It seems like I tend to write these updates in the start of November, just as fall has come to a close and old man winter is pounding on the door. Maybe it’s the grey clouds and a nip in the air that stir my curiosity to write again. Or perhaps the summer was just too busy and this time of year tends to be the beginning when everything starts to quiet down.

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At the moment the wind is howling. The grey, overcast sky barely shifts as recently bare tree limbs bobble and sway in the heavy wind. There’s snow expected this weekend, the first of the season. Winds will shift from the south to the north tonight, blowing arctic air from Canada over the warm surface waters of Lake Superior, turning on the lake-effect snow machine for the first time. The ground isn’t frozen yet so the snow won’t stick around. But this is how it all starts every year: an abrupt beginning that somehow catches me off-guard no matter how prepared I may feel.

This year has been a tireless ride. A new job, health set-backs, and some home-ownership woes made it a struggle at times. While starting a new journey of learning how to sea kayak kept it exciting. There were other pot-holes and long stretches of freeway to navigate, no year is without its ups and downs. But I cruised down the highway of life at 110, windows down, music turned up to eleven, trying to string together some type of life that was fun and meaningful.

Let’s take a look back at the year that was 2025.

 

Winter

The winter of 2025 was one to remember. It started off heavy in late December and never stopped until April. We logged over 250 inches of snow in Au Train, one of the heavier snowfall years we’ve been around for. As with any high snow year the amount of time spent snow blowing and shoveling was astronomical. I logged over 60 days of snow removal activities. Probably as much as I’d ever snow-blowed in the seven winters we’ve been here for. Can I claim my Yooper card, yet? I don’t know. I’ve submitted my application to sasquatch himself. I’ll report back next year on the verdict.

 

 

At the beginning of January I took a new job. Good bye long days of client meetings and swinging deals, hello again corporate America! It was another fully remote position, so other than getting a new laptop and a fresh slate of faces for work colleagues, my normal routine more or less stayed the same. I’ve been working remotely now for almost five years which is crazy to think about. Never in my wildest imagination would I have pictured myself being able to work at home. To be honest, I’m not quite sure how it would feel to go back into the office. Probably pretty terrible. I can’t say I miss the small talk or having to smell someone microwaving their leftover fish dinner for lunch. Remote work is quiet and gives me back a lot of time I would otherwise waste driving to and from work. Sure, you miss out on the more social aspects of office life, but that is replaced by greater work efficiency and overall better work-life balance. I can’t say I have any urgent plans to go back into the office any time soon.

 

 

The abundance of snow led to a great cross country ski season. Like the previous year, I volunteered at the Valley Spur Ski trails most Saturday mornings. I would open the lodge and start a fire and get things set for the day. I enjoyed greeting the skiers as they arrived to hit the trails, collecting donations and explaining the trail system to newcomers. I would try to ski before my shift which I found beneficial so I could report on grooming status and trail conditions. Was it a better day for classic or skate? Should the hills be avoided or was it a good day to send yourself hurtling at top speed into the void of winter?

Since I work from home, having scheduled social interaction was good for me. I spend too much time alone at home by myself, and I’ve found it is important to have opportunities to organically meet new people and at least talk to someone in person that is not my wife (I think she appreciates it). I’ll also see my friends and others from around town and it’s nice to strike up a conversation and see how people are doing.

 

 

 

Every February I make the trip back out east for the annual Killington Vermont ski trip with the guys in my family. Due to some unforeseen circumstances the group was smaller this year, just my Dad and cousin-in-law (is that a term?) Greg, but we had an absolute blast. The conditions this year were amazing after a blizzard swept through the mountain the first night we were there, leading to an excellent powder day. In the town of Rutland we tried out a golf simulator for the first time, which we all really enjoyed. I bested cousin Greg on the last hole for a sweet victory (sorry, pal). You can try again next season.

 

 

 

 

Carolyn and I made another trip out to the western UP to the Porcupine Mountains to do some winter yurt camping in late February. This would be our fourth winter trip. We were supposed to spend two nights but a winter storm delayed our arrival and we only ended up spending one. It was still a fun time and has easily become one of the highlights of the winter. We played Scrabble, did some snowshoeing, and cross-country skied on our last morning before driving home.

 

 

 

 

Spring

With my herniated disc pretty much all healed from the prior summer, I was ramping up mileage on the skis and also my running. I was starting to feel strong and back to myself again, with one minor problem. Through January and February I started developing a strange pain on both of my heels. It would come and go but was always dominated by a painful sensation that was hard to describe but very noticeable walking barefoot. And then one day, after a hot yoga session, both of my heels turned red and purple and I could barely walk.

After a visit to urgent care and my doctor, nobody had a clue what it could be. I saw a podiatrist who suggested possible heel bursitis, but it wasn’t conclusive. The pain persisted and I was forced to walk with only the assistance of crutches for a week or so. It was frustrating and bizarre.

Over the past five or so years I had been having skin issues with my hands. I would develop these red spots after exposure to cold, which on occasion would become so inflamed that my entire finger would become painful and swollen. It was disruptive to my everyday activities and I never got a satisfactory answers or resolution after years of doctors visits. My heels seemed like they were having a similar problem, but it wasn’t definitive. I did change my boots earlier in the winter season, so perhaps that had something to do with it. But no matter what it was, it was clear that something wasn’t right.

After a month in pain and with limited progress, I was put on a steroid which reduced the swelling and finally began the healing process. However, with such limited mobility, I started to feel an ache in my calf. It felt somewhat like a muscle strain which was odd. The ache got worse and traveled into my inner thigh. In another week, I was completely disabled again. The pain was so severe that applying any pressure on my leg resulted in a stabbing, mind-numbing pain. In addition, I couldn’t take a deep breath without severe pain in my chest.

It was clear that something was terribly wrong.

Carolyn took me to the ER and after an ultrasound I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my left leg. Later the next day I had a CT Scan and they identified small blood clots in my lungs. I was immediately put on a blood thinner and told to come back to the ER if anything got worse. A few days later my left ankle swelled up like a balloon. We went back to the ER and I was admitted. The clot had gotten much worse and the next plan of action was to shove a catheter in my vein and administer clot buster medicine directly into the clot. I went into surgery on a Thursday afternoon and spent the next 2 days in the ICU as the clot was dissolved. I’ve never experienced so much pain.

On the 3rd day they took the catheter out and I was cleared to go home. The following month was difficult but I made a slow recovery. The pain gradually subsided and I regained my strength.  There wasn’t any genetic or health reason why I clotted after copious amounts of bloodwork and assessment from specialists. My hematologist suggested that sometimes the body can become imbalanced which may produce an unprovoked clot. That’s the best explanation I would get. I mostly believe it happened because I was immobile for so long dealing with my heels – that seems the most likely cause, although my doctor disagrees. Whatever the reason, the solution going forward was blood thinners for life (#bloodthinnergang).

Throughout all this I was also referred to a rheumatologist. The thing with my hands, and now heels, the blood clot, and some other random strangeness with my body that had occurred through the past few years, may have been pointing to some underlying autoimmune issue. After an evaluation and blood work, I’m suspected of possibly having psoriatic arthritis. I was put on an antirheumatic drug to see how I would respond.

This health scare was a whirlwind and quite stressful. I can’t thank Carolyn enough for helping me through this tough time and I’m lucky to have her by my side. I’m happy to report that I’m doing better now and seem to have my health under control.

 

 

 

By end of April I was feeling somewhat better and on the right track. Snow was starting to melt and warmer days were becoming more frequent. As seems to be an annual tradition when the river finally opens up and it’s a decently warm-ish day, we took out the canoe for the first time and played around in the lake ice. It was the first time I’d done anything meaningful outside in a few months and I took it as a sign that things would start getting better.

 

 

 

Right before all my health issues we purchased some sea kayaks from a person Carolyn knew at work. Since moving to the area sea kayaking was always something that I wanted to get into but for some reason never pursued. This opportunity was too good to pass up and we figured we ought to buy them. I have heard stories and read blogs of people kayaking around Lake Superior, and the idea kind of got itself stuck in my head. I think it would be one of the coolest adventures one could embark on in the Great Lakes region. The Au Train river, which we live on, connects into Lake Superior. A circumnavigation could begin and end right from my back yard, which the thought of has always excited me. Who knows if this will ever happen, but it is a dream of mine. In order to make any meaningful progress towards realizing it, I needed to actually buy and learn how to sea kayak. 2025 would be the start.

 

 

 

Over the winter deer visit our property every day. One of our neighbors leaves feed out and they migrate down the road around dinner time to feast. By dusk, the deer wander over to our property and walk along the river. Sometimes they get bold and walk right up to the house and nibble on our bushes. I guess whatever the neighbor provided wasn’t enough this past year or the bushes were just too enticing a treat to pass up. Whatever the reason, over the course of the winter, they really went to town and ate a good majority of them. We had wanted to replace the planter with something else for a while now, and this happened to be the perfect excuse for that as we now no longer had bushes. We bought five new bushes and replanted the raised bed in May. I didn’t realize how much time replacing bushes would take (most of the time is spent ripping out the established plants – what a pain) but it turns out it’s a bit more difficult than I had thought. Regardless, we liked the way it come out.

 

 

 

During my few months of not being able to walk I bought a paint-by-numbers kit to keep me from going batshit insane. It took a few months to complete but I was happy enough with how it turned out to hang it in our living room. Painting is quite a peaceful and calming activity. There are some things I’ll do differently on my next one, which is underway.

 

 

 

In mid June I was back to walking pretty well. My cousin Michael was getting married in Connecticut so we made a stop in NYC first and spent one night and a few days living the big city life. NYC is about as opposite of a place to northern Michigan as you can get, so it’s a lot of fun being in such a different locale. We walked around a lot, visited Central Park and the Natural History museum, and went to a comedy club which we both really enjoyed. Of course throughout our stay we ate a lot of good food and treats. I was happy to be able to walk around the city for many miles without too much discomfort, which was a big confidence booster for me.

 

 

 

 

My cousin got married to his partner at the Milford Yacht Club. It was a great venue for the wedding and was a lot of fun to connect with relatives on my father’s side who I hadn’t seen in many years. After the wedding, I spent the remainder of the week in Rhode Island with my family, hanging out with my two wonderful little nieces and helping my father get rid of and move items from my childhood home in Springfield, MA. My parents decided to sell their house in Springfield and make a permanent residence in Rhode Island, a much nicer spot to spend the golden years.  As we were going through all our old items, I found a few gems and snagged a couple of photographs . While I haven’t lived in that house for well over 20 years, it was an odd experience getting ready to sell it. Memories of growing up will always be tied to that property: fun family holiday parties, swimming in the pool, playing basketball in the back yard with my friends, studying in my room.  I grew up in that place and it’s hard not to think it partly shaped the kind of person I turned out to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer

With my health on the mend and a packed schedule, the summer came and went too quickly, as it tends to do every year. There is no place quite like the UP in the summer and it is my absolute favorite time of the year. My new obsession was sea kayaking and we kayaked a lot. There was a steep learning curve at the beginning, but luckily Carolyn was able to teach me some tricks (she was a tour guide during our first summer living in the UP – so she knows her stuff), and after a season’s worth of getting out there I think I’ve caught my sea legs. We paddled numerous larger inland lakes, Pictured Rocks, and even paddled around Au Train Island, a private island a few miles off the coast near where we live, which was a highlight. Maybe the neatest thing we did all year was a one night trip right from our backyard down the Au Train River and out to Lake Superior, navigating five miles along the shoreline to a tucked away annex of the Hiawatha National Forest called Paradise Point. Back before the pandemic you could get to this spot by land through an easement on private property, but too many people trashed the area so they closed off the easement to the public. The only legal way to get to this location now is by boat. Since we would like to get more into sea kayak touring and multi-night adventures, this was a good first test to try out our gear and understand what it would be like. Having a lot of experience already with multi-night adventures both on land and on the water, it was a straightforward transition to kayak touring, with a few new things to learn along the way.

It was a nice calm afternoon when we set out, which quickly transitioned into a brisk north westerly wind later in the day that stirred the water and lead to some bigger surf. It was a little beyond my comfort zone at first but I eventually eased into it and gained more confidence the longer I was out there. Maybe the waves were 3-4 feet at most, which doesn’t sound like a lot on paper, but when you are out there getting tossed around the reality is a little different. Where we were kayaking there is sandstone cliffs and the waves tend to reverberate back out towards the lake, which leads to choppier waters. We landed without any major issues and it was a good sense of accomplishment back on solid ground. The evening was breezy but beautiful. We found a nice little spot to pitch our tent and had a lovely time eating dinner and walking around the cliffs.

We returned the 7.5 miles in the morning to conclude a successful first adventure. I still have a lot to learn but this summer was a good first season, and I hope to build on my skills next year. We practiced self rescuing a few times which gave me more confidence on the water, knowing that if I tipped over I would be able to get back in. I have not tried rolling yet but hopefully that is something that I can achieve too with some practice. I’ve been on the lookout for a Sea Kayaking class which I think would be beneficial in order to have some structured learning around safety and sea navigation.

I’m on the hunt for a dry suit so that I can extend the paddling season. I’d like to get out there in the spring when there is still large ice chunks on the water. I think that would be really exciting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a few other adventures throughout the summer, including an overnight car camping trip near Grand Marais to paddleboard some remote inland lakes we had never explored before and spend time on the beach. We did a lot of trail running on our local segment of the North Country Trail and our favorite spots around Marquette. We went biking on the Iron Ore Heritage Trail and had lunch in Negaunee. We took countless walks down to Au Train Beach from home on Friday nights after work to treat ourselves to some ice cream, sitting on the bench at the scenic lookout watching the sun set.

 

 

 

Carolyn continues to amaze me with her creativity. She has been cross stitching now for several years and took up sewing this summer. She’s always creating fun new designs and crafts. She entered a decorative cross-stich basket that she had been working on throughout the year to the UP State Fair in Escanaba this summer. We went to visit the fair and see how she did and were thrilled to discover a blue ribbon hanging from her piece, earning her first place in her category!

 

 

 

Near the end of August we took our nieces and nephew backpacking for a few days on the North Country Trail in the eastern UP. We took them on their first backpacking trip a few years ago at Pictured Rocks and had a blast and have tried to make it an annual tradition. We think they had a good time, although it’s hard to tell with teenagers. They were good sports at any rate, the mosquitos were terrible and it was hot and muggy, but none of them complained until the last hours on the last day, so I give them a lot of credit. We created some fun memories and hopefully they don’t hate it enough to never want to go backpacking with us again. As the kids are quite a bit older now, 15 and 13, we are likely at a stage where we could take them on a longer trip in more interesting places. Without kids of our own, getting to share what we love with the next generation has been a rewarding experience. 

 

 

 

 

 

Over Labor Day week Carolyn and I went on our annual week-long backpacking adventure. We didn’t want to travel far so we settled on another section of the North Country Trail in the UP. There are around 500 miles of the NCT in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and we have now hiked a good chunk of that. I think we have around 100 miles left to go to complete all the miles, which comprise a large section in the middle and tying up some loose ends in the Eastern UP.

For this trip we started in Grand Marais and hiked west to White Fish Bay where the mouth of the Tahquamenon River is found. This was one of the prettiest sections of trail we’ve been on. The trail meanders along the Lake Superior Shoreline for a good while, providing breathtaking views of the lake and dunes. We passed over the Two Hearted River bridge and headed inland towards Tahquamenon State Park, passing by the largest waterfall in the UP. The remaining miles were left following the bending Tahquamenon River to where it deposits into Lake Superior. It was a fun trip with great weather, excellent trail, and even better company.

Since my photography project last year, I haven’t really taken out my camera. It was fun to get back into it on this trip. Below are some captures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall

September through the end of the year was a whirlwind of activity.

I flew back to the east coast early in the month to help out with the last of the big moving effort. We rented a U-Haul and took any remaining clothes, furniture and loose ends down to the other property. It would be the last time I’d step foot in that house. I went from room to room and looked at them one last time. All things come to an end I suppose, which leaves room for new beginnings and new memories. My sister flew in from California to help with the transition. It was nice to see her and we had a fun family dinner one night. I can’t remember the last time my dad, mom, my sister and me were all together just the four of us. Just like old times!

 

 

 

In mid-September to celebrate Carolyn’s birthday and our wedding anniversary (11 years!) we took an extended weekend to visit the capital of Wisconsin in Madison. We had both never been and heard fun things. It is a college town similar to Ann Arbor with a vibrant downtown and things to do. We hadn’t been to a music concert in years, and Carolyn wanted to see a band she had been liking (Big Wild), so we bought tickets and turned out to be a great time. We ate at some good restaurants, took a run on a nice bike path, and took a neat tour of the state capitol building, which was a highlight. We capped it off will a visit to an apple orchard to pick a sack of apples and enjoy some cider and donuts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the past three years we have been helping to build a new section of trail on the North Country Trail with our local chapter. In September we finally finished the entire 4.5 mile reroute! It was a great achievement which was only possible due to the many volunteers who helped throughout the years. As part of the final step, we helped paint blazes on the trees to mark the trail. This will be a fun section to go running and snowshoeing. Come out and give it a try!

 

 

 

In October I went on the annual golf trip to Myrtle Beach with my Father and Uncle and their crew. Normally my cousin Michael would also go, but he had other obligations this year and couldn’t make it. As a replacement, I invited a friend I hadn’t seen in many years from my undergraduate days, and it turned out to be a really fun time reconnecting and reminiscing. The golf and weather were excellent this year. I had a few solid rounds, but I don’t play nearly enough anymore to be as capable as I was in high school when I played competitively.

 

 

 

 

This year we decided to tackle a home improvement task that has been on the to-do list for many years, fix our deck. During our home inspection when we bought the house seven years ago they pointed out that flashing was not installed on the larger, back deck. Over the years the railing started to decay and by early Spring this year part of the stairs had rotted and began to collapse. I’m not a super handy person and also don’t have the time to take on such a large project, so this was a task I knew I needed to outsource to a contractor. I had made a few inquiries and settled on a contractor based out of Marquette that seemed to have a solid social presence and their reviews were good.

I got an estimate at the end of February and sent my deposit in by March to reserve my place in line. I was going to replace the deck boards and railing on the front porch, and replace the railing on the back deck, fix the stairs, and install flashing. The substructure on both were still in good shape and the contractor agreed they didn’t need to be replaced unless they found hidden damage once they started ripping apart old materials. They told me they would be able to begin and finish the job by the end of June. Great.

Well, by the time the end of June came around and they still hadn’t started I was getting antsy. I was informed that they had been delayed (past projects were taking more time and they were dealing with injuries and illness from staff) and were sure to start in July. July comes along and passes with still no work or sign of starting. August passes by with the same excuses. By September, I was constantly reaching out and expressed my frustration and dissatisfaction. Finally they set a date in October to begin the work.

When they finally started they immediately ran into some rotting issues, which needed to be corrected, bumping up the estimate by 50%. I wasn’t thrilled, but of course had no option but to continue. They had already ripped the deck apart. The next frustration came when they said the parts they ordered were backordered and had to suspend the project for a week while they came in. At this point both decks were mostly ripped apart and I had lost access to the front of my  house. They did not put in any temporary boards, so we had to exit and enter through the back deck which was a hassle. The thing that pissed me off the most, though, is the last day before they suspended work I looked out into the backyard to find one of the contractors fishing off the bank of the river at 2 in the afternoon. What the fu…!

By the time they started back up it was the end of October and we got our first snow. The reason why I had wanted this done in the summer was to avoid this very situation. For the next few weeks they worked on the deck and luckily the weather warmed up. On the back deck, I was keeping the original Trex boards as they were in good shape, but the contractors did nothing to protect their integrity. After storing pressure treated wood to rebuild the stairs and treating it as a work surface it left deep scratches which I was rightfully disgruntled about. I raised this with the team and their solution was to use a wire brush to try and remove the scratches, which only made it way worse.

They spent the next few weeks working – blasting the most ridiculous death metal as they toiled away. The work was OK in the end, but for the price, I expected better. I was happy to be done with them. I am all for paying fair price for services, but I pushed back and told them I needed to be compensated for this fiasco. To their credit they apologized and took several thousand dollars off the project.

This whole process was a big wake-up call to be more vigilant vetting contractors and setting expectations in the future. This project which I thought would be an easy enough deck repair/ upgrade lasted for the majority of the year. I was constantly having to think about this and it honestly kept me up at night on a few occasions.

At the end of the day, it’s fine, but I still need to install fascia board which was another communication fiasco on their end.

Happy to be done with this and moving on!

 

 

 

While the deck fiasco was in full swing I ran into two other home-improvement headaches. The first was a discovered leak from a drain waste pipe in my crawl space. I had been down there to shut off the water line to the outside spigot, and unfortunately discovered a lot of damp sand and a partially disconnected pipe upon investigation. I called my plumber to replace a large section of piping which was of course not a cheap service.

At the same time, the main hose in my kitchen faucet had finally eroded completely and was shooting water out of the nozzle all over the place when you used it. Time to replace it. This one I felt was in my wheel-house and went to Menards to buy a replacement faucet. My only annoying hiccup with this project was the the hot water shut-off valve under the sink had been installed partially UNDERNEATH the cabinet board, making it impossible to turn completely off. I had to use a small hand saw to widen the hole so I could shut if off properly. Once that was done, it was a fairly straightforward process to take out the old faucet and replace it with a brand new one. My final frustration came in the form of the hot water hose connection being too short! I had to make the 35 mile trip back to Marquette to buy an extension hose to finally complete it.

To be honest, I should have replaced the faucet a lot sooner. We finally now have adequate water pressure!

 

 

Back to Winter

Well, back to winter again. As I described in my opening paragraph, it’s come in like a runaway train and hasn’t let up. December has been an especially snowy month with high winds and the Lake Effect snow machine in full effect. I’ve already topped 10 instances of snow-blowing activities. We’ll see if it keeps up throughout the winter and if it will eclipse last season’s number (God, I hope not). I’m still waiting for my Yooper card to arrive in the mail. Maybe in a few more seasons I’ll finally get it, although the way the mail has been getting lost lately I have my doubts.

This year has been a challenging one on many fronts, but now looking back, it was also filled with a fair amount of fun times with friends and family and opportunities for personal grow with new hobbies and adventures. As I approach my 39th birthday this Christmas, I will enter the last year of my 30s. I certainly feel older now, maybe a little wiser (at least some days), and I am still excited by a general curiosity of the world and what I want to do in it. I would say during my 20s and 30s I was very goal oriented, and I’m starting to see a shift in how I think about that as I get older. I’m more concerned lately with enjoying things rather than achieving them. I think we can become too focused on productivity and achievement to where sometimes we lose focus on what it actually means to live a life with purpose and intention.

As I look to 2026 and beyond I have no idea what’s in store for me (do any of us?). I hope to continue to be curious, take care of my health, and focus on my relationships with others. I’ll try to paint more, learn more kayaking skills, explore new wild places, and try and listen to the quiet around me, which is sometimes hard to do when life gets a bit too busy. All any of us can do is try our best and take it one day at a time.

May your own journey ahead be fun and adventurous with some good surprises. I’ll see you all back here next year for another update!

 

 

 

Favorite media I consumed in 2025 that I recommend: 

Video Games

• Expedition 33 – excellent JRPG with a fun twist on turn based combat with a parry mechanic
• Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 – my favorites gaming experience this year
• Metaphor: ReFantazio – excellent JRPG from creators of the Persona Series that I got around to playing this year
• Path of Exile 2 – very addictive and fun action RPG
• Animal Well – superb metroidvania style game with fun puzzles and mysteries

TV Shows/ Movies

• The Beast in Me (TV Show)
• Sean Comes: The Reckoning (Documentary) – About the Sean “P-Diddy” Comes trial and scandal. Very interesting history going all the way back to the Biggie and Tu Pac homicides.
• Frankenstein (Movie)

Books

• Project Hail Mary (Andy Wier) – Science Fiction book about a guy on a journey to save earth who unexpectedly befriends an alien companion – coming out next year as a major motion picture. Same author of “The Martian” if you’ve read that book or seen the movie. This one really pulls on the heartstrings.
• Real Two Hearted (Rob Otwell) – One man’s memoir about owning a camp along the Two Hearted River in the UP. Has a lot of great history on logging, recreation, and fishing. Really captures the beauty of what life is like living in upper Michigan.
• Tax Planning To and Through Early Retirement (Cody Garret/ Sean Mullaney) – Excellent new personal finance book that goes into the nitty details of various tax planning strategies for retirement. For extreme finance nerds like myself. This book is right up there with with another greatest of all time personal finance book and one that I’d recommend everyone read: The Simple Path to Wealth (JL Collins).