Month: January 2019

I thought this would be fun to do, but I decided I needed to take the SAME photo every day. Of course, with travel plans and just life, I knew the chances of being in the same place to take a photo of the same thing for 365 days would be impossible. So what would be with me EVERY DAY for a year? Me!

I’ve recently read that “selfies” are called that because “narcissistics” was too hard to say. So at the risk of sounding narcissistic, I decided a selfie a day would be the only way to have a consistent subject. My rule was the first photo I took was the one I had to use. Lots of no makeup days, a bout with the flu, and more costume changes than Cher on a farewell tour. If you have a minute to spare (and literally, it’s 365 days of me in less than a minute), I invite you to take a peek at a year in my life. Please keep the applause to a minimum. Oh, and I should say up front that my iMovie skills are about the most stunning you will ever see.

Suggested by me
Completed 12/31/18

 

 

My dear friend Dana has always been a NOLA fan and for years has suggested I visit for their awesome Jazz Festival. Well, while that didn’t happen (I mean those kinda crowds just don’t do it for me), I did go for a visit, and I have to say…it did not disappoint!

On my continued quest to visit all 50 states, Louisiana was on my list so along with my partner in crime, Suzanne, off we went. Now we never bring the spouses on our crazy trips, but try to tell your loved ones that you’re going to New Orleans without them. Yeah, not so much. So June and Rob joined us on this one with pretty much no idea of the itinerary we’d planned.

We booked a lovely Airbnb on BurGUNDdy (yeah, that’s how it’s pronounced) Street in the heart of the French Quarter and spent the next five days having the time of our lives. We ate Muffulettas, did a City of the Dead walking tour visiting the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, drank Hurricanes at Pat O’Brien’s on Bourbon Street, had gumbo at K-Paul’s, took a swamp tour in an airboat where we saw a 10 foot alligator (!), danced in the street to a dixieland band, saw a wedding parade, drank liquor out of a shared bottle on the street (the smallpox test is pending), listened to great music on Frenchman Street, celebrated my birthday with an oyster shooter (blech!), wore ginormous beads and carried a sign on Bourbon, ate po boys and fried alligator, toured two plantations and enjoyed beignets at Cafe Du Monde.

As if that wasn’t enough, we rented a car and visited the USS Alabama in Mobile, and spent a couple hours playing blackjack at the Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. Bam! Two more states just like that!

It was a thrilling way to celebrate my birthday and the wonderful friendship we share with Suzanne and Rob.

Suggested by Dana Lee and Claudia Hyacinthe
Completed 11/5/18

 

June and I stayed overnight in New York in August 2018 to see Hamilton and then spent the following day traipsing throughout lower Manhattan to do our own little walking tour of Alexander Hamilton hot spots. Yes, that’s a thing. We visited the graveyard at Trinity Church where he and his wife are buried, took a walk over to Federal Hall on Wall Street and had lunch at Fraunces Tavern. While there, it was just a quick hop to the Seaglass Carousel in Battery Park.

I first learned about the carousel while watching one of my favorite guilty pleasure TV shows – “Younger” where two of the characters went there on an evening date. While the ambiance was probably better at night, the experience was still fun. It’s absolutely beautiful and for a mere $5 you get a 3 ½ minute ride on iridescent fish surrounded by lovely psychedelic lights and delightful music. If you’re ever in the area, don’t miss it.

Suggested by me
Completed 8/19/18