Every now and then I come across a quote that especially resonates with me. I have a whole notebook filled with wine & spirits quotes. And now, I find myself collecting travel quotes.

I keep these words from Anthony Bourdain at the front of my collection. Because they explain why we travel:

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”

The marks on our memories for 2024 were many. But first, some metrics:

States visited: 13 for me, 12 for Ken

New states visited: 6 for me, 1 for Ken

Countries visited: 4 for me, 5 for Ken

New countries visited: 2 for each of us

January

• Took our kids (and bonus kids) to our old stomping’ grounds in Monterey, California. Quick day trip to San Francisco. Bonus kids had never been there before. And even with its current and very significant problems, you have to see San Francisco at least once in your life.

• Quick trip to visit good friends in Hampton, South Carolina. Got to hang out with (at a respectful distance) some beautiful Pineywoods cattle on their farm. Then on to Savannah, Georgia for a couple of days of R&R, and then some quail hunting. Ken hunted, I spectated.

• Ken made a quick trip to Cordoba, Argentina to hunt with a couple of friends.

February

• My mom passed away in February. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, month. I found this to be particularly accurate in describing the stages of grief:

March

• I just tried to hold it together.

April

• Mom had really wanted us to come up to Ohio for the solar eclipse. So we did. I got some decent photographs – here’s the frame by frame:

• A couple of weeks after the eclipse, we came back to Ohio for mom’s celebration of life service. Forever grateful to our family and friends who were there with us both physically, and in spirit.

• Sidebar: You may or may not know that I started writing my little travelogues on Facebook for my mom. She loved reading about our adventures (and misadventures) while traveling. I still feel aimless without my mom (and I suspect I always will), but it feels like I should keep writing – and pressing the shutter button on my camera. Hence, the genesis for this blog.

May

• Traveled to Salzburg, Austria with good friends. The friends you choose as family. Because (hat tip, Hemingway) you should never travel with anyone you do not love. Saw all the things, drank all the beer.

• Pro tip: If someone ever asks you to take their picture – don’t cut off their feet. Seriously. Is this difficult?

June

• Quick trip out to Temecula, California to visit Ken’s dad. Rode the tramway in Palm Springs. Hiked around Mount San Jacinto Park. Did not fall.

July

• Had a layover in Panama City on our way to Costa Rica. If you get out of the plane and walk around the airport, it counts as a country. My blog, my rules. It counts.

• Spent a week Costa Rica with Ken’s family for his mom’s 80th birthday. Some wonderful time with family. Sweated a lot, used a ton of sunscreen and bug spray. Saw some incredible wildlife.

• Popped up to Newport, Rhode Island for a wedding. Spent a day in Boston visiting a good friend.

• Girls trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin with my daughter. Saw the musical, SIX (outstanding, btw) and checked two more states off my list of states visited!

August

• Rested & regrouped.

September

• Set off on The Great American Road Trip to South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho so I could finally finish my quest to visit all 50 states. Montana is a very big state to drive across. Stopped for a few days near Glacier National Park. Fell on my ass by a waterfall while hiking. I am not cut out for hiking. Idaho was state #50 for me. Btw, Ken is still at 49 states visited. Not that it’s a competition or anything.

October

• Road trip up to Ohio to see dad. By coincidence, got to see the Northern lights while we were there. Bravo, Mother Nature!

• Ken went up to Minnesota to chase grouse and woodcock (insert adolescent comment from Ken here).

• Brilliant girls weekend at my friend’s farm in Berryville, Virginia. But, we ran out of Champagne. Quelle horreur!

November

• We don’t travel for Thanksgiving. Been there, did that. Never doing it again. Made pies instead.

December

• Rested & regrouped. Wrapped a bunch of presents. Tried to keep a 7 month old Labrador retriever puppy (Jack) and a 9 month old kitty (Bodie) out of said presents.

2025 Forecast

We’ve got an awfully ambitious travel year ahead of us in 2025. Buckle up!

My very best to all of you for a happy and healthy New Year. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read my little blog.

Cheers!