2018 in eight photos

So many images appear in my photo feed from this year, virtually all happy and beautiful times, since I tend to avoid taking photos of sorrow. Of course the year had its share of disappointments and loss, and I remember them in this season for looking back. Today, however,  I'd like to share with you some of my happiest times this year. Perhaps they'll resonate with your memories as we all slide into 2019.

First up: January 20: The second women's march in downtown Denver drew tens of thousands of participants, including me, hoping for inspiration to survive and resist another year with T-rump in the White House. There were so many creative signs and so much energy. I was particularly charmed by this pink-hatted group of family and friends, proclaiming their support of inclusive human rights. Another march is planned for January 2019--and I'll be there. Perhaps there will be things to celebrate as a new Congress convenes.

April: Oh, what a joy spring is. This flowering tree is in City Park, where I walked nearly every day I was home--my apartment being across the street from this oasis of trees in Denver. This photo was taken on April 1. In just a few short months now, this yearly miracle will return.

July: A neighbor in my senior apartment building in Denver turned me on to Postcards To Voters, a project started by "Tony the Democrat", a Georgia man who organized postcard-writing campaigns for Democratic candidates running in special elections and the midterms. Focus was on flippable districts and the concept was simple: one handwritten postcard to one registered voter in a particular district. I got together with neighbors several times during the summer to write postcards for various campaigns. Our first was Danny O'Connor who was running for Congress in Ohio (special election and later the midterms). He lost, but came closer than any other Democrat to winning in his district. My neighbors and I enjoyed getting to know candidates around the country and in the process, getting to know each other better.

Early September: As often I could this summer, I spent time at my cabin on Linda Lane's land in Florissant, a rural area west of Colorado Springs. The cabin (pictured here next to a 3-sided carport which looks bigger than it is) is actually a park model RV which I bought 16 years ago when I was still in Japan. Still summer, though Linda's wearing a jacket, as mornings are chilly here at nearly 9000 feet above sea level. I love the big sky and having time to gaze at it. Although I have better photos of the summer sky--some amazing sunrises and sunsets, this photo is one of my favorites from the land this year.  On most mornings, I enjoyed taking a walk with Linda and Belle, her border collie.

Mid-September: Renate (at right) is a treasured friend who I met in Japan when we were teaching at the same school--she taught German classes while I taught English. She came to visit me for the first time in Denver this year as part of a cross-country trip across the US and Canada. Here we are at the Denver Botanic Gardens one sunny morning. I plan to meet her next spring in Hamburg, Germany, when she celebrates a special birthday.

Late September:  I've enjoyed many good meals during 2018, but one of the most special was during a visit to the Orozco clan, part of my extended family, at Laura and John's house in Crystal Lake, Illinois. They outdid themselves with a feast of shrimp cocktails and homemade tamales amid other tasty sides. Love this photo of them and so proud to be part of this family. I don't see nearly enough of them. A wonderful day it was.

And then I spent a very fine week in Chicago with my sister and brother-in-law, Joan and Jim, before heading to the Loyola University Campus for my 50th college reunion. Yes, it's been half a century since I graduated from Mundelein College, which became part of Loyola in 1991. It was avery special weekend and I'm still processing all of the feelings that arose from seeing my classmates, being feted with events and tours, remembering how we were and learning how we are now. I have a number of photos from that weekend but this might be my favorite--Friday night before it all started, when some of us gathered in the lobby of the Hampton Inn in Rogers Park, ate pizza, drank wine, and plunged into sharing our lives over the past 50 years. Those red beanies? Yep, we wore them freshman year LOL.

October: A day after returning from Chicago, I began another reunion--with two wonderful friends from Japan: Junko (who I consider my Japanese sister) and Reiko, who I first met more than 20 years ago. We enjoyed 3 weeks together--mostly traveling. First, to the Tetons and Yellowstone National Park, then Denver, then a week in New Mexico. On our last day visiting the Tetons, we took a hike to a beautiful lake, and this is the scene and spirit of that day. Loved every minute, and it was all new territory to me as well as to them. Here's Reiko (left) and Junko, on the path toward the lake and those amazing peaks.

So many other photos I could have chosen, but I'll stop here. Reiko's wave seems somewhat symbolic of waving at the past before heading into the future. I hope you enjoyed my moments of joy. May you have many of your own to create and remember in 2019.