New Year's Resolutions rebranded into Adventures

 Happy New Year 2024!

I hope you are looking forward to a fun and interesting year, Dear Friends! 

Reading an email I received recently from Sixty and Me (see sidebar for link to the site), I got a great idea for rebranding New Year's Resolutions. You know those things that we all promise ourselves that we're going to do but then don't, like lose weight, eat more healthy, exercise daily, et cetera, et cetera. 

Well, how about instead of finding all our faults - notice how often they're about healthy and body image - and trying to fix them, we plan to go on fun and interesting adventures every month!

Here is where the email comes in: the suggestion is to make a list of places to visit and things to do right in your city or town. Pretend you're a tourist, what suggestions would you give to someone visiting for the first time? What are some of the unique sights and locations in your city? Are there historic buildings or locations, museums, a zoo, nature centers, botanical gardens, wilderness areas, national or state parks close enough for a day trip? Is there a holiday parade planned? 

How about visiting a new coffee shop where they roast their own coffee beans? Maybe a local bakery you've always wanted to try but haven't got there yet? 

(Yes, my list is made up of things right here in and around Boise!) 

Of course, you can choose to go out-of-town if that's the adventure  that calls to you, but sometimes it's easier to stay local, and it helps local businesses, too.

Once you've made a list of all the neat places to go or wonderful things to do, choose the twelve that interest you the most. Keep the whole list, and if you feel like swapping out one activity for another, that's fine, too. This is supposed to be inspirational and fun, don't feel you have to lock yourself into something on the schedule if a better offer comes along; be flexible.

Next, get out your calendar or planner and choose one day a month to go out and enjoy one of the adventures on your list. Maybe the first or second day of the month would be good (get your fun in early!), or the second Saturday, or the fourth Sunday. I doesn't matter which you choose, but when you choose just one and plan your outing for the same day/date each month, it generates consistency and actually creates a good habit, one that you can carry over into 2025. 

Of course, you can have more than one adventure in a month, but please do schedule at least one every month so those dreadful 'resolutions' can be put to rest and rebranded into fun adventures! 

The best part is, having all that fun will beneficially enhance your health and body image, too!  

Library!

I have had a library card since I was eight years old. Maybe earlier, but I don't remember that. I do remember walking to our local public library when I was eight, along with my younger brother and two cousins. 

I remember wanting to read Laura Ingalls Wilder series of books that started with Little House on the Prairie but never managing to find them available in order! Today, some sixty-plus years later, I still have a library card. I've had one everywhere I've ever lived. I never did  complete the Wilder series, I suppose it's not too late!

The nature of libraries has changed quite a lot over those decades. Today, they are vibrant community centers with many roles: book lender, video lender, computer cafe, hosts for activities for young people from toddlers through teens, and beyond. Every Friday for four years, I took my grandson to the library to hang out and do activities with other elementary-school-age boys and girls. Sometimes they had special activities like Science Day. 

This is just one of the activities my local library branch hosts. 

Every Tuesday, I and about a dozen other ladies, gather to work on our projects; knitting, crochet, tatting, quilting, and whatever else is 'in progress' whether it's yarn or not! We're an equal-opportunity craft group! 

We've also had sewing night, the library has a few machines they set up. You can bring your own project, or make the small one they schedule with the provided fabrics and notions. 

If you haven't visited your library for a while, I encourage you to check them out! 

In case you're wondering, the Boise Public Library system does officially go by 'Library!' In the 1990s, a fellow here in Boise proposed adding the exclamation point to the name. It wasn't wildly popular with some people, but they came around. I loved it the first time I saw it, it made me feel the libraries were excited and exciting places to visit! 

Visit your Library! today! 

Driving Historic US Route 20 in the planning

 Have you ever been on a long road trip? 

Across the country?

I have not though I'm planning one for June of 2024, driving from Boise, Idaho to Tully, New York (and back) on Historic US Route 20. 

Most people, when thinking of a cross-country route in the US, think of the famous Route 66. As kids, my brother and I even watched the "Route 66" television show that ran from 1960 to 1964 and starred Martin Milner and George Maharis. 

Route 20 never had it's own television show, but found fame in its own right. It's the longest highway in America coast-to-coast, starting in the Pacific costal town of Newport, Oregon and ending in Boston, Massachusetts, on the Atlantic coast, a trek of 3,365 miles. 

It even has a website: Historic US 20 . com Part of the mission is to raise awareness of grassroots America, highlight the small towns and historic sites along the route. That is the part I love best and am looking forward to; as a photographer, I can't wait to visit these charming places, meet the interesting people and hear their stories, and do my best to capture the essence in my photos. 

Here's a map of the route. We get to drive through Yellowstone National Park since the route goes right through there, too! 

 

My trip will be a little shorter, a bit over 2,000 miles since I'm starting in Boise and ending in central New York. However, I do intend to jog slightly northwards, going up into South Dakota to visit Mount Rushmore and The Badlands National parks since they're about an hour north of Route 20 as it crosses Nebraska. 

This is the Vision Board I created for the trip. I like Vision Boards, they help me 'keep my eyes on the prize.' This includes some of my intentions for the trip: "safe, secure, supported," "FUN," "EASY," and a mock-up of The Senior Way book I intend to publish about the adventure! You can see Spring Lilly there in the middle, my trusty Jeep. The lady there is me, a few years ago, and I have no idea who the man in the silhouette is but he looks like a fun travel companion - he has a camera! 

I'll be driving in or through eight states: Idaho, a little corner of Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, a corner of Pennsylvania, and New York. There, and back again.

One of my cousins has signed on as a travel companion. She lives in NY so will fly to Idaho, and ride with me back to central New York. The plan is to start out on June 1, 2024. We figure it will take a little less than three weeks taking our time and sightseeing to drive to NY. I'll visit some other family and friends while there, then head back to Idaho. I am hoping to find a companion for the return trip - maybe the silhouette man with the camera! - but I'm pretty adept at 'winging it.'

If you've done a long road trip, leave a comment and share your experiences!