Over the past several years I've made a habit of using New Year's as a time to reflect on, and take stock of, the year just finished. It's time for the 2025 edition, looking back on 2024 ( Read more... )

After I came down with a mild case of Covid-19 about 10 days ago I was on the mend by Wednesday last week. Symptoms were getting milder day by day. By Friday afternoon and Saturday morning I thought I was over it. But then yesterday afternoon/evening a few symptoms came back. Since then I've had occasional nasal congestion and a persistent though ( Read more... )

Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #13
Outside Harrisburg, PA - Sat, 30 Nov 2024, 11pm

Thanksgiving is a four-day holiday weekend for a lot of us in the US, but Thanksgiving itself it only one day. What do you do with the other days? One emerging tradition seems to be friendsgiving. It's meant to be a friends-oriented alternative to Thanksgiving That doesn ( Read more... )

Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #12
Outside Harrisburg, PA - Fri, 29 Nov 2024, 11pm

Today is Black Friday and I've stayed home. I haven't gone shopping- either in brick-and-mortar stores or online from home. Though technically I'm not home. I'm 2,400 miles away at my inlaws'. But Hawk and I are here for 4 night, as we often do around Thanksgiving ( Read more... )

Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #11
Outside Harrisburg, PA - Thu, 28 Nov 2024, 11pmThis evening we enjoyed a big, traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Hawk, her parents, and I went over to the house of family friends Dean and Lynne. That's been a tradition among my inlaws for probably 40 years. Lynne cooks Thanksgiving dinner at their house, and my mother-in ( Read more... )

Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #9
Back in Falls Church, VA - Tue, 26 Nov 2024, 11pm

As I write this I'm back at our hotel in Falls Church, VA. I'm even back in our room. You'll see why that matters in a moment.

After meeting one of our nieces for lunch and then going on an impromptu road tour along the Skyline Drive this afternoon, we met my cousin, ( Read more... )

Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #7
Front Royal, VA - Tue, 26 Nov 2024, 1:30pmWe're still in northern Virginia, still visiting with relatives. It's a stretched out process because many of my relatives we're only able to see one or two at a time because they're a) spread out and b) still working this week so we have to fit things around their schedules. ( Read more... )

Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #4
Martinsburg, WV - Sun, 24 Nov 2024, 5pmThis morning we got in the car at our hotel in Falls Church, VA and drove out to Martinsburg, West Virginia. Yes, it's a bit of a haul; about 63 miles by shortest route. While that would be a terrible commute it's fine for a day-trip. We made the drive out there in 90 minutes even ( Read more... )

I wrote earlier today about the death of my Aunt Carol. As I searched for things to say I found it hard to escape my frustration over some negative aspects of her personality. That journal entry is friends-locked. As I reconsidered it with greater detachment I realized I could share positive things, too. I'll do that here ( Read more... )

Hawk and I got home this evening from spending 5 days with her parents celebrating their 60th anniversary and her father's 85th birthday. Surprisingly both our flights were on time. We arrived home- as in walked through our front door- just after 9:30pm local time. Of course, that's 12:30am in the time zone where we started the day. And tomorrow I ( Read more... )