Thursday, December 31, 2009

Blue Moon hike


The weather here in Bellingham was predicted to be rainy this afternoon but not raining in the morning, so we Senior Trailblazers met at the Senior Center (17 of us!) to get an early in-and-out hike. We went to the North Shore of Lake Whatcom, 7 miles out and back on the North Shore trail, and we were done with lunch and back at the trailhead by noon! The lake was unusually smooth and glassy (shown above, click any picture to enlarge), and the weather was in the mid-30s and dry.

We walked faster than usual, since there is no elevation gain, and stopped for a quick lunch a half mile out from the trailhead at a nice beach. That's Linda looking very Blue Moon-ish. She has convinced me that I should join her other walking group tomorrow morning at Lake Padden, where we will celebrate the new year with hot chocolate and (for me) a new group of friends. I'll go, of course. This is where the Polar Bears Club will jump into the lake at noon, and I can't help but think of the picture possibilities!

I'm here at home now, writing this Blue Moon New Years Eve post, and it's raining hard out there. We managed to get back to the Senior Center just ahead of the rain, and now I can hear the rain hitting the roof and making quite a racket. After having caught up on my blogging buddies' New Year's Eve posts, the idea of looking back, a retrospective of the past year, is intriguing.

Last New Year's Eve, I had not met most of you who will be reading this post. I didn't know about all the wonderful friends I would make: Rae, Judy, sas, Connie, Whitney, Nancy, Tiff -- I can't even name them all, but those pop up (oh, and Janine, Lily, Joan). Please don't be miffed if I forgot you since I can't possibly name everyone; in the heat of the moment these bloggers come to mind. All of you, named and unnamed, have enriched my life in ways I could never have predicted a year ago. Thank you again and again! (You too, Lucy and VB, and I am resisting going back and removing all these names for fear of forgetting someone who has changed my life.)

I traveled to Macedonia with my old boss in April, which was a truly wonderful experience, and I met some fantastic people who are now Facebook friends -- oh yes, Facebook came into my life this past year, too! The trip also made me realize how full and meaningful my life in retirement has become, and how little I miss all that international travel. One more Blue Moon picture, this time of my friend Peggy, and I'll call it a post!

I used my handy-dandy fill-in flash to take this picture a few hours ago, Peggy in front of Lake Whatcom, Blue Moon, New Year's Eve 2009.
:-)

12 comments:

  1. I usually don't reflect back as the old year closes. but this year is the exception. Blogging has opened many doors for me and allowed me to meet many wonderful new friends. I am so pleased to have added you among them. I hope to get to know you better in the new year and to share many more memories along the way. Happy New Year my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is a nice post DJan. Blogging has made a big difference in my life too as I don’t have many friends around here and never talked in my language of origin. Now I have good friends like you and some of them write to me in French. I have learned so much from my blogging friends and visited so many places I would not know about. It has been a great year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That water certainly does look very glass-like, doesn't it. What a lovely day you had. I wish you many more of them to come.
    Blessings, Star

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, friends. A version of love which is the most valuable gift we can receive. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  5. It looks like you had a lovely day for a hike on your side of the Cascades. We have had snow and freezing rain all day, the roads are like glass.

    It is interesting to reflect on the past year. So many new friends from around the world, all connected by the internet. Hope you have a lovely evening.

    Happy New Year my friend,
    Judy

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy New Year DJan and Smart Guy! ..it has been a pleasure to meet you, I love your hikes and all your fantastic views! You are an inspiration! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happiest of New Years to you lovely :) So happy to have found you xxx

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy New Year Jan and "Smart Guy". I love you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. The lake looks smooth as glass, very inviting. That last picture is so crisp it almost looks as if you've superimposed her onto a backdrop!
    Blogging has been a door into another world for me as well. I am so often at home, interacting with the nonverbal (or at least unintelligible), that I enjoy entering the lives of others. It is also a whole new level of creativity and inspiration that does not require going any farther than my computer.
    I hope you have a wonderful time on your hike; I look forward to the pictures and hearing about this new group of folks!
    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have found some nice photos from 2007 and 2008 that I would like to use in my blogs but last night was a bad night for me and I didn't get much rest. Most of the time I had one coughing fit after another. I thought I would try to just say, "thanks" to those who stopped today. I appreciate the comments, visits and prayers. I hope things will get back to normal soon.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It's too cold to hike here today. You put us all to shame DJan. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks so much for the shout-out in your blogpost!
    And back atcha!
    I really am amazed how you can develop friendships with other bloggers...and some you just immediately "click" with (like you) too.

    I hope your 2010 is one where you remain healthy and that it is your happiest year yet!!!

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments! If you see a word verification box here, just ignore it. I don't use the darn thing and Blogger is trying to get us to use it, I guess. Ignore it and your comment will still appear.