I hope you’ve all been well. After almost two weeks away I’ve definitely missed interacting here with all my friends. Curiously, I find myself taking more breaks from Hive these days. For the first time these breaks feel natural and I think the time away has been healthy. For nearly a decade I’ve been posting here on this blockchain almost every single day. 

A large part of my absence has been due to the fact that life has just been more hectic than usual. I'm also sensing a shift that might materialize into a least a partial retirement from writing. After thirty+ years of focusing so much of my time and energy on the written word I'm finding my curiosity and interests are being pulled in different directions. We’re also a few months deep into a very extensive and taxing home renovation and I’ve been getting back into traveling again. 

## Speaking of travel— ##

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![Suitcase.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/23w2esshpL8id1A22uQ8tbs3dsys7YW58CQgm899uXJnwUt1uuLUNXigFaAFhe2cDjuE6.jpg)
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Last Wednesday I boarded a ridiculously early flight to Ohio to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Mother nature threw a snowstorm into the mix but, after a lengthy bit of de-icing my plane finally made it off the ground. 


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![Deicing.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/Eq7Nm977yxaEDZaaAnivvxTs5WYzF2KP2TZnpSvVbZFmNFQD1vpxSj4bGor9sisuBic.jpg)
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![Clouds.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/23w2ighDH9QPNf1d95autRDvjXD6x5Hr1NxRZcbLnU1DyX3RjKrDVKukEvU7Kqr4Q4WvM.jpg)
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Trips back home are always special but this one especially so. None of us are getting any younger and any time we can make new memories together as a family is a great thing. As soon as I deplaned I drove my Mom three hours north to the town of Canfield, where my brother and his family live. This was the first Thanksgiving we’ve all been together in about thirty years, that’s kind of insane to think about. Here are some pictures from that trip. 

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![MeandMom.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/EpXK4GFiikYQ43R4TPpyfQKgfYxwEN5JThtE5pm7LMneGcco6kyzAohLmEEaDPqqz3k.jpg)
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![Fam.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/EonmSsagXj4PWgGBYCpKVeFE3XDeWn8UtKV5kmbpuoJFsVESjA1Er8ebkPHyjyDSupQ.jpeg)
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The village of New Albany, near where my Mom lives was feeling Christmasy and all decorated for the holidays. 

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![NewAlbany.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/23wgKUSPTYQaNX4tHb5DMqo6qumMC1rR5gGdZrDiktMBj6cbw7cVaGYSCWTth372FhfkH.jpg)
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I also got to drive my brother’s new Corvette the first day we arrived. 

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![Vette.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/EpGPgbTdsAWGdX9sb9Te4NnwTU7vbU382fDpQw2Vbv619poLH9aPJbHSKeP2CxzKdFe.jpg)
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Man ‘o man, what a car! After experiencing this car firsthand I would say Chevy has made something extra special with the new mid-engine Corvette C8. Chevy’s designers and engineers benchmarked Ferraris in the creation of this car and it’s apparent. They managed to make pure magic with this car. 0-60 in around 3.2 seconds and all of the mannerisms of the Italian supercar, only at 1/5th the price and without the need for $10,000 brake jobs.  

The driver settings on the C8 can adjust things like steering, throttle response, and exhaust note to everything from a sophisticated tourer to rip-roaring demon from hell. The car actually measures and displays active g-force and, I can tell you first-hand, it can firmly plant you into the seat on take off. 

Will I be getting one? Probably not. I’ve found my brand (Tesla) but I’m thrilled that I got to drive this car and experience what it can do. I’m also happy for my brother because owning a Corvette is something neither one of us would have dreamed we could do when we were younger.  

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## Meet The Newest Member of Our Family ##

<center> https://youtube.com/shorts/zTYVoACM_0k?si=ebFP8OqUOcB9XqsK </center> 


Meet R2-D2, the newest member of the Walton family. 

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![Matic1.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/EqBdgWScEApp3LwdyYg7V7xReHTt5aq97E1Pq1J8z6ZHe78oemEW7wP1bnyccKSFveX.jpg)
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I’ve been researching robotic vacuums for the better part of the last three months and finally pulled the trigger on the [Matic Robotic Vacuum](https://maticrobots.com/). For the price, the Matic was the best I could find—by a longshot. I am especially impressed by the Matic from a data privacy perspective. With this robot your data stays on the vacuum itself and pictures of your home aren't transmitted elsewhere like every other brand does.  I’ll be writing a more extensive post on this in a few weeks but, so far, I’ve been beyond impressed. 

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![Matic2.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/23tvksiw9u3LiA2Un15D8m71FAsWQw8zD29ST2aCsj9brNH9AqsiXiS1mFcozVhBpSUQR.jpg)
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I lifted the lid on the box, turned it on, and it greeted me by name. The set-up process was easy, the robot maps the entire floor on its own and then you can fine-tune anything on the app that it’s missed—things like floor types, no-go zones, and such. I had the Matic map our upper and lower level floorplans and it got busy vacuuming and mopping the entire house. It was so cool to be able to knock additional tasks off of my chore list while the robot took care of the floors. As you can see it did a wonderful job. 

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![Floor.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/EoAdadRxJD5Wc1oGBJfRJRrj4ymeYaHbY6jMSCQEThrEBbrgXQyxrxbfRk36iQUe5UW.jpg)
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This Matic will do until the Optimus robot is ready. : ) [Here’s my Matic referral link](https://referrals.maticrobots.com/maticrobots/u/ericvancewalton?s=sp&t=cp&sub=maticrobots) if you’d like to get one for yourself and receive some bonus accessories in the process. 

## Much More Than Matic Can Handle ##

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![Kitchen.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/23w2un8pLxu9yJbhd64PWWKRXepPH5vzZygYzxQHuKF1CZSfcQJS9CqCef2YLZa6hLnY4.jpg)
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This is our kitchen right now, or more aptly, what's left of it. We're currently staying in a hotel until the work crew has our kitchen put back together. We peeked our heads in the door today to snap that photo. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cringe at the sight of it. With any luck it will be the end of the day on Friday but I just don't see how they'll meet the deadline. 

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![KitchenBefore.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/Eos2kYFcCNcz7KENGhBUj5tfE6nWf5MvGDbCDDyFcHP2oeftY9eZvL4abgWdSyYxjSC.jpg)
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Above is the *before* photo for reference. 

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![KitchenTile.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/23tmUkczfoqxWVVCJKE87snTWkMA7rZuvyj4o53GkaPEfqGcAtysV5yLNznjk6Q4YLWAD.jpg)
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Hopefully by the end of the day on Friday our floor will be covered with this new tile and there won't be any unforeseen mishaps or damage. 

## One Last Thing ##

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![Age.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ericvancewalton/23w2jGLTxy2n7BMrnpthLZgc3kBKTtPEC8BYmsa75ghyy5kWWkJgoBwv5wByUwwFpm2zS.jpeg)
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Age of Disclosure. If you're even mildly interesting in the UFO/UAP/ET phenomena be sure to check this doc out on Amazon Prime. As someone who's been following this topic for most of my adult life it feels like we've never been closer to true disclosure. At this point it's very apparent we aren't alone in the universe. 





All for now. Thanks so much for reading. 


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<center> [www.ericvancewalton.net](http://www.ericvancewalton.net) </center>
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