(So since my last post... I spent the afternoon in Milan, explored around Marseilles for a few days, spent a weekend in Madrid, then a few days in San Sebastian, then went to the bus station and bought a ticket for Pamplona where I was to begin the Camino de Santiago, which I never used because I walked back to my hostel and bought a plane ticket home for December 23rd, arranged an airport shuttle and arrived on the doorstep at 9:15 pm, obviously too late for my parents who wouldn't answer the door until I called them to tell them it was me. I had seen a lot in the six weeks I was in Europe, and had seen most of the people I had hoped or planned to see while I was there, and I was tired. Home for the holidays and a few months with friends before venturing again up to Alaska sounded much better than trekking alone through winter in a land where I could speak but not understand the language.)
So home for almost 4 months. It's been a few years since I've been home for more than a few weeks at a time, which hasn't been entirely incidental. But I feel good about being here now. With time to explore, and a willingness to see what this place has to offer if I give it a chance. There's a list of things in my head I've been looking forward to being able to do that a transient lifestyle makes difficult. From joining a soccer league to attempting art to exercising to honing my culinary skills(or simply creating some) to spending consistent time around quality people to spending as much time as possible outside to... ... ... I am looking forward to this time to rest, and enjoy and be grateful to be able to spend time around family and old friends. I have positioned myself in locations lately where it hasn't taken a whole lot of effort to feel fulfilled, but here it will take being intentional, and I will enjoy that as well. And so far so good, I've been physically tired at the end of most days, I have more bumps, scrapes, and bruises from three weeks here than I've gotten in the past few years I think, and I'm enjoying the people, because I'm finally at the point where being anywhere alone just doesn't compare to being somewhere with familiars. We'll see if it lasts.
Callenques, limestone cliffs east of Marseilles along the Mediterranean Coast.
The Prison from Count of Monte Cristo, off the coast from Marseilles. We bi-passed this island for a more accessible one, where we explored around limestone ruins and perused unattended baguette shops. 
San Sebastian, the cutest and quaintest little coastal town of them all. Unfortunately the weather was crap the entire time. My stay there culminated in some crazy festival where all the locals wear their traditional dress and drink from noon til dawn, literally.
Amigos in the canyon. I haven't seen clouds since coming home, and I don't think a high for any day has been below 70. The hills are green and always beckoning. 
Today a bigger hill beckoned. Mt. Baldy. We ended up taking the long way down... the really long way. A 6,000 foot descent and 4.5 miles from where we parked the car, we waited in the rustic lodge with a few whisky drinks for the owner to finish his dinner and give us a ride back to the car. 