8/19/2025

My Dear Friend & POTUS, DJT,

It’s chilly here in Dunbar so folks are still nestled all snug in their beds. My BFF likes to go swimming in the lake first thing, but she’s dissuaded by the low temp. I can’t go since my recent dermatology procedure left me with a healing wound that the doctor does want to get infected by the heebie-jeebies in the water. The invigorating dip we used to start our day with isn’t happening this year. 

Maybe next year you can come up here & my BFF will persuade you to participate in her early morning swimming endeavor. I can imagine you tip toeing down the steep path to the lake as you expressed various doubts about the wisdom of such an adventure. Once you got to the lakeshore, you’d wade in a few feet with your shoulders up to your ears & your hands squeezed into your chest. You’d tell everybody how brave you were to get in & then come running out. You might admire a frog or two before getting back up the hill as fast as possible to jump into a hot shower. Sound like fun?

A visit to the Northwoods might help you see why folks like me are so discouraged by your mention of resurrecting the Keystone XL pipeline project. We cherish the trees, the water & all the critters who inhabit the forest & don’t want to see wild spaces disturbed by construction projects. You might appreciate our viewpoint if you spent some time communing with nature. 

Regarding Burma, did you see the photos of MAH putting a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow? Claude says honoring those who died fighting in WWII is “a customary gesture for visiting foreign heads of state.” It’ll be interesting to see if MAH also goes to the "Allies of Myanmar Warriors" monument in Patriot Park near Moscow. It’s one of the only statues anywhere in the world marking the sacrifices made by the Burmese during WWII.

Hope your meetings go well today,

BYBS,

RCA