Returning to the November road trip...

After entering Illinois, we subsequently crossed into Kentucky and then into Tennessee. After passing through Nashville, we were unsure what the traffic would be like in Chattanooga, so we took a detour suggested by Matt's phone. Now, one of the disadvantages of traveling east is that whenever you cross into another timezone, you lose an hour. The detour took us briefly into Georgia (Eastern time), then into Alabama (Central time), and back into Georgia again. Not only were our phones confused, (you should see how mixed-up the pictures are chronologically because of those time changes!), but that night we reverted from daylight savings time back to standard time! Needless to say (but I will anyway), we were glad to arrive at the hotel and get some sleep!

Wow, 2024 is off to a busy start! I've been working on shedding some excess weight, and it is coming off, though quite grudgingly! There are still a few more pounds that I want to shed before I get back to the gym. My book reading is off to a great start as well. Not only have I purchased several books off of eBay, but I've also read through seven books just this month! (To clarify, some were fairly short, and all were ones I had read in my younger years.) It sure was fun to get reacquainted with those old friends! The biggest news this month so far has been my Dad's health. Due to that, Laurel and I headed to my folks' place for a week and spent the time helping as we could. Laurel was a gem and helped out in many different ways! Now that we are back, we're trying to get back up to speed on the things that need to be done and the things we'd like to do in the days and weeks ahead.

After a number of hours of work, and over 50 photos later, I'm pleased to announce that the 3rd annual edition of The Linders Look Back has been completed and sent out via e-mail. If you didn't receive a copy and would like one, please shoot us an e-mail request and we'll get one to you. Thanks!

Work on The Linders Look Back continues. I have all of the months typed up and the fonts, columns and spacing set. Tomorrow I will attempt to get all of the photos sized and inserted, and turn it over to my editor, (aka Laurel), for proofreading, grammar, etc. Looking forward to getting it out to all you who have requested a copy!

Here we are at the start of a new year, and boy, am I excited! For those that know me well, you know that I love this time of year and all the clichés that accompany it..."a clean slate", "a fresh start", "turning over a new leaf", or as I said in Sunday School this past Sunday, "a brand new spiral-bound lined steno notebook with an unused blue ink pen!" I've already put together a list of things that I'd like to do or accomplish this year. That is not to say that the year will succeed or fail based on my list, but it does give me some direction and focus right out of the gate!

Laurel doesn't tend to plan or make lists in the same way I do, but I think she is off to a good start! So far she has begun work on a new puzzle that she received for Christmas, and she has started reading the Trixie Belden series I bought for her as a gift. That is a series she has been wanting to own for some time, and with the help of eBay I was able to procure an almost complete set!

For those that are interested, I have started work on our annual New Years' letter, The Linders Look Back. This will be our third edition, covering the events and happenings of 2023, and illustrated with photos from the year. I save this as a PDF and e-mail it out, so if you would like to receive a copy and currently do not, please drop us an e-mail and let us know. If all goes well, I'm hoping to have it done and sent out by the end of the week.

For the blog here, I have updated the "hero" or header image to reflect the winter season in its entirety rather than soley focusing on the Christmas celebration. Look for more photos and updates as the year gets into full swing! What about you? Any plans or thoughts for the year? Let us know at the e-mail address listed in the welcome paragraph on this page. We'd love to hear from you!