Well, another year has passed and this April, the blog will be 5 years old! I never expected when I began back in 2014 that it would last this long, nor did I expect it to bring me as much joy as it has. These five years have taken us on so many paths....and more than a few dirt roads. We've traveled so many miles, met so many wonderful new people, seen so many breathtaking landscapes, and explored so many venues. I'm always surprised and sometimes blown away by the attention some blog posts get....some far less than I expect and some far more than I imagine when I'm writing. The numbers don't matter to me, because the blog is not a source of income. What it is is an outlet for my photos (I won't even say 'photography' because I am, by no means, a photographer), for my love of writing, and most especially a medium for sharing this beautiful part of our country, the businesses in it and the special people whose lives are devoted to those businesses. Sometimes the blog is merely an outlet for my philosophical ideas. In fact, this year I put those "Food for Thought" posts along with my family stories together in a printed spiral book format so that generations after me will have some tangible record of my tales. At the end of the day, this blog has become a record of life for me, a journal of sorts of the places we've been and the people we've met along the way....a testament of a life lived. And while I view it as a personal journey and documentation, I also realize that so many of you subscribe or read the posts on Facebook and enjoy being a virtual passenger, spectator, and travel companion on our modest little explorations. In 2018, I wrote 73 posts. So, I thought it might interest you to see what were the Top 12 Most Read posts of 2018. The results might surprise you!
- #12 Lessons I've Learned About Living Life Like a Three Year Old https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2018/04/the-lessons-ive-learned-about-living.html Ok, so I confess...I extended my Top 10 to Top 12 because this post was #12....and because I think it's good advice we could all benefit from.
- #11 Visiting Fort Klock, a 1750's Fortified Restored Homestead https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2018/09/visiting-fort-klock-1750s-restored.html We happened on this treasure quite by accident, but boy we were glad we did. Such a fascinating homestead, great tour and so much history!
- #10 One Yard, Several Gardens, Two Retirees Needing a Village of Green Thumb Experts (https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2018/05/one-yard-several-gardens-and-two.html) This post illustrated the before and after, the muscle and the materials that went into our front landscape make-over.
- #9 Shades of Tranquility at Shades of Green in Charlton (https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2018/07/shades-of-tranquility-at-shades-of.html) Always a favorite of mine, Shades of Green is as much a serene retreat as it is a park-like nursery for shade perennials.
- #8 Revisiting the Rural Landscape of Carlisle, NY (https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2018/02/revisiting-rural-landscape-of-carlisle.html) Set in beautiful Schoharie county, the rural landscape of Carlisle and neighboring towns with their beautiful old farms, herd of buffalo and snow-covered landscape, Carlisle is a scene old post cards are made of.
- #7 When Our World Is Full of Sunshine, Someone Else is Experiencing Life's Darkest Storm (https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2018/07/when-our-world-is-full-of-sunshine.html) This was for sure the hardest post I wrote in 2018, the story of tragedy that struck our very dear friends who had moved south to be closer to family....a family that was tragically murdered the day they arrived.
- #6 Tiny House Resort - Day-Trippin' in Greene County - (https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2018/08/a-tiny-house-resort-day-trippin-in.html) No surprise that this one made the top 12! What a beautiful resort! Glamping takes on a whole new meaning at this tiny house resort in So. Cairo, NY
- #5 What You Need To Know About Lyme Disease Before It Changes Your Life (https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2018/03/what-you-need-to-know-about-lyme.html) Perhaps one of the most important posts on the blog this year...written by my good friend, Linda Reeves, about the hard and long-lasting impression Lyme has made on her life. Still suffering from the neurological damage done by undiagnosed Lyme disease, Linda shares important, life-saving information about this debilitating and deadly disease.
- #4 Road Trippin' in Easton Where Every View is a Spring Masterpiece (https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2018/05/road-trippin-in-easton-ny-where-every.html) It doesn't matter what the season, Easton is a favorite among blog readers as much as it is a favorite for our road trip destinations. Close enough to home to be easily accessible, yet far enough away to feel like an adventure, Easton is filled with beautiful landscape and truly wonderful people. We've made so many new friends in Easton!
- #3 What A Hoot 2018 - The Coxsackie Owls https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2018/06/what-hoot-2018-coxsackie-owls.html Again, no surprise. The Coxsackie Owls have been a huge hit in Coxsackie and here on the blog for as long as I've been sharing them. A collection of stunning, handpainted owls displayed throughout Coxsackie is a sight to behold - in person and on the blog.
- #2 Spring is Bursting From Every Nook and Cranny at the Speckled Hen https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2018/03/spring-is-bursting-from-every-nook-and.html Again, no surprise. The Speckled Hen has been a reader (and shopper) favorite for all the years I've been featuring shops on the blog, and always in the top of the leader board for reads.
- #1 And finally the most read post of the year, in the #1 spot, Great Food and Wall-to-Wall Fun at C.P.'s Family Restaurant in Hagaman, NY
That's quite a variety of content. I never know what's going to be popular here and who might have predicted that a cool, museum-like family restaurant in Hagaman would attract the attention of almost 9,000 readers? I get it now, now that CP's is a regular on our dining destinations, but when I was headed there for the first time I had no idea what a popular place this is.
I need to thank you for allowing me to share Life As I See It with you here on the blog. My life isn't glamorous and some might even describe it as limited and boring, but we love the area we live in, love the people who have crossed our paths and are so thankful to be able to share our adventures - however near or far they take us. If you missed any of these posts and want to see more like it, just head on over to the blog Directory (https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/p/directory.html) and explore what else you may have missed. You can also subscribe to receive each new post in your email! That's the very best way to ensure you see each one since Facebook is not dependable when it comes to delivering them to all my friends and followers. In fact, out of 1070 followers I'm lucky if Facebook delivers a post to 30 people. Honestly....that's how it goes. Sad but true. So here's to 2019. Looking forward to seeing where life takes us.....and you'll be the first to know! Happy New Year!
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