2018 Year-End Review

How do these things sneak up on us, another year in the record books and I have not broken any record or shattered anything.

I had 2 “big” trips this year and a few small ones. It felt like the travel gods were on some other path than mine.  In the spring I did go to London and the timing worked out great for the royal wedding.  I was lucky enough to be on the grounds of Windsor Castle during the wedding and saw close up the carriage with the newlyweds go right past us.

Then recently I was in Paris for a few days and mostly had a great time.  I have been lucky enough to have visited both of these cities previously but did find new and exciting things to see and do.

For the most part, those were the 2 major unique events that happened this year.  As is prone to happen people are born and die.  I have a new great-grandson born earlier this year, that makes 3 great-grands so far.   I lost a second cousin, much too young, this year and a few friends.  I was able to reconnect with a couple of old friends and spend some time rehashing much older days.  I participated in a craft show for the first time in almost 10 years and certainly enjoyed that.

Not to appear like a slug for most of the year, I have been spending a great deal of time with my grand and great-grand daughters.  One is hard at work in her college program and one is 9 and in 4th grade.  My involvement is to make sure the little one gets on and off the bus and has homework finished and helping out with cooking some meals for the family.  It’s amazing how much time that can consume.

This will continue in 2019 since this is the last semester of my granddaughters college degree.  She may decide to go for post-graduate studies, but after tough study and work and home commitments she will take a couple of years off. (She is also planing her wedding in 2019, busy lady.)

For next year, I have put 2 more countries back on my travel wish list, they have been for many years and I really hope to get to them.  I can’t wait to see what my grand is doing with her life and career and what level of commitment she may need next year.

At my age it is always time to ramp up the exercise and cardio so I can be the  active gram out on the dance floor, not the one looking for paramedics.  Trying to get back to some of my favorite cities to visit and find one or two new ones.  Take a course in college for anything, just to make sure the gears are all still turning. Oh, I also want a new tattoo or two.  Not a super long list, but I know from experience things pop up to change my direction.

 

 

 

A Photo A Week Challenge: Flying

 

One of the highlights  of my summer in Anchorage, Alaska was a float plane trip.  One of my grandsons came to visit and celebrate his birthday with mine, so we took a plane ride together in a Cessna that was 1 year younger than I am!  It was beyond description amazing.

 

Our pilot was well versed in the options to find wildlife on the mountain ranges we flew over and we saw a lot.  He took us over so many different glaciers, I lost count.  One more beautiful than the next. We landed in a lake that was formed by the runoff from 3 glaciers, opened the door of the airplane and handed us a giant ice cube. about 12 inches,  probably over 10,000 years old from a calving glacier.

I had to restrain myself and choose only a few photo’s.  I have been very lucky, flying many places in the world, on big new 777’s and tiny old regional jets. Some aircraft that looked like a crop duster in little one gate no-where’s-ville.  I have landed in huge modern international terminals, small antiquated  international terminals. But this flight circling the mountains  around Anchorage is one I will treasure.  The best time flying ever.

A Photo A Week: Music

My granddaughter dancing at a wedding.  The joy of enjoying the music and the dance and the moment shows on her face.  Love this photo!

A Daily Challenge: Footsteps

When I would write something years ago, I would start with a search through the dictionary or one of several encyclopedias that we had.  Today it is Google or Wikipedia to start.  I do believe the end is the same, a jumping off point, that little nudge needed to start the next project. Today’s word prompt is Footsteps.

My first search was on other blogs.  I came across one of a young man from Romania who had a most interesting blog about walking and taking one footstep at a time.  Then to an online dictionary.  Footstep, a step on which to ascend or descend, a way of life, conduct or action followed in his father’s footsteps.

I was looking for my personal meaning and I think I must amend it to baby steps.  This is how I feel my life is traveling now.  I am taking baby steps to make a decision about where to live.  I am taking baby steps in learning how this blogging really works.  I am OK with baby steps at this stage in my life.  I don’t need to create an artificial deadline for me to meet with my decisions.

I guess as long as I am feeling and/or seeing forward progress, I am good with that. I am OK with the Scarlett O’Hara quote from Gone With The Wind.  ” After all, tomorrow is another day”

A Photo A Week Challenge: Extravagance

A current example, in my opinion, is a Birkin bag.  It’s a purse people.

This one is over $130,000.00 USD.  It’s really nice.  But, it’s still a purse.

 

I love the fact that they are named after Jane Birkin, an actress, singer and songwriter who is also 70.  The bag came about from a chance meeting on a flight with the head of Hermes in 1983.

I Just have to give you one more look at a Birkin Bag.

Renewing & Reintroducing Myself

Why start a blog, that is so last year were the first comments I received.  My first intention with blogging, was for a faster and easier way to communicate with a large group of family and friends.  I knew I would not be able to use some fast forms of communication since I would be 5 or 6 time zones away from most of my friends. This way they could ask questions and see what I was doing on the blog.

That proves not to be the standard response from family.  I heard oh, it is so hard to log in and out each time, it is much easier to call you.  This shows no regard for my needs and requirements.  I also heard about how interesting it was that I could talk about things in my life and make it sound interesting and they could not do that, so they did not read my blog.  Some only like the pictures.

So, I guess I am a little old lady, living in a new city, working a new job, meeting new people and sharing my adventures with whomever.  When I read that sentence back, I am very much OK with it.

I enjoy all aspects of writing.  I am not really good at fiction, though I think someday I will try my hand at it.  I am in the process of trying to improve my writing to make it easier to read and enjoy.