Breakfast at PIe Face, NYC

Today is the one year anniversary of my travel blog!  What started as the by-product of a class I took to improve my photo books, has become an obsession and an integral part of my travel experiences.  While I have often kept a journal associated with some of my more exotic travel, I now see each event as something to write about.  It also affects the pictures I take and fuels the frustration when I don’t have the picture I “need”.

The blog has been viewed by people from 89 countries.  I am headed toward 5,000 views.  Symbolically, my highest view count is today’s at 74 (and we are not finished yet).

The Main Plaza, Marrakech, Morocco

In the past twelve months, I have been to 15 foreign countries and 5 states.   (I admit a preference for foreign travel.)  I have been working on a Travelers’ Century Club membership; I will become eligible when I reach 100 countries.  I have made it to 93, with three additional planned for April when I visit India, Sri Lanka, and Qatar.

This is the last photo on my underwater camera taken in the Philippines.

I reached a scuba diving milestone at 200 dives and celebrated a milestone birthday this past year.   In 2012, I have swam with any number of exotic sea creatures from seahorses to manta rays on boat dives, shore dives, wreck dives, and night dives.  I have also frolicked with a few wild donkeys.  Throughout the last twelve months, I have enjoyed scuba diving, cruising, antiquing, reading,touring, canoeing, European driving, hiking, cooking, writing, whale watching, sunning, swimming, and roller coaster riding (among other things).  Ok, I admit there was lots of eating and shopping too.

Read the blog and in my  80 posts from the past year, you will find insights into Italy, Argentina, The Caribbean, Morocco, Mexico, the Philippines, Africa, Spain, French Polynesia, Portugal, Singapore, and Bonaire.  Domestically, you can read about New York and Las Vegas, small towns in Texas, Minnesota, and anything you want to know about Walt Disney World in Florida (from 5 trips in 6 months).

A photo op at the new Dumbo ride in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

When I was trying to track trends, I noted that tiaras make frequent appearances and did notice that nearly- naked men do appear on a few occasions-the Naked Cowboy in NYC and Thong Boy in Cabo (not to mention the interesting panhandler signs in Las Vegas).

I looked back and my first post was only one paragraph with a picture I pulled from the internet (a tiara).  Hopefully, you will be more entertained and informed by my recent posts which now feature links and original photography (with a few guest photographers thrown in as well).  There are also a few more paragraphs.

You never know what you are going to find at the Round Top/Warrenton Antiques Fair. I didn’t know I need I needed a rocking banana seat made out of bottle caps…

Thank you for sharing the year with me.  The journey continues with Michigan in March and India in April.  Become a follower if you are not already along for the ride and share the site with your friends.

I love words. I love to sing them and speak them and even now, I must admit, I have fallen into the joy of writing them.”
-Anne Rice

Natasha