Hi Don,

I'm sorry you are hurting today with agonizing pain in your back, but I feel greatly fortunate that I've had the opportunity to get to know you like many other board posters. There is a wonderful sense of purpose and goal when you get to know someone personally and work with them. I'm really sorry that our travels have been so limited lately, but hey, a new year is coming.

For those of you who don't know, Don and I plan to be in Parkfield for Sunrise Services on top of little Middle Mountain April 11th, 2004. This will also be the unvieiling of a Madonna statute which will be placed overlooking Phoebe Pollard's grave in the Imusdale Cemetery. She hasn't been forgotten by many folks who have written and expressed their interest in finding Phoebe's historical record.

So Don, we've been down a long road, compadre's together in the search for valid earthquake prediction methods. It has been one fascinating journey and something I wouldn't trade for anything. We have so many great memories of who we met, the places we've been and the jokes and snarls along the way. Are you smiling now? While one can lose a lot in life, memories can't be stolen by anyone. Ah, at last, something only one person can have to truly call their own. LOL

Max Wyss always told me that "less was better." But you know sometimes more is better. Just like your 100 plus predictions. The more you delivered the more you established your track record. What most people don't know of course is which predictions came from others data, your original only Don can do editions and which one's came from our work together in placing ear tone reports with data fed material. Only we know.

We also know that in bringing Lowell Whiteside to sit with us we all benefitted greatly from not only a man who is a terrific scientist, but one who is wise and wonderfully giving. I miss his participation greatly and especially the Zima Chronicles.

Of course we saw Roger Musson last year when we had a picnic with him at the Marin Headlands. The only sunny day all week and we hit it right on the nose. And he is very nice as well.

Fortunately today EQ prediction is not like Cold Case Files. It is full of activity from Iceland with Rolff Steffanson at the helm. GeoForecasters are doing their thing and such great news about Earthscope. Tom McEvilly told me about that long ago before it was a buzz word and I'm sure he'd be very happy today to see it come to life. And our ear tone program has some legs, but isn't exactly running at full bore. All in good time, I'm sure.

It's almost New Years and this time we can break open a bottle of champagne and celebrate the birth of Project Intercept. Now that's a good thing.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

Petra, Your Seismo Galfriend