Two people I love very much, 20 years ago, at Christmas.

[NNadir]

My wife and my youngest son, I'd guess around 2005:



I love the expressions on both their faces, particularly that of my son in one of his contemplative moods. The picture was taken back in my Father and Mother in law's home, shortly before they sold it to go into assisted living. (They are gone now, and I think of them every Christmas)

That boy is a man now, who can tell me things about alloys of tungsten and rhenium (or technetium) that I didn't know and lots of other things about which I didn't know.

There's nothing better than when one's kid is smarter than one is himself.

I sincerely hope everyone has had a Christmas as filled with joy as mine has been to have my sons with us together with my wife, my in laws, and some friends.

[Tanuki]

1. What a beautiful wife and son!

I know from many of your other posts how much joy you receive from your marriage and family, and that always makes me smile. You have a heart of gold, dear NNadir, and are deeply deserving of every bit of this happiness!

[NNadir]

9. Thank you, as always, for your kind words Tanuki.

[littlemissmartypants]

2. ❤️🎁🎄🌞

[Hope22]

3. Beautiful post!

Perfectly put. Thank you for sharing this sweet capture. 💗🙏🏼🎄

[MustLoveBeagles]

4. Thanks for posting

You have a beautiful family.


🎊

[Bobstandard]

5. You post about nuclear issues often

I don’t always agree with your point of view but I know you traffic in facts. Respect! A healthy and prosperous new year to you and yours.

[NNadir]

8. That boy is now a nuclear engineer, soon to complete his Ph.D. Today he's hanging out with a nuclear engineer...

...friend of his, also finishing up her Ph.D., and also from New Jersey, visiting her mother on her break from Lawrence Livermore National Lab.

My son's Christmas gift to me was a hat reading "Got Neutrons?" from the ORNL gift shop. I love it. I plan to wear it around the campus of a certain Ivy League University near where I live where they still seem to think, disagreeing with me, that so called "renewable energy" will save the world, although there is no evidence it will do so, just as there is no evidence it has done anything to save the world and no evidence is saving the world.

The woman with whom my son lives, and probably will marry, is also a nuclear engineer, but stayed home to be with her family while giving him space to visit his, ours.

We all went nuclear in this family in hopes of addressing what can still be addressed about the collapse of the planetary atmosphere.

More than anything, I have enormous pride in my son, his lover, and his friends, and their commitment to doing what they can to avoid spitting into the wind. They know what they are doing and why they are doing it.

Thank you for your acknowledgement of my work here, irrespective of any disagreements, and for your kind words.

I wish the same to you, a healthy and prosperous New Year. May it be filled with love and hope.

[TBF]

6. Love this -

I have a husband and 2 very smart children (who obviously take after him!). I have more in common with the artistic child (she is just artistic in different ways than I am); but the STEM child blows me away. "Calculus is easy, mom" - he says as I shake my head and remember changing my major so no one would ever make me take more math!

[Cirsium]

7. Oh, you brainy people...

You're so....intelligent.

Nothing better than when people here are smarter than I am.

Peace and happiness to you and yours.

[biophile]

10. I've read many of your posts

I doubt if many here are more intelligent than you! Have a great holiday!

[Cirsium]

11. Thanks

[biophile]

12. Beautiful family!

It is a great pleasure to raise smart and kind children! Which hopefully means that they are also progressive ☺️. Thank you for posting this - it gives us all hope for the future, knowing that smart people like your son are here to lead the way!

[democrank]

13. Thank you for this.

Their bond is obvious…..beautiful.