Dear John (The Alumni Council),

Greetings from California …. Thank you for the extremely generous Christmas gift ….

In some ways I am better off; in some ways I am the same…. Weather is unusually hot.
Room is nice. Food ranges from good to excellent at times. Plenty of fresh fruit. There is lot
of noise … of all kinds … airplanes, trucks, trains, streetcars, helicopters, motorcycles, and … well,
you name it. The surroundings are nice, even with the ants. I can hardly walk. I cannot drive.

My car is basically impounded until it gets CA license plates, which is compounded by the fact
that “nobody” seems to have its title. I need a CA driving license which I may or may not get.
It is taking me longer to formulate my thoughts ….

It’s a different world for me. Many years ago, I knew this part of CA very well. Now, it is all
strange and a bit over powering. Everything is internet and people do things that I can hardly
believe. I have professionals (medical, supportive, and personal) at hand who are very
professional, and, in general, I am well attended to.

On the other hand, I am losing weight, eating only a little, losing tastebuds, and I am really
tired for long periods at a time. And crabby as h… . It is difficult getting established in the
Long Beach, VA. Phone calls get cut off. Doctor cancels appointments. There is some
difficulty adjusting medicines between Long Beach and Prescott VAs. And everything
(personal, medical, etc.) and needs to be coordinated. There is very little spontaneity.
Everything must be planned ahead of time. Fair enough ….

Still, everything is provided for and all help is extremely competent, friendly, and polite. The
site is well attended-to and in many ways, quite beautiful. If driving here, look for “Museum.”

We are receiving more CMF priests. I think that we are at 12 now and are expecting more in
the near future. In many ways I am an outlier … ! never was stationed here and only know the
place as I spent a day or two here … many years ago. Many guys actually did seminary training
hears YEARS AGO – 1940’s and 1950’s.

Enough for now. Again, thanks for everything. See you sometime …. somewhere …..

All the best to all. … Again, thank you …. I remember you and yours in prayers ….