A Good Year

With apologies to all who have proclaimed 2016 a terrible year and who will rejoice that it’s over, I must confess that it’s been a pretty good year for me.  Why?  Here’s a hint: my sabbatical ends on January 1st.  

I actually kept my 2016 New Year’s resolution, which was not to exceed 65 mph while driving. I adopted this measure because I knew that I’d drive a lot more during my sabbatical, including three trips south to Santa Barbara and a mega-trip north to the Canadian border.  And I would have to take the pickup since much of my research would involve travel on logging roads or ranch roads. 

The other good thing about 2016 is that I finally qualified for a lifetime senior pass for all national parks, national forests, national wildlife refuges, et cetera. Best ten dollars I ever spent. 

We will be sailing today to our New Year’s destination, so I won’t be on the road again in 2016.  I’ve kinda enjoyed the slow lane, believe it or not, and will probably keep the cruise control set at 65 in the future. I’ve discovered that I can lower my carbon footprint and still manage to get where I’m going on time.