My 2024 annual highlight reel

Every year I take a look back to see what I did, and because I’m a blogger, I post my annual highlight reel for the world to see. Because my self-talk isn’t negative enough, I reviewed the goals I set in last year’s post. Yeah, that was humbling. But also–I did some big things in 2024 that were not on my annual goals list, so there’s that. Anyway, if you want to join me in my annual navel gazing, pull up a seat, ignore the lint, and let’s go.

2024 highlights: the big stuff

I could make a long list of things I didn’t do in 2024–achieve my writing goals, take a big trip, write any new stories, exercise regularly–but I’m going to be kind to myself (that was one of my 2024 goals) and start with what I did do:

• Got a new job! A recruiter contacted me in February about a leadership position that would be a big step up for me in both responsibility and salary. I dithered for a bit, decided, What the hell, and applied. And got it!
• Moved to a new city! The new job is in Fresno, in California’s Central Valley. I grew up in the Central Valley, about 2 hours northwest of Fresno, so for me it feels like coming home. My family is happy, I’m happy, we found a house we love… life is good.
• Co-edited an academic book that’s due out early in 2025. It’s related to library leadership, and I finished the bulk of the work while interviewing for my new job, packing, and planning a move. So I’m going to cut myself a lot of slack on all the stuff I didn’t get done this year.
• This is neither a highlight nor an achievement, but I was diagnosed with some new chronic health issues in March, including one that requires about 45 minutes/day of treatment. So like I said, I’m going to cut myself some slack on not getting a lot done this year.

Writing goals

• This was my least productive writing year (other than co-editing the academic book) that I’ve had since I started writing fiction 10-ish years ago. I did almost nothing for the first half of the year. After getting settled here in Fresno, I picked up the work on Delta Dawn and am back to making slow but steady progress. Something is better than nothing.
• I also cut way back on blogging. I’ve been averaging 1 post per month rather than 1 per week. One of the things that’s been cutting into my writing/blogging time is gardening. I have a huge yard here and have been having way too much fun playing in the dirt on weekends instead of posting random nonsense on here.

Travel

A big chunk of my 2024 travel was move-related: interviewing, house hunting, moving. But Long-Suffering Husband and I managed to do a bit of exploring.

February: Lake Mead (Arizona/Nevada)

For years I’ve wanted to try van camping, so last February we rented a van from Escape Campervans and spent a few days at Lake Mead on the Arizona/Nevada border.

Here’s me with our campervan at a road stop outside Wickenburg, Arizona, on the way to Lake Mead:

The vans are surprisingly comfortable to sleep in, though I missed being able to sit or stand up comfortably without taking the bed apart. The biggest drawback, though, is that the van had > 300K miles on it and developed mechanical problems. Fortunately we were near Las Vegas and could swap the van out at the Escape depot there. We would have been in real trouble if we’d been in a remote area when the engine light came on.

Usually we just drive through the Lake Mead area on our way to Vegas, so it was fun to stop and spend some time there. We toured Hoover Dam, which was fascinating.

We also visited Redstone, a beautiful red rocks area about an hour from the dam.

I never realized southern Nevada had so much red rock scenery. We visited Red Rock Canyon two years ago (see this post for pics). Next trip I hope we can make it to Valley of Fire State Park.

May: Portland for a conference

I attended the Medical Library Association conference in Portland. I took very few pictures, because I lived in Portland for 14 years and don’t feel like a tourist when I visit. But I couldn’t resist taking this picture of the Unipiper, who entertained at the conference opening reception.

The Unipiper epitomizes the wonderful weirdness that is Portland.

July: Shaver and Huntington Lakes

The day after we arrived in Fresno and moved into our temporary housing, Long-Suffering Husband and I both tested positive for COVID. I had a little over a week till I started my new job. We were supposed to be getting our California driver’s licenses, registering our vehicles, getting insurance, getting new bank accounts, all that fun stuff you have to do when you move to a new place. Instead we were quarantined in an AirBnB in a city where it was > 105F and we knew no one. So we spent a lovely summer afternoon in the Sierras, staying far away from other humans and soaking up the scenery.

Not bad places to escape the heat and avoid humans.

August: Morro Bay

The good and bad thing about Fresno is that it’s 2-3 hours from everything. Yosemite? 2 hours. The coast – 3 hours. Etc.

We were supposed to move into our new house the last weekend in August, but there was a glitch with the paperwork that delayed closing for a few days. So instead of sitting around the AirBnB and whining, we decided to spend the day in Morro Bay.

Apparently our summer travel consisted of a) moving and b) making the best of less-than-optimal situations.

September: Home to Tracy for a high school reunion

In September I made Long-Suffering Husband earn his title by dragging him to my hometown for my 40th high school reunion. That man really does deserve a medal for putting up with me.

Since Tracy, California, isn’t exactly scenic, I don’t have a lot of pictures, but I did visit Trapper Slough outside Stockton, which was one of my favorite California Delta fishing spots when I was a kid.

Much like the people at my reunion, Trapper Slough has changed quite a bit over the years. Fishing is banned, and most of the trees that used to line parts of the bank have been removed. Someday I’d like to see it via canoe or kayak, because there’s not as much to see from shore as there used to be.

You can find California Delta pics from a previous trip here and here.

I did take a bunch of pics at my reunion. Here’s one of me with Carolyn, a close friend since we met in middle school orchestra. We played some cool violin and flute duets in high school.

October: Yosemite

There’s a quote sometimes attributed to Yosemite ranger Carl Sharsmith. When asked what he would do if he had only 1 day in Yosemite, he allegedly said, “I’d sit by the Merced River and cry.” Long-Suffering Husband and I made the most of our single day in Yosemite, visiting the Valley (briefly) and driving the Old Tioga Road up to Tuolumne Meadows. I’d visited Yosemite in every season except fall, so it was both familiar and unfamiliar in interesting ways.

Whatever the season, Yosemite is always jaw-droppingly gorgeous and awe-inspiring. Here are 2 pics from the Valley:

Panoramic view of Tenaya Lake in the high country:

Tuolumne Meadows:

Sunset at Glacier Point

If you do nothing else when you visit Yosemite, spend a sunset at Glacier Point. These pictures don’t do it justice–no picture could.

November: Shinzen Friendship Garden

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Fresno gets fall color, something I’d missed during my Tucson years. And there’s no better place to see it than the Shinzen Friendship Garden, our local Japanese garden.

None of those photos are filtered or enhanced in any way. The colors really were that vivid.

December: Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

I have a few favorite places in California. Yosemite is one. Point Lobos is another. This state park occupies a headland that looks something like a wolf’s head (hence the name) just south of Carmel. This is another place where pictures cannot capture the extent of its beauty (or at least my pictures can’t).

The memery

If you’ve stuck with my navel-gazing this long, you deserve a few laughs for your trouble.

If you’ve ever lived in the Central Valley (or read some of my short stories set there), you’ll know about tule fog. If not, this meme captures it pretty well:

And since we’re talking about holidays:

My shoes do, too.

This one made me snort-laugh:

And finally:

That’s it for me this time. How about you? What were your 2024 highlights? Any dreams/plans for 2025?

Happy New Year!