, Tad, you have set the pace for me again. I've learned much from you, although there are days
when you think I could have learned more. And it appears that your investment quest for an appreciation for dividends more be rewarded handsomely. Glad many of us know where it all started....
hugs to you both, dean

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Sad to hear about the slip!

We have a collection of knee surgeries in the family, and it's no fun. In fact, Diane is headed to
Dr. Steadman in Vail for another look at her knee in a couple of months.We all hope you''re back
on the trails soon!

Larry & Diane

Larry and Diane: Wonderful Christmas pic of you and family. Can it be with all the mountain climbing
and knee injuries we have slipped (bad pun for me) into the senior category without our minds knowing it? The picture shows you both looking as fit as ever so you are safe for a while although grandparenting would seem to be a risk. Great to be in touch with you....hugs, dean

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Hi guys!
Could we see the staples? Just to be sure . . . you know . . . Dean always said to get the physical evidence first . . . I mean . . . not that we don't believe you Dean . . . but . . . well . . . it would be
good to just see . . . maybe . . . one staple? Hugs,

Rich

Darn, Rich, the pic I took of the staples to show was over-exposed by the flash. I did not get the background as light as the tan faded leg. The 21 staples are now relegated to hospital waste and the
little strips that were glued on to hold the incision together is not very dramatic. But in keeping with
your request I'll try to get a good pic to meet your request. You're right...start with the facts, and then
flee into the fancy. For me the fancy is just to be able to walk without a stick....hugs, dean

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Hello Dean, I see you are propped up with your laptop so you are still virtually "on your feet" And
your friends have arranged a virtual place for us to drop in to see how you are doing.The new
Sunapee webcam(s) are spectacular -- the image clarity is amazing!

I finally got my 3D glasses from e-Dimensional to work with flight simulator and the effect is quite amazing.

With the right plane in the virtual cockpit setting you can really sense the depth as you look out
over the instrument panel to the world beyond. Lately I have been "flying" a Piper Archer model II
from the mid 60's, with realistic engine sounds, flap noises, etc. Learning to land on short grass
runways in the mountains is proving a good work out.

Learning how to maximize the flight simulation experience is also teaching me a lot more about
inner workings on my PC -- and I thought a knew a lot already -- but these gaming guys really push
the envelope!

I am in the process of applying to the University of Missouri in Columbia to join their Doctoral
Program in Learning Technologies.I hope to combine getting a PhD and Pilots License over the next couple years.Any advice you have to offer I am all ears.

Hope you are doing OK and will be up better than ever soon.Your virtual pen-pal,

Paul:
That's very creative...a banner plane flying over Weesen (where we held the first AIMR webcast
together) with the bi-plane that no doubt left Shanis aerodrome and has to fly nose high and full
throttle to maintain altitude. And even arranged to have the banner in English rather than Swiss
German so I could understand the comforting message.

Thanks much....many of the computer things I try to do are ones you have motivated me to try.
I have lots of time now on my back with electronics at hand. You can see it on the homepage
photo that Donna/John put here showing my world as circumscribed by the radius of my arm.

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Well, I too am home for the holiday. In show biz, they say "break a leg." Not sure that the same
wishes apply to mountain trekkers. Though, from the sounds of things, that would be easier in your current situation. Best wishes on a reasonably rapid (and FULL) recovery!

Rob: Sounds like we'll both be swinging our legs over the motorcycle seats with a little less gusto
than last year. Hope your progresswill go as well as mine seems to be. Being tied down with a rigid
cast or leg brace seems rather medieval after a while but one developssome facility with a walker or crutches. And provides time forreading while the muscles atrophy.....be well...dean

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