Ah, 2024. It started off rough, had its high moments, and finished decently. And as today is the last day of the calendar year, so too is my day to recap and review ten important blog moments of the past twelve months. Let us review.
In February, I survived major vascular surgery, which required 92 staples and a ton of sutures that ran from my ankle up to my crotch. But in the end, I survived what could have been a nasty infection and am able to walk normally today.
There it is. Almost a year of planning, a 5 1/2 hour drive to Vermont’s Northern Kingdom, and I snagged the best photo of the total solar eclipse I’ll ever capture in my lifetime.
I had some fun with a Nikon medical lens, which allowed me to capture incredible macro photographs of everything from an Eagle Scout medal, to the inside of a lady’s wristwatch, to the petals of dying tulips.
I said goodbye to a great athlete, an incredible racer who helped me enjoy the wonderful world of harness racing. Rest as a champion, Mugshots Bro.
It was a fantastic four-year run hosting a college radio show as an alum, but I felt it was time to let my timeslot go to a current student. So thus ended the Nightowl Radio Show at WHCL. 200 episodes and I treasure every one of those moments.
In 2024, I got into a “restore vintage drive-in speakers” kick, which was a fun diversion and enjoyable art project. Here’s one of the restoration projects, complete with the embedded YouTube video.
After five Summer Bowl trivia championships, two Trivia Bowl championships, and two World Tavern Trivia titles, I retired from the competitive bar trivia scene. It was fun, it was amazing, and I made a ton of friends along the way.
Competition Season 2024 had its moments, yes it did. But one of the big moments was when I pulled two blue ribbons at the Big E – along with an honorable mention for restoring a drive-in speaker in Big E ribbon colors.
Another fully-planned adventure, this time involving 600 miles of driving, five days of planning, and a ton of fantastic photos. The CPKC Holiday Train Chase 2024.
But I would argue that the biggest win of Competition Season 2024 was when a photo I took during my CPKC Holiday Train Chase earned a big photo win from CPKC itself. Wah hoo!
And there they are. Ten blog memories. Some fantastic, some wistful, some I wish I could do again, some I hope I never do again.
And what does 2025 hold in store?
You know. More of the same. At least one new blog post every day. As always.
See you tomorrow. Or next year. Or Wednesday. All three of those answers, of course, are correct.
Chuck The Writer 
No grass growing under YOUR feet. I’d say it’s time for your own streaming Netflix series. Here’s to ’25!!!
LikeLike