Here's to another year!
I started this website and the journals so my three children, my sister, and my sister-in-law could keep track of me and not lose sleep worrying about how I was doing or where I was. As it turns out some 5+ years later, the intended readers almost never visit the site. The site and journals have evolved into a personal record of my journeys — as, yes, in the cruising life one tends to lose track of days and events in a blur of similar but interestingly different days a la movie "Groundhog Day".
While I've missed the mark with my original intended readers, I've been pleasantly astounded to learn of the new and old friends, former colleagues, and passing acquaintances who tell me they actually read this. [Memo to self: be more careful with what I say.] I write these journals when I get the time and energy — not necessarily in sequence and often to capture the larger picture before going back to fill in and correct — which I sometimes don't get around to. For those of you who are college English majors or are closet editors, you will note that, with you in mind, I've included much fodder for your mills (including this mixed metaphor). ...Joe
Correction: My sister told me she was actually reading my journal to check up on me and so were my daughters -- perhaps because there was a woman in my life for a while... ???