Happy New Year!
It’s truly hard to believe another year has come and gone. 2018 in a nutshell, was a blur. Though I wasn’t as active as I would have loved to be here on my blog, I was busy. Busier than ever, in fact.
I did a thing. I wrote a book that due out in spring 2019 and I JUST LEARNED you can preview and pre-order it here! This is pretty darned exciting! I really can’t wait to hold it in my hands.
While it was a great learning experience, it drained me. On top of working a full-time office job, caring for my two sons, freelance travel writing and photography, I managed to fit in some travel, too. I was very selective on the spots I decided to go as they had to be a perfect fit as I didn’t have the luxury of extra time. None of them disappointed!
Where’d I go? I explored my own backyard eating my way through southern Saskatchewan food hotspots with a close friend. I made it to Chaplin, one of the province’s best birding hotspots. I took a trip each with my sons to do some birdwatching at Point Pelee National Park (the areas Windsor/Essex/Leamington, ON) and adventure seeking in Squamish and Whistler, BC, respectively. I snuck away to Puerto Vallarta to pound out the first section of my book (which surprisingly worked!). I attended the Travel Media Association of Canada Conference in Victoria and also headed back to B.C.’s Cariboo/Chilcotin region. The last trip of the year was a doozy though, as me and my partner headed to South America (finally!) where we were very fortunate to go on some amazing treks in Patagonia and Chiloé in the southern region of Chile.
How I made it through, I’m not quite sure. I’m still feeling the burn out. I chose to not do any additional freelance work or travel over the past two months. Instead I focused on self-care and home life – but mostly on my family – and on getting things in order that I had somewhat neglected for a WHOLE YEAR.
However, now that January 2019 is now here, it’s time to get some creative work done. I was able to crank out a few article’s before the year’s end but still have several stories due with many new ones to pitch. I really hope to devote more time to my blog as well, so stay tuned. I thought that I’d start today by taking a look back at a few of my favourite photos from 2018. I hope you enjoy them. They are in no particular order.

The view from my room in the incredible Tierra Patagonia, Chile

The Paine waterfall, Patagonia, Chile

A porthole view from inside the Cocineria Dalcahue in Chiloé, Chile.

A smiling guanaco, Patagonia, Chile

Point Pelee National Park, Ontario

Butchart Gardens, Victoria, B.C.

A Donkey’s Tail aka sedum morganianum found at the Botanical Gardens in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

White breasted nuthatch, Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve, Windsor, ON

Winter in Regina, SK

Shorebirds, Chaplin, SK

Marsh Boardwalk, Point Pelee National Park, Leamington, ON

Red headed woodpecker, Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve, Windsor, ON

Harbour Seal, Oak Bay Marina in Victoria, B.C.

Squamish, B.C.

Sunrise in Patagonia, Chile

‘The Horns’, Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

Via Ferrata, Squamish, B.C.

Walking with Babe and Lucky, Echo Valley Ranch and Spa, B.C.

Marmot, Whistler, B.C.

Birdwatching at Hillman Marsh, Leamington, ON

Winter in Maple Creek, SK

Point Pelee National Park, Leamington, ON

Incredible architecture at Tierra Chiloé, Chile

Tin stilt houses in Castro, Chile

Morning view from Tierra Patagonia, Chile
Wishing all my readers the best in 2019!
Have a favourite image? Let me know which one.