What a year it was---part 1

As I have done the last couple of years on the blog, I sat down today to review and reminisce about the year just ended.  I’ll have to do it in two parts this year since my internet connection is a little flaky. 

I started out the year with volunteering almost four months at Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR.  I had lots of visitors this year, and I’m sure regular readers will recognize several of them.  The visitors included family, fellow volunteers, personal friends, and other RV bloggers.  It seemed like hardly a week went by that I didn’t get to enjoy time with new and old friends.

There were plenty of birds to photograph, and even one to catch in hand.  What a thrill that was!  Bachman’s sparrows are hard to see, and I was lucky enough to scoop one up in my hand on the VC front lawn.

I also enjoyed the other critters and plants that make the longleaf pine savannah their home.  Towards the end of April, it was time to move on.

I took almost three months off from volunteering to slowly make my way from Mississippi to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Spent some time at the Prairie Creek COE park near Montgomery, Alabama, so I could steep myself in the history of the state capitol and the Civil Rights Movement.  I was humbled by their struggle.

Then it was on to another COE park just over the border in Georgia.  More history during that stay including FDR’s “Little White House” with a swim in the Hot Springs therapeutic pool,  and Andersonville and the National Prisoner of War Museum.  Met up with fellow bloggers at the beautiful Callaway Gardens for a wonderful butterfly experience and tour of one of their favorite places.

I then zipped up to Tennessee for a couple of weeks.  So many new experiences there!  A private Blue Grass concert, visiting the home of Congressional Medal of Honor winner Sgt. Alvin C. York, and wandering all the back roads trying to follow the quilt trail.  That brought me to the middle of June, and just about half way through this year’s journey. 

I hope some of you recognize yourselves in these collages, and I apologize for not providing links to all of the bloggers.  With my corrupt hip, I just don’t have the patience or fortitude right now to do that.  I truly enjoy others’ walks down Memory Lane, and hope the same is true for you.  I’ll endeavor to post part two tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy