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| Great Shearwater from my favorite non-vacation day last year |
Somehow, as I start writing this, I feel this post will be a thousand words shorter than the same post a year ago. I spent so much time looking for birds, I didn't do much else. I normally keep track of my day trips throughout the year, but started to forget because all of my daytrips were to South County to, you guessed it, to chase birds. So here is the short version of the rest of my 2019. As I've said before, this is just a way for me to keep track each year. You would be surprised at how often I do go back and check on things.
I went to five concerts this year, The Happy Together Tour, Midtown Men, Peter Noone, John Fogerty, and the Beach Boys.
I went to two plays "I Hate Hamlet" and a night of three short Christmas plays. I also went to the Nutcracker and it wasn't as miserable as expected.
I still fished more than the average fisherman, but far less than normal. I had my best day ever at the Cape Cod Canal catching multiple keepers and at least three over 30 pounds. That was followed up by one okay day and multiple skunkings.
Laurie and I made one trip to New Hampshire during the foliage. We saw four mountain lakes that were new to me. However, I never did the hard hikes I had planned (damn birds!)
My favorite two days of the year (not on vacation)were on boats. In early June my bird club chartered a boat to look for pelagic birds. The weather was perfect. Besides the birds we saw a shark, an ocean sunfish, and two species of dolphin.
The other day was July 4th. I got lucky enough to score a spot on Blair Nikula's short pelagic trips out of Chatham. I had to get up at 3 am but it was worth it. We had Shearwaters feeding next to the boat. I could have caught Wilson's Storm Petrels with my hands they were so close. The water was glass calm and the photos came out amazing.
My favorite vacation day was probably swimming with Manatees.
My biggest disappointment for the year came in Maine. I reserved a spot to go to Machias Seal Island to see puffins June 4. We planned our week vacation around this day. However, Mother Nature was a bitch that day. My trip got cancelled due to rain and ten foot waves.
I went on two vacations with Laurie , the just mentioned Maine trip. We spent four days in Acadia. The highlight for me was watching Harbor Porpoises feed from shore.
I wrote enough about Florida in previous posts. So this will be short. It was probably the most fun vacation of my life. Every day was a bucket list adventure.I knocked thirteen things off of my bucket list in an 11 day period. Everything as beguine as eating key lime pie in the Keys to swimming six inches from Manatee. Laurie had the perfect day at Disney's Magic Kingdom. The weather did not ruin one day.
I am not really superstitious, but I do find that I enjoy even years more. So, looking back on 2019, I have to say, for an odd year, it was great. I ended up getting forty more birds in Rhode Island than I challenged myself to get. I saw 311 birds total in three states. I went on my favorite vacation ever. I shortened my bucket list n Florida. I went on eight boat trips including three whale watches. Laurie and I planned the perfect vacation and the weather was even better. So if 2020 is as good as this year was, than I have a lot to look forward to. I wish a great year outdoors for all of you also.
As for all of you reading this, I challenge you to put together a year list of things you want to do in 2020. Then go out and do it. Unless the Buddhists are right, we don't get a do over. Go out and make 2020 the best year of your life. New Year's Eve going into 2021 isn't promised to any of us.
One line from a song I try to live by is a lyric from a Clint Black song called "No Time to Kill"
The highest cost of livin's dyin', that's one everybody pays
So have it spent before you get the bill, there's no time to kill
Make it count! Happy New Year everyone!!!
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