Year Three in Review

Since I'll be traveling soon sans technology, it's time for a recap of the year. Thankfully, I have this blog, as I too often forget the details of my days and weeks, in places I'm happy to find, with people that pleasantly surprise, among the never-ending possibilities of the unknown.

While the 2017 stats look like this... 

• Lived in 9 states (some twice, heading north and south), and stayed the longest in Ann Arbor, Michigan (13 weeks                 of dental work!) 
• Drove 7,200 miles (+/- 100); walked/hiked 535 miles, give or take; and biked 5,145 miles (yes, the most miles ever!),          and had just one flat  
• Camped in  one national, 8 state, 3 county, and 2 private parks; slept at 4 hostels (including pastoral Malabar Farm);          and treated myself to an AirBnB room 5 times 
• Worked 190 hours (freelance writing and editing) 
• Ate just one reuben (and it was great) 
• Added a small "hot pot" to my inventory (coffee in the morning at camp) 
• Read 82 books (absolutely, the most books I've ever read in one year)

...throughout the year, I spent time... 

• Listening to a Vermont family play beautiful music under the stars  
• Sharing time with two birthday boys on a fishing weekend, who gifted me with a care package
• Enjoying three Michigan kids who caught fresh fish, rode bikes and tried to teach me Dutch 
• Hearing three or four people say, "we've been waiting for you" when I return to my fav camping spots 
• Eating fresh eggs with Rebecca on her farm near Stone Mountain 
• Leaving the "kids in Greenville" with homemade oatmeal cookies like mom used to make
• Chatting with the owner of the Blue Goose Hostel who has a great mission
• Drinking wine and laughing a lot with my 87 year old landlady in Ann Arbor
• Celebrating my birthday with 6 wonderful gal pals (and 4 pies) in Easton, MD
• Getting the local tour from 8 year old Jacob on Smith Island 
• Playing Scrabble and eating mac 'n cheese with Sid and Judy on Jekyll Island 
• Dancing to live music on a warm December afternoon in Fort Pierce 

...and, there were also life experiences, like...

• Meeting my "twin" in Sebastian, Florida (and we are still in touch)
• Having an astronaut encounter at the Kennedy Space Center
• Adopting a "manatea" (yes, that's spelled correctly) 
• Learning more than I ever imagined about composer, Stephen Foster
• Finding an entire town for sale in Georgia
• Living in a tiny house at my WorkAway in Greenville
• Touring the Chelsea Milling Company, as I'm thankful for a lifetime of Jiffy deliciousness
• Cycling my first organized event in too many years ("One Helluva Ride")
• Viewing the August eclipse on the bridge over the Youghiogheny River in PA
• Canoeing along the Chesapeake Bay near Bishops Head, MD 
• Having some fun with visiting friends in Ann Arbor, at Janes Island State Park, and on St. Helena Island
• Camping through Hurricane Jose, but bailing before Maria showed up at the Outer Banks!
• Visiting numerous islands (Amelia, Dataw, Smith, Hatteras, Ocracoke, Bear, St. Helena, Hunting, Jekyll & St. Simons) 

Yes, year four "in my Element" has officially begun, but 2018 seems light-years away!