Happy Holidays

and thanks for reading!

Hey everyone,

I hope you’re doing well as the year comes to an end!

I’ve been having a frantic but rewarding holiday season. Highlights have included another bird walk with the good folks at Parole Prep (only a few days left for donations in 2024), as well as some nice meals, beach walks, and time with friends. I cooked seven fishes with my family on Christmas Eve, which wasn’t as difficult or expensive as I thought it would be, although to be fair, I cheated in a few different ways (combining multiple fishes into one dish, and serving a couple of things that basically came out of a container ready to eat). To my credit, I didn’t count the adorable pea crab we found inside an oyster we opened, although you can expect a letter about the ecology of those funny little parasites soon.

I’ve also been hard at work preparing some writing that I’ll share with you here and elsewhere in 2025, including recipes, essays about ocean life, book recommendations, how-to guides, and a few other things that I’ll keep secret for now. Overall, I had a pretty good year. One of my highlights has been corresponding with so many of you through these letters (reminder: you can always hit ‘reply’ to these!) I’m looking forward to closing out my year by reading, seeing friends, spending a little time at the movies, and drinking some grog. Thanks, as always, for allowing my writing to make landfall in your inbox, and a special thank you to those of you who opted to move to a paid subscription recently. Wishing you all the best in 2025 and beyond.

With warmth and gratitude,

Russell