I honestly didn’t realize how much work getting a website and a California travel blog together was going to take.  Granted, I knew absolutely not one thing about any of it, so in the beginning I was starting from scratch.  Learning the lingo and trying to translate “tech” speak.  Ugh!  But here we are, so success!  Or my version of it.

Intent

The intent was always set.  California!  Sharing and showcasing and talking about everything I love about the state.  But I wanted to hear from readers too because I’m curious about your perspective.  That’s how the blog came to life.

I’ve left and come back 3 times.  It’s home, but also something more than that.  There’s crazy change every time I return so it’s almost like I’m a new transplant.  Almost…not quite.  Writing about the different cities or events like the Rose Parade, fireworks over San Francisco Bay or Fleet Week in San Diego is like reliving it which is cool.  I’m also getting to explore new museums like the Peterson Auto Museum or the Grammy Museum.  Plus there are new venues like San Diego’s new performing arts space, looking like a clam shell.

Learning and Overthinking

It took me months to put it all together and get to a point where I was ready to share.  I overthink and probably overplan, so that didn’t help.  I had no idea where to get the domain name and certainly no idea how to put web pages together much less code.  Thankfully ShowIt exists and made life MUCH easier.  I built a site and had so much trouble with the first web host, that I trashed it and started over.  Annoyed doesn’t begin to describe how I felt.  Clearly, I finally got it together.  Let me know if you’ve put a website together and how you found the process.  Especially those of you who are new to website creation.  I’d like to hear how you navigated the learning process and your trial and error.  I can always learn from you.

New Hobby

I knew the website, blog and social media was going to need visuals, but I didn’t realize how serious it was until I got into building everything.  I’m vibing on photography and can’t wait to get better at it.  I graduated from the phone camera (and don’t get it twisted, I love my Samsung) to a mirrorless camera and everything is fair game for a picture.  Tag what you like!

Photo editing is still new, but that’ll change with time.  Adobe lightroom…do we like it or not?  Alternatives I should consider?

Here’s me pivoting to work on the next post.  I hope 2023 is off to a good start and until next time…

May the road rise to meet you and the wind be at your back.