Post #100 - Looking Back at the Spectacle

Heddal Stavkirke, Norway

This is hard.  I figured, with a major milestone such as 100 posts, I should do a "Best Of" post.  Best 10 posts?  Best 10 pictures?  Top 5 Most Popular posts (as defined by some Blogger algorithm?)  It wasn't clear.  So I went back to Post 1 and started reading.  Maybe inspiration would strike like the proverbial bolt of lightning.  Well, no such luck.  Instead, my list of favorite posts AND pictures ballooned like a warren of rabbits left to do what they do best … While reading Post 73 (3/9/18), I realized that it described a thorough analysis that I had ALREADY done of my first 12 months of posts - duh!  And it's probably no coincidence that Post 73 is one of my 5 most popular posts.

Maple leaves, Raby Castle gardens

OK, let's simplify, baby, and focus only on posts since 3/9/18.  Well, I got close, but some of my favorites were just too hard to jettison no matter when they were published - and who writes this blog, anyway?  So, here are MY top 10 posts (and to take the easy way out, they are in date order.  This post needs to get published SOME DAY in my lifetime!)

ONE: Down the Riviera, July 8, 2017

A Young Samurai

Reading this post still makes me break out in giggles, especially when I get to the photo of "A Young Samurai".  Not to mention Quiffy and The Hen.  This post, about my in-laws' allotment (read: garden) in the UK, was a breeze to write because "The Riviera" holds so many memories for all of us.  It is a beautiful haven that I eagerly anticipate each time we visit.

TWO:  Man with Hat, July 14, 2017

Of course, I had to include this one … maybe it will be visited more and put Spousal Unit back in the Top 5 Popular posts - you know, he asks about it all the time!  OK, serious now.  It meant the world to me to incorporate one of our love songs, If I Should Fall Behind, by Bruce Springsteen, into this Happy Birthday post for my better half.  And, importantly, my spouse became forever known in the blogging world as Man with Hat.


THREE: Helping Dreams Come True, September 10, 2017

I love making dreams come true, be they big or small.  It has been done for us, and now we are in the position to do the same.  In this post, I wrote about an epic trip with my Mother and my oldest sister, fulfilling some of their life-long desires.  Yep, it was epic - it took four separate posts to cover it all!

Fairmont Banff Springs

FOUR: Meadows of Muker, September 26, 2017

"An idyllic slice of the world - truly the epitome of the English countryside".  Can you tell I like walking the footpaths of the UK?  This post combined so many of my favorites - sharing the world's beauty as tour guide for others, walking/hiking, the UK, and captivating photos (in my opinion).

Near Muker, UK

FIVE:  Graduate with Hat, May 3, 2018

Pride.  Heart-popping, buttons-on-the-vest-busting pride.  Not that we had any doubt, but we were still pretty puffed up when #1 Daughter graduated from the University of Cincinnati on April 28.  And, of course, as a recent graduate she had the right to inform me that the title of the post, more accurately, should have been Graduate with Cap.  "But I get it, Mom; I get the nod to Man with Hat."  Thanks, sweetie.  I also loved the family time documented in this post, including a birthday meal with #1 Son (20!), and the nostalgic return to Cleveland.  We will always adore our Camelot Drive and Geauga family!!!

Chagrin Falls, Ohio

SIX: Awesome April, May 10, 2018

OK, I think you know by now that I like the outdoors and wildlife.  So this post caught my eye - how much the environment around us was changing in just six short weeks.  And the coyote snapped by my trail cam.  And the antics of an adorable black bear (from a distance) captured by a cam in Glacier National Pak - the whole world was waking up, just like that bear!




SEVEN:  May at Warp Speed, May 31, 2018

Our side deck

OK, I think you know by now that I like to check tasks off my list (even though I am supposed to be letting go of perfection).  Well, May was a banner month for "get 'er done"!  Landscaping, interior decorating, tea towels, the piano move, the list goes on!  At least I could say that putting together the patio furniture was just so I had somewhere to sit to drink my wine!

Lower level guestroom with headboard hand-made by Spousal Unit

EIGHT: Another Day in the Neighborhood, June 14, 2018

OK, I think you know by now that I like the outdoors and wildlife.  (Yes, I know I already wrote that … but I REALLY LIKE WILDLIFE.)  Check out this post for deer, beaver, ground squirrels, turkeys, turtles and our very own black bear!

NINE: Jumpin' June, July 5, 2018

Warning - slight risk of repetition … more "get 'er done" accomplishments and more outdoors photos!  At least this offers ME cooking (for a change) and a badger video.  And mushrooms, if you are weary of flower shots!

Father's Day breakfast in bed; galvanized steel bar tray was also a Father's Day gift

TEN: Hiking Journal Entry 14 - Highline Trail, July 19, 2018

We made it!  Aren't you glad?  Hopefully you read this far, because I do think this journal entry is the best in many ways.  Who wouldn't enjoy hiking the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park with 100 of your closest friends?  Seriously, some trails stand out for me (and we have hiked A LOT); this is definitely in my top 5, ever.  Mountain views.  Abundant flora.  Waterfalls.  Unique fauna (marmots and mountain goats).  And, of course, a day out with Man with Hat.

Linking to:

All Seasons

I Like Thursday

Mosaic Monday

Nature Notes

Our World Tuesday

Saturday's Critters

Sharon's Photo Souvenirs

Skywatch Friday

Wandering Camera

Wednesday Around the World

Willy Nilly Friday