Well, there goes yet another year. And that’s kind of sad, if you think of your lifetime as a gas gauge that is counting down to empty, and there’s no gas station anywhere on your planned route. In fact, there’s not even a gas filler pipe on the whole car. You just drive it til it’s empty and that’s it. Off to the crusher.
But surely that’s not the right way to think about these things; instead, we’re advised to roll down the window, turn down the radio, and pay attention to all the cool things we’re seeing and doing as we drive our car along the unsigned and mysterious Highway of Life. And if we’re lucky, there’s still enough gas in the tank for some more adventures. As they say, life is a journey.
And speaking of journeys, I’ve got some good ones planned for 2025, including a winter trip to Needles, CA (pop: 4,800) to see one of the last remaining Harvey Houses, and a visit to Blob Fest in Phoenixville, PA in July.
I’m also planning a return to the town of Kingsburg, CA to witness the delivery of a century-old, 82-ton steam locomotive. The delivery has been delayed several times, but the current best guess is January or February.
And speaking of a hundred years ago: alert readers will recall that I received a cache of love letters my grandfather wrote to his then-girlfriend in 1925 and 1926. I have transcribed all 17 of those letters and I’ve posted them here. Feel free to read them while you’re waiting for the ball to drop in NYC.
And with that I will wish a Happy New Year to all. We’ll see you in 2025! Your mileage may vary….
Chasing Phantoms 
Steve, Sometimes, you get what you wish for–Chasing Phantoms! You’ve created an intriguing analogy of our lives with a gas tank. I like the ending with “Your mileage may vary”! How true. Hopefully, we have large, mostly still full tanks! I’ve started reading your grandfather’s letters to Angela and will finish over time. I can see some physical resemblance between you and him. What a fascinating family story! I’m glad all those letters from different sources reached you, who seems like the perfect person to inherit them. I look forward to reading more about the mysterious Grandpa Henry. | | | | |
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| | Sherrill Joseph Multiple Award-Winning Author of the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries | | |
| | https://sherrilljoseph.com; https://quincestreetpress.com | | kidsauthor@sherrilljoseph.com | | Please subscribe to my monthly Author Newsletter: sherrilljoseph.com/newsletter |
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Hey Steve: The end of an old something is always the start of another new something. Sending you best wishes for a productive and peaceful 2025 ahead. Peace and all good. – Peter
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Thanks, Steve. Happy New Year to you and Karen. If you’re going to Needles to see a Harvey House, would you consider adding the beautiful garden spot of Barstow as a destination? They’ve also got an old Harvey House; it may even be a museum now, I’m not sure. I swung by a couple of years ago and took a peek on our way to Las Vegas. I think you might like it. Barstow is still a big railroad town with a large freight yard there. As a young man, my brother Eric had an offer to attend the train engineer’s school. He declined the offer and attended Stanford instead. If you give him enough to drink, he’ll often admit he probably made the wrong choice. By the way, I finished ‘A Dying Wish’ and thoroughly enjoyed it. You are a very talented writer. I think you may be channeling Charles Dickens without knowing it. Chris
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Thanks for the reminder
Happy New Year
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