The Best of What We Did in 2017

Blue flowers in Bohemia

One of the reasons we travel around the world is to see and do things that help us understand people and cultures better. As our country becomes more diverse, it behooves us to learn more about our very interesting world. This blog is a summary of all the activities we gave a rating of four or more carrots. If you want to read about the places we played, just follow the links to the associated blog. For information about my rating system, see Reading the Reviews. Within the blogs are more pictures and tons of information about the places the NearNormal Travelers have visited.

The Best of Where We Stayed, and Shopped in 2017

Journeying around the world we’ve stayed at some absolutely awful

Sweet pea

places, but they were overshadowed by delightful places. We also did a bit of shopping in some really great shops. This blog is a consolidation of all the establishments we gave a rating of four or more carrots. If you want to read about where these are located, just follow the links to the associated blog. For information about my rating system, see Reading the Reviews. Within the blogs are oodles of images and more information about the locations the NearNormal Travelers have wandered.

To Tunisia – somewhere in Texas

Dido was a legendary queen of Carthage in Virgil's Aeneid. She killed

Pasture land near Dido

herself when Aeneas left her. That didn’t stop folks in Texas from naming a town after her. Now a ghost town, Dido has lots history and still is connected to the community.

Springing around Springtown

After loading up on holiday food, watching old movies, and generally

Area around Springtown

being lazy it was time to go exploring. We’ve been south of the Metroplex frequently, so taking some jaunts in a more northwardly direction seemed a good idea. Springtown was our destination, partly because we’d never been there, and partly because there was supposed to be a good Mexican restaurant within the environs.

Winding up in Whitney

Whitney is a small town in Hill County was named after, surprisingly enough, Charles A. Whitney. Although it

Dave and Vince, on the road

is near Lake Whitney, that’s not why the town appeared in its location. We took a ride out to Whitney just to get out of the city and to see if the trees had begun to reflect the change from summer to autumn. We were, of course, also looking for somewhere new for lunch.

Going by Blum

Trees beginning to change colors - slightly

Autumn in Texas can be beautiful, but this year it’s been fairly blah when it comes to leaves changing color. Lack of color didn’t stop us from getting out and about looking for some adventure. It was in this pursuit that we discovered Blum, Texas.

Adventuring in Avon

Fall in Connecticut – what a great time of year! I’ve been through the

Top L to R: Four Seasons Necklace,
Autumn Acorn Necklace
Bottom: Harvest Moon Bracelet

state at other times of the year, but I’d never stayed in any particular city and I’d not spent any time exploring. This year I got to participate in the Fall Foliage Bead Retreat in Avon, Connecticut. This event is led by Amy Blevins; each year she brings nationally known beading instructors in for a few days of playing in the beads. This year the instructors were Nancy Cain, Laura McCabe, and Melissa Grakowsky-Shippee. We began two necklaces and a bracelet. I’m still not finished with any of them, but I’m enjoying the work.