This time of year, a sentence that begins with “Have a Very Merry…” almost always ends with “Christmas.” Whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year, I hope it’s been a wonderful time with family, friends, festivities and fun.
We traveled for most of November and December, so didn’t have time for most of our family traditions this year. I really missed having a Christmas tree. There’s something about the colorful lights coming on each evening that flicks the merry switch for me.
Because we had a non-typical Christmas, my photos for this month’s Photo Blogging Challenge color well outside the lines of “Merry Christmas.” Fortunately, host PJ deliberately crafted a broader prompt with “Have a Very Merry…” which allows for photos of anything or any occasion marked by joy and high spirits. So here goes…my five photos for the month, in chronological order:
1. …Beach Vacation
Even though it was only a half-day, our Antarctica expedition cruise stop at Saunders Island was a highlight of the trip. Like many islands in the Falklands/Malvinas, this one is privately-owned. The landing site is a long, wide, sandy beach – frequented by penguins! We saw 3 kinds of penguins on the beach: Gentoo, Magellanic and King, including Gentoo and King chicks. Plus we visited a Rockhopper penguin colony on a nearby bluff, for a total of 4 kinds of penguins in one location. Amazing!
2. …Photography Tour
We booked two photography tours in Argentina. The first was a birding photography tour in Tierra del Fuego National Park, very close to Ushuaia, self-proclaimed “End of the World.” To see the amazing range of birds we spotted, check out Mr GeoK’s Relive video recap.
The second outing was a rooftop photography tour in Buenos Aires. We enjoyed the elevated views of city landmarks. But the fact that it rained all day made for challenging photography. This photo, taken with my phone from an apartment rooftop overlooking Recoletta cemetary, brings me joy because it’s kind of like Christmas lights in the background.
3. …Stay in Seattle
We were home from our Argentina/Antarctica trip less that 48 hours before traveling again, to Seattle. A couple of months ago, I wrote about my participation in a long-term Parkinson’s research study. (Short version = I have not been diagnosed with Parkinson’s; I volunteered for this study as a “control” participant because my Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2022.)
After my October visit, the research team determined I was a good candidate for additional assessments and specimens, so I spent a good part of the trip at two different hospitals being poked, prodded and providing answers to endless questionnaires and cognitive assessments.
But due to scheduled maintenance on the MRI machine, we got a bonus day in between the two hospital days. We took full advantage, exploring the heart of downtown Seattle. With no Christmas tree at home, I really appreciated the Christmas light displays. For more highlights from Seattle, watch Mr. GeoK’s Relive video recap.
Note to self: work on selfie skills in 2024. 😉
4. …Morning Walk
A few days after returning from Seattle, we headed to our getaway place in Canmore. It’s a true gift to be able to spend time in the mountains, regaining that sense of place in the world (I am nothing in the grand scheme of things) and finding joy in the company of nearby nature. A bonus at this time of year? The sun doesn’t rise over the surrounding mountains until about 9 o’clock, so I can enjoy two cups of coffee before we head out for a morning walk on one of our favorite local trails.
5. …Search for Christmas Spirit
Before we left for Antarctica in mid-November, I booked tickets to the annual “In Search of Christmas Spirit” experience in Banff. This free, annual event combines illuminated sculptures, an engaging story and captivating sound effects to tell an uplifting story about the wildlife of Banff National Park. For the first time in 3 or 4 years, we didn’t freeze in -30C conditions. What a treat to enjoy the comparatively balmy “right around freezing” weather.
There you have it…5 moments that lifted my spirits in December. What made you merry this month? While you think about how to answer that, check out the merry making moments experienced by other members of the Photo Blogging Challenge. The link up is over on host PJ’s blog.
And please, consider joining our small, friendly community of bloggers in 2024. All you need each month are 5 photos and a blogging outlet. The amount of text is entirely up to you (I’m definitely on the wordy side). I’ll update this post to share the theme for January as soon as it’s available. Will I be reading your post this time next month?
Meanwhile, Mr GeoK and I wish you all the best in 2024, including some wonderful moments spent with Nature.
Maybe one day I’ll be able to experience Antarctica! It’s on my list of “Five” places I truly want to visit before I leave this earth. I am not sure I will accomplish all five, but who knows!
Love the Banff experience. That looks really cool! 🙂
And I feel you with selfies. It’s taken time but I feel like I am starting to get it!
Happy new year, Denise!
I enjoyed your merry pictures, and especially the Seattle bonus day video 🙂 We visited the sculpture park a few years ago, but I wasn’t aware that these pieces had names.You had to climb a lot of steps for that breakfast, but it sounds like it was more than worth it.
A former coworker of mine got married in Ushuaia. She and her then boyfriend were backpacking in South America for several months. When they came back home and resumed their everayday life, their marriage fell apart. Let’s not blame it on Argentina though.
Lovely photos once again. I was inspired by your Antarctica trip to book my wife and I a cruise in late April, still no Antarctica, but we are going to Croatia and Montenegro with a few stops on the Adriatic side of Greece. Thanks for sharing and the inspiration!
Coloring inside the lines is overrated! But….you and I have very different ideas of “beach vacation”! But, as usual, I love your photos and admire you for getting out in the cold weather to get them. I have a close friend with Parkinson’s who takes a class called Rock Steady every day. She had to be approved to take it as it’s designed for those with Parkinson’s. I hope you find an effective treatment and therapy that can stave off the symptoms and complications for as long as possible. And, I wish you and yours a fabulous 2024.
Thanks Lisa. Looking forward to 2024. To be clear – as far as I know, I do not have a Parkinson’s diagnosis…it’s my Dad who was diagnosed last year. I volunteered for this study as a “control” participant, I guess you would say, because it’s something I can do to help Dad and everyone else on the Parkinson’s journey. I will clarify in my blog post.