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Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Top 10 Events of 2018

 
I usually do some "Best Of" posts about the previous year when we hit January. But I don't think I've ever tried to choose the best events. Probably I should have, but it was hard to limit myself to 10. I know... what an arbitrary rule! Nevertheless, from a list of 15 standouts, I narrowed it to 10 outstanding events of 2018. Here they are in chronological order.

And when a person has to struggle to pick only 10 great events of the year, it was a VERY good year!

Retirement

April- Actually, all this did was phase me from one job back to being self-employed as a full-time author. But it was a much-anticipated transition.

retirement cake
One More Shift

Hocking Hills with Marie

April/May- This includes the North Country Trail/Buckeye Trail Celebration, and an extra few days with just Marie. Spending time with the friends who care the most about the trail I love the best. Hiking. Seeing plants and rocks. Finding a newly emerged luna moth. Best Friend time.

North Country Trail Hocking Hills
Buckeye Trail Surprise


Finding a Yellow Red Trillium

April- This is a rare color variant, and I correctly identified it despite being the wrong color. In Ohio

yellow variant of a red trillium
Red Trillium Color Variant

Visiting Alabama with Loretta

May- This trip included seeing Ester and celebrating joint birthdays, of course time with Loretta, lots of new plants, visiting a wildlife refuge, hikes, birds, great friends, selling books, parties. Just wow.

author reception
Author Event, Florence, Alabama

Michigan Outdoor Writers Association Award

June- One of my Get Off the Couch Columns took 3rd place for the James H. Hall award

newspaper column
James H. Hall Award from MOWA

Mystery Writers Intensive Workshop

June- I spent five days at Interlochen improving my writing skills and interacting with other authors. We had to write group stories about this murder mock-up. Just outstanding. Took a few walks too.

staged murder
Interlochen Mystery Writers Intensive

Impossibles Reunion

July- The 50-year reunion of the Impossibles Bible Quiz Team.

kids in a convertible
50 Years of Impossibilities

Hiking the Midland to Mackinac Trail

Sept/Oct- Hiking this 210-mile trail.

hiker on Midland to Mackinac Trail
Conclusions about the Midland to Mackinac Trail

Finding a Picture of Great-Uncle Ben

October- for some reason, this just brings me a great deal of joy. Not really able to explain it fully.

picture of Ben Fisher
Startling Family Resemblance

Writing Six Books!

December- I actually wrote six books this year. I'm sort of in shock myself. The four children's mysteries: The Secret Cellar, The Hitchhiker, The ABZ Affair, and The Bigg Boss. Then I wrote the Midland to Mackinac Hiking Trail Guide. Finished the year with Dead Mule Swamp Mistletoe.

Dubois Files book covers
Midland to Mackinac Hiking Trail Guide
Dead Mule Swamp Mistletoe
Trail guide only at Smashwords.
All others at Smashwords or Amazon.


Conclusions about the Midland to Mackinac Trail

Thanks to SO many of you who participated in making this a great year!

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2 comments:

Ann said...

You had an excellent year. I hope that 2019 brings at least as many good times if not more

Secondary Roads said...

You appear to have had a very fine year. It was April 1 (not last year) that I retired and that was the day Sylvia's mother died. That took my joy over retirement, because my mother-in-law was an amazing and loving woman.