Merry Christmas Day from Fernie, British Columbia! Dave is on the mountain enjoying some excellent skiing conditions and relatively warm weather. I'm getting over a cold so am happy to spend the morning on the couch with my iPad.
I'm in Spanish mode this morning and have been drafting some future posts about learning a foreign language. That's the beauty of a personal blog. I choose the topics and the photos, no rules, no restrictions! Like watercolour painting or writing poetry, the biggest value of my Caboose platform is the opportunity for self-expression. All of you who create sculptures, paintings, quilts, woodwork, creative meals, stories, photography, decorated homes, gardens, hand-made clothing, and more, know what I mean. Making things your own way, creating anything that expresse your identity, feels good.
I consider Tea in a Caboose my mixed-media creative outlet and it's a bonus if other people actually look at, and enjoy, the project.
This post is to give a sincere Thank You, Merci and Gracias to all of you who read my stories regularly or occasionally, or just scroll through the photos once in awhile. I've received some nice comments and have over 50 subscribers! I feel like a writer, although my blog is really a glorified journal. With some effort to make it relevant to others of course. Turkey for an armchair traveller may turn into Turkey as a real destination for someone.
My Caboose subscribers are from all over the place. Friends I've met over the years and a few readers I don't even know. Hello to Julio in Spain, Alejandra in Switzerland, Rachel in Vermont, Todd in Texas, Shannon in Mexico, Terre in California, Sandra in Ontario, Glenna on Vancouver Island, and all my other subscribers, friends and family, closer to home.
Tea in a Caboose started as a Covid project but has become an ongoing hobby for me. I can spend a surprising amount of time on it, which as a retired person I have in good supply. It's addictive, as my fellow blogger and childhood friend, Deb R., completely understands. Neither of us realized that writing a personal blog could be so fun and so satisfying. Deb posts artwork from her forty-five year career of creative drawing, cartooning and self-developed, black & white photography. I tap-tap on this iPad and arrange photos to my heart's content.
Write, revise, add photos, rearrange photos, delete photos. The hours go by. Deb and I are writers, artists, editors, photographers and publishers all in one, with no risk, no pressure and no deadlines. Yes, it's a nice warm, sedentary hobby on a winter day.
My posting schedule is according to my whim, a good thing since self-discipline isn't a priority at this stage of my life. In fact, it hardly exists.
There are some archival stories coming up in 2023 recounting my parents' flying adventures. I'm documenting some unusual trips from decades long past, for family and anyone else who may be interested in light aircraft travel. I just need to find more old photographs. Here's one I like, about 1956 when I was four years old.
I've clicked the button that says "Publish" 109 times! That's 109 stories about travel, art, occasionally my home and family, friends from far away, and at least once, a cat, all in the last two years. You've maybe noticed the Categories in the top corner. I love the freedom to write about anything that strikes my fancy.
I expect to keep the Tea brewing and the Caboose rolling along for as long as my inspiration lasts and I can dream up topics to chatter about.
Feel free to read, share, ignore or delete posts. And subscribe, which means new packages fly directly to your email, or unsubscribe, as you wish.
Thank you again! Happy Holidays and Very Best Wishes to You in the New Year.
I hope none of you are stuck in airports today, though we have two friends who just may be having a longer, unexpected stay in Cancun.
Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël, Merry Christmas!
Warm regards, Jean
