As years go, 2024 was one. It had its share of wonderful moments, its scary moments and some devastating lows – you probably know the worst of them. It was a year of some family travel, as we got to visit London, Paris, New York and Nova Scotia – though not without some notable complications. It was a year with some health scares, and the usual end of year holiday break spent with at least one of us feverish and coughing uncontrollably for more or less the entire vacation.
In the wider world, meanwhile – well, actually I’m going to skip that. It’s my year in pictures, and sadly I’m sure 2025 will have its own brand new set of fresh horrors. For this space, I’ll focus on the things I actually want to remember, not the ones I’d like to forget.
Travel
For the second year in a row, my travel ticked up, but not unreasonably so. From the immediate post-lockdown total of 24K miles flown in ’22 to 30K in ’23, 2024 clocked in at 39K. I would have preferred to hold around 25K, but it’s still a far cry from my 85K years, let alone the 100K+ hellscapes.
The goal for 2025 is to hold at that level or even drop it a bit; we’ll see how that plays out.
Health
My overall health in 2024 was fine. I’d hoped to come out of the year lighter than I went in, but I more or less held steady. That’s not the worst outcome, however, given the stress of trying to get through the run up to the election and its aftermath. I can live with that, but the goal is to enter next year lighter than I did this one.
In better news, I completed my goal of walking 3K miles in a year for the first time, finishing the year at 3137. That was just shy of the distance from our house to San Francisco, but as noted over on Instagram it was enough to walk from our front door to Seattle and Vancouver to the west, Oaxaca and Tijuana in Mexico and Fort Providence in the Northern Territories in Canada.
Walking remains a highlight of my day, and has kept my health steady even when other habits have slipped. Making it even more rewarding is that after years of effort I finally started making progress in making friends with the island crows when I’m out walking. They now recognize me and fly over for peanuts. Puts a smile on my face every time.
With all of that said, on to the pictures.
January 1
For New Year’s eve 2024, Kate and I did a date night down in Portland. When we picked Eleanor up from my Mom’s the next day, she fell asleep almost before we were out of the driveway.
January 3
We made a trip to the Maine State House as part of a protest against gun violence. A picture of Eleanor at the protest actually ran on the front page of the Press Herald the next day.
January 7
First snow walk of the year.
January 10
Maine got absolutely hammered by the first of two major storms. The tides were so high that multiple buildings got swept away, and the local ferry pier was totally submerged
January 12
In preparation for more storm flooding and astronomical tides, I made a flying trip down to our office which was right on the wharf down in Portland to get mine, my Dad’s and his Dad’s Williams chairs home so that they weren’t damaged.
January 14
The anticipated flooding nearly destroyed the ferry wharf.
January 22
Got a nice sunset, at least.
February 2
After he got fixed, Sully communicated to us that he did not like the Cone of Shame by eating it.
February 3
At Artisane Studios down the road, Eleanor made herself a bench for her room.
February 11
We watched the Super Bowl this year as a family from the hot tub. Part of it, anyway.
February 14
We all celebrate pitchers and catchers in this house.
February 21
Nice little birthday dinner at Pai Men, my favorite place in Portland.
February 22
Eleanor and I built a cedar bench for the hot tub. The mitre saw was my grandfather’s as well, so multiple generations were involved.
February 24
We watched the first spring training game together, as we have every year since she was a baby.
March 14
Got back to the sister event to the Monktoberfest in London, the Monki Gras. It was off the hook as it was every year.
The only complication was that Kate and Eleanor arrived on Friday, which was fantastic until the latter woke up crying with a terrible ear infection at 3 AM in our hotel room. She and I then hopped an Uber over to the hospital which was hard to navigate as a non-citizen and took over three hours, but to the NHS’s credit we were treated at absolutely no cost. Same at the pharmacy.
March 17
We then hopped the train down to Paris for my next conference and Kate and Eleanor’s next leg of vacation. Trains are so much more comfortable to travel in than planes.
March 20
While in Paris, we did not need to visit the hospital, which was great. The downside there, however, was that the hotel we checked into only had a queen bed. And not only did they not have a cot for me to sleep on, they couldn’t even come up with extra blankets and pillows. So I slept on the floor for the duration using my suitcase as a pillow.
But the girls had a good time, which is what matters.
March 24
We’d only been home for a couple of days when we got hit with another massive storm, only this time it was ice. It downed trees everywhere, but the biggest issue was that it snapped off the utility pole on our street knocking out our power and internet and trapping us at home.
Fortunately school ended up being out until it got repaired and our neighbors couldn’t have been better about offering to pick us up groceries, offering to drive Eleanor to school use of their car, etc. Thanks Ashley and Trevor!
March 26
Best of all, our propane held out just long enough to power the generator until the power was restored. It was very, very close though.
April 4
Speaking of storms and propane, a couple of weeks after the last storm, we got a blast of snow that knocked down a tree. It missed hitting our propane tanks by less than three feet, and its branches miraculously fell in between the tanks themselves.
I don’t know if they would have exploded if they took a direct hit, but I’m very happy we didn’t find out.
April 15
Got to take in a Mariners game with our friend JT. First time at the park, and it’s great place to see a game. I even got to hand off a foul ball to two little girls watching the game with their Dad, which I’d never had the chance to do before.
April 19
I don’t love getting up early to get out for walks, but when I get to see the sun rise it takes some of the sting out.
April 20
Got to introduce Eleanor to the joys of using a brad nailer.
April 26
While on a combination work visit for me / birthday trip for Kate (the room had two beds this time, thankfully), I got to visit the MLB offices for the first time and see the room where instant replay is reviewed. Thanks Justin!
May 1
Speaking of NYC, I love walking the High Line trail while I’m there. It really is a great city to walk in.
May 7
While out in Denver for a work trip, RedMonk bought beers for people we know – two of whom happened to be college buddies of mine. Thanks coming by Andrew and Nat.
May 11
Spent the weekend after snowshoeing in the Sangre de Cristo mountains with one of said friends, Andrew.
May 22
Someone asked me how I walk when I travel, and my response was that I generally find the nearest water, then walk along it. This time it was Boston.
May 26
The Seadogs do a great job making a trip to the park fun for kids.
June 1
Eleanor’s first violin recital.
June 3
Back in San Francisco, this time with a good view of Karl the Fog rolling in.
June 14
Got to celebrate the last day of school with a few of Eleanor’s besties and their families. Kids jumped in the water fully clothed, because of course they did.
June 15
First doors off day of the year.
June 20
Was down meeting a friend for dinner at our local waterside venue when a squall rolled in and dumped rain on me.
June 26
Annual pilgrimage to the secret beach. Thanks Whitney!
July 3
Whatever else it was, 2024 was a banner year for the hydrangeas.
July 4
Fireworks with friends, per the usual.
July 17
Riding bikes and picking flowers (per the big sign saying PICK ME with clippers) with the kiddo.
July 19
Clamfest’s Stephen King game was strong this year.
July 26
Circus Camp recital was very different from her violin recital.
July 30
Might not be the last time, but this was the first time I had to hide out in the ferry building to get away from a thunderstorm passing directly overhead.
August 4
We took a ride up to Nova Scotia for a reunion with Kate’s family and her parents rented a house with a pool. Predictably, it absolutely dumped rain one day, and just as predictably as soon as the threat of lightning had passed the kids were back in the pool – rain notwithstanding.
August 5
Rode the ferry back from Nova Scotia.
August 16
Eleanor started feeling crummy on the way back from Canada, and a couple of weeks later she ended up in the hospital with pneumonia and, as it turned out, Lyme disease. It was scary and wrecked August for all of us, but once they got her on the right meds she was back on her feet and good to go.
August 30
My little helper and I converted an old hall closet into a craft closet with shelves.
September 6
Took a run up to Absolem to finalize Monktoberfest planning. If you visit Maine, you really need to hit this place. It’s gorgeous, not far from Portland and no one knows more about spirits – any of them – than Ryan Travers.
October 3
Another Monktoberfest in the books. No major disasters this time, though our dinner venue was tripping breakers all over the place.
October 10
My first time seeing the Aurora Borealis. Absolutely bonkers.
October 16
As happens to me every couple of years, I went to a conference in NYC and ended up with a crazy hotel room with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, three fridges, a foosball table and a sizable balcony.
That I was in for maybe nine hours total.
October 18
Our little Irish dancer got up and danced to the music of the local Irish music group while they practiced.
October 31
We recruited a couple of Eleanor’s besties to come trick or treat with her on our island.
November 1
Kate was in the water every month this year. Personally, I think it’s crazy, but it’s also crazy bad ass. Got to share in the experience this time – from the shore, not the water.
I’m not crazy.
November 9
With the girls off to Canada for a cousin’s birthday, I snuck in one last trip out to Colorado to see my best friend. The timing was good, as I really needed to laugh at that time.
November 19
Successfully fermented a hot sauce with habaneros that I grew. While I learned from last time and pulled the food processor outside to grind them up, boiling the sauce still ended up tear gassing the house and the girls upstairs.
November 24
Spent a good part of the year dodging these guys, who have decided that island skunks don’t need to be nocturnal. Regrettably.
December 22
Everyone was too sick for us to get together to put it up with them, but our neighbors down the street got the little holiday tree up on the bridge which is a delight every time you pass it.
December 31
Ended the year with fireworks at a friend’s house, Trading Places and an Orval. As one does.
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