Clink to Fourteen

 Our Christmas decorations are put away for the year, we've eaten our share of New Year's Day black-eyed-peas for luck, and we're now in search of our "healthy new us" era. While it does seem like just another resolution or two that one will eventually break (as usual), I have sincere intentions of following through with all of my goals. They are for myself and no one else. The fact that I am a list maker and always have been should at least help, although as I've aged it seems I have strayed from the "writing it down and checking it off" bit. I need to reestablish that part...another goal. 

As for this blog...it has seen fourteen new years and fifteen months of January. It will be a mystery as to how much longer I continue with it, and someday it will simply end as most things do. No fanfare or build up. 

Thank you to all who continue reading what I have to write. It is so very appreciated. I hope 2026 is a healthy, happy, safe and prosperous year for all. 

Cheers, or as the Grand would say as she raises her cup (of milk!), "Clink" as we all hold up our glasses (of our drinks of choice) and make a toast. 🎉

Happiest of Holidays

 Peace, love, kindness and light to all.  Merry Christmas. 🎄🎅

Perspective

 In the last few years, I've found it difficult to travel with my cameras. The weight of them along with the lenses and gear have gotten cumbersome for me to handle, and airline restrictions for carryon luggage don't help. Carrying and lifting are a struggle these days with the fear of pain and injury sending me back into physical therapy. 

My Canon telephoto lens weighs about three and a half to four pounds; when attached to a camera that weighs as much or more, that weight is unbearable for me to carry supported with a strap around my neck and in my hands. So I've had to balance which cameras to use and when. Car travel is easy by tossing the gear into the car, but I still need to gauge distance and be limited by how far I can walk to get the shot I want. 

The last two international trips I took, my Leica Q2 accompanied me. It's a much lighter camera, easier to carry and less of a hassle. It does a great job and I'm happy with it, however, it can't compare to my Canon DSLR cameras, and it certainly doesn't have the zoom capability of my telephoto lenses. But we settle.

This summer, car travel allowed for the Canons. Below is an example of reality and what I see through my camera using a telephoto lens. It was during a visit to Algoma, Wisconsin on the Crescent Beach boardwalk along Lake Michigan (Door County Peninsula). The subject is the Algoma Pierhead Lighthouse. The first photograph shows me sitting on a bench using my camera to take a photo of the lighthouse in the distance. The other two are a couple of shots that I got using a telephoto lens. And after a long walk along the boardwalk and beach, I was grateful for the bench which allowed me to stabilize the camera a bit. I thought it interesting to share this.

The other photos are autumn shots of the beautiful time of year, with one image framed and hanging on a wall. All are screenshots of images on my Fine Art America and Pixels account.  As always, thanks for reading my blog.

MollyBoy TV

 In my April blog post (Thrifting's Revival), I briefly mentioned how I'd gone down the rabbit hole of watching reaction videos/reels of a younger generation listening to music (from my generation) for the first time. I don't have a Youtube account (if I did, I'd subscribe to his channel) but there is one I do watch there regularly. 

MollyBoy TV is a young man from the United Kingdom. That's all I really know about him, other than the fact that he brings a breath of fresh air and genuineness to what he does. And that's reacting to music he's hearing for the first time. His facial reactions are glorious to watch, and he's also very knowledgeable. But what is so nice to see is a younger generation of individuals discovering for the first time music that was so important and relevant to me (often when I was his age or even younger). Great music and a greater appreciation for it. It appears he has many subscribers of my age bracket; perhaps it allows for a connection somehow that has gone missing. Music is a lifeline. It heals, soothes, supports, offers an understanding, and is open to interpretation. 

If I could offer song ideas to him, some would probably be: 

Journey: Any but particularly "Lights", or "When You Love a Woman", or "Wheel in the Sky", or "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin"

Anything from my blogpost of October 19, 2021 (The Playlist of My Youth). This can be viewed by clicking the highlighted link, or searching for the word 'playlist' in the search bar on the front page. I've even shared a few Youtube songs/clips throughout this blog (some have been removed, however, which I don't really understand since sharing is allowed here and no money is made).

And just for fun, I'd like to see his first listen to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" because his facial reactions would be off the charts and quite entertaining alone. 😊

Check out MollyBoy TV and subscribe to his channel if you're on Youtube. I'm so happy to have discovered it. Sharing one of his clips below; it can link you to his full channel. 

Firefall

 I saw Firefall in concert several years ago in Snowmass, Colorado. It was during a visit to Aspen that fortunately coincided with seeing these guys perform. I remember it being a beautiful evening outdoors, everyone sat on lawn chairs or blankets; it was cool enough to need a jacket while watching a gorgeous sunset behind views that were forever. The icing was seeing a band from my younger days. 

Sharing. 'Just Remember I Love You' and 'Cinderella'.

Victoria Holt

 

Victoria Holt wasn’t her actual name. Neither was Jean Plaidy, Philippa Carr, or any of the other monikers she was known to use. She was not someone who created aliases for disguise, but a woman, utilizing various pseudonyms, who happened to be one of the most prolific British authors of the twentieth century. 

Born Eleanor Alice Burford in 1906 (and later Eleanor Hibbert), she wrote over 200 novels, publishing several books per year in different genres employing eight different pen names. Her final novel as Victoria Holt was published in 1993, the year of her death.

It was the Victoria Holt series of books that I read and loved, with the first being Eleanor Hibbert’s first one written in this genre, Mistress of Mellyn. I discovered it in a school library and was hooked. Classified as Gothic Romance Suspense, the Holt books took place in the 19th century with the setting of many being Cornwall. In fact, there was much speculation at the time that Victoria Holt was actually Daphne du Maurier because Mistress of Mellyn was similar to du Maurier’s Rebecca. Obviously that wasn’t true, but the Holt series of books are similar in tone.  

I’ve long had a fascination with Cornwall in the UK which probably started with these books. I finally visited last year and the entire area is as beautiful as I imagined it to be. Ironically, it was in Cornwall that Burford (married to George Hibbert) came up with the name Jean Plaidy. The Hibberts lived in the town of Looe in Cornwall, overlooking Plaidy Beach during World War II. Eleanor Hibbert would later continue to spend her summers there. Again, I was so close. During my visit last fall, I enjoyed a day in Polperro, a ten minute drive (less than five miles) from Looe. I wish I’d known this information at the time; however, it is clear how the area influenced Hibbert’s books.

I’ve read all of the Victoria Holt novels, purchasing the newer ones when they were released, and finding the older ones in used bookstores. Some of the older books that I own are probably library copies, and I bought many of them at John K. King bookstore in Detroit, Michigan (which is worthy of its own blog post — I highly recommend a visit, for the experience if nothing else). But I love them all; I’ve read a few Plaidy and Carr books, too, but I have a lot of catching up to do in those genres. And I still collect the special hard copy and paperback books to own, even though I now read most books on my Kindle for convenience, especially when traveling. 

There is limited information on Eleanor Hibbert’s personal life, but by the time of her death in 1993 Hibbert had sold 75 million books translated in 20 languages under the name Victoria Holt alone. I highly recommend this fabulous author. 

ABBA and the Bee Gees

 I came of age with ABBA. When I was in high school, their songs were getting played on the radio and I became aware of them even though they had been around a little longer. When I was in college, some of my girlfriends and I drove to Florida for spring break and ABBA's music was everywhere. It is what I think of first when I recall that trip. 

Their music brings such wonderful memories for me; one can say nostalgia is in overdrive when I hear one of their songs and I probably know the words to most, if not all, of them. Last year, I saw 'ABBA Voyage' at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, and a couple of years ago those same girlfriends from college and I got together for an ABBA tribute band concert. Add the stage productions and movies of 'Mamma Mia', and well, I continue to attend anything ABBA related. I probably always will. Their music gets me dancing and singing. Most importantly, it's music that makes me happy. 

The Bee Gees had hits before I discovered them, too. The movie, 'Saturday Night Fever', revealed their music to me and I've loved them ever since. Feeling nostalgic today.

Sharing a couple.