2017 - It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.

Here I am on my 65th birthday at the top of Diamond Head.  

Happy New Year.  Looking back at 2017 is difficult at times.  In many ways it was the worst of times.    I am starting out the new year still hating that Donald Trump is our President but thankful Mike Pence is not the President.   So it could always be worse.   But I am not going to focus on the tragedy in Washington right now.  There were too many good things to celebrate about 2017.  I turned sixty five in November.  That's a land mark of sorts.   Starting in November 2016 I started dreading the next birthday.   Turning sixty five was really bothering me.  I honestly was depressed about it the entire year.  But looking back at the highlights of 2017 it's hard to believe I was depressed over my age. 

Trivia Team L & B in our ugly Christmas Sweaters 

One of the best things about 2017 was making new friends.   Mark and I joined a trivia team.   Team L and B.   We drove each week to Port Deposit, Md to eat mediocre food, play trivia, and laugh with some good friends.   Clare Pippin and Bonnie Campes and Johnathon Beltz became three of our best friends this year along with Todd and Laurie Starkey who joined us on many nights.   Also on our team was one of my dearest friends Barbara Snyder.  Barbara and I have a long history and this past year seeing her each week at trivia made our "old" friendship feel new and fresh all over again.  We laughed, we bashed Trump, and we all bonded.  Thank you Charm City Trivia for helping create this group.

Debbie  Harry in her save the bee's head dress

I got to meet some celebrities this year.  I always enjoy meeting celebrities.   I got to see Debbie Harry in concert in Atlanta.   My daughter Danielle and her wife Andrea invited me down to visit them and to go see Debbie in concert.   Opening the show was another favorite of mine.  Shirley Manson and Garbage.

Shirley Manson singing through a down pour

Shirley Manson had to stop her performance due to a thunderstorm that poured rain down on all of us.  But it didn't stop our fun.  We just danced in the rain and got soaked. 

I also go to meet a Bond girl this year.  Each year I go the the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention to meet a new Bond girl.   This year I got to meet Maryam Dabo who starred in The Living Daylights.  She also wrote the huge coffee table book Bond Girls Are Forever.  I have a copy that I take to the convention each year to collect Bond girl autographs.  Maryam was honestly honored that I had her book and she sat down with me to look at the other autographs I had collected in the book.  Such a nice lady.

Maryam Dabo and me 

Meeting Cindy Williams.

I also got to meet Cindy Williams.  I have been a fan of hers since the 1970's   She was also very nice and seemed to enjoy meeting her fans.

2017 was also a good travel year for me.  I go to travel to Atlanta in August to visit Danielle and Andrea and also to Nashville with Katie.

Danielle at Chastain Park before the down pour on Shirley Manson

In October my daughter Katie invited me to travel with her to Nashville.  I had never been to Nashville so this was great fun.  It was an early birthday gift to me.  So turning 65 might not have been bad after all.   We had a wonderful time. We do not always get a lot of alone time together so this was very special.   

Katie and I at our favorite honky tonk in Nashville - The George Jones Museum and Bar

In May Mark and I traveled to Germany and my beloved Switzerland.  We were on this trip with our extended family member Gillian Hobson.  Gillian is our favorite traveling partner and we always have a great time with her.   We also got to see many of our old Virtual Tourist friends again after not seeing them for several  years.

Mark and I at Lake Zurich in Switzerland

Mark and I in Ulm Germany.

Few places make me happier than Zurich Switzerland.

Few places make me happier than Zurich Switzerland.  If I could chose a place to live out my retirement years Zurich would be near the top of my list.  Only one other place makes me happier.

Dreading the birthday in November I told my family I did not want a big party or celebration.  I just wanted to get the day over with and move on into my next year.  And most of all I wanted no surprise parties.  That would have been the worse.  But Mark told me he really wanted to do something for my birthday.  He said to me where would you like to go to.  I will make it happen.  That's a special offer I could not turn down.  So we flew back to Hawaii for our third time in five years.  For years Switzerland was my favorite place of all.  I mentioned above it would be near the top of where I would like to live out my retirement years.  That is because the island of Oahu would be at the top of that list.  Mark and I spent my birthday week walking along the isolated beaches of Oahu's north shore, climbing mountains to find water falls near Honolulu and then finally climbing Diamond Head on the day I turned 65.  That's is not a bad way to turn 65.

So what does the new year hold?   More Trump bashing I am sure.  Fun with the trivia team.   One or hopefully two travel adventures with Gillian.  And lots of home time with Mark doing household projects.   I do best watching and taking photos!