Dear Friends,

You may wonder why this says, “Letters to our Friends”. I have decided to write this blog in a series of letters. Writing letters is a lost art. Primarily, due to the increase of technology. (Speaking of technology, I have written this excerpt before, but I guess I lost it in cyber space.. must rewrite lol). And so, I often tend to do, I digress. Why letter format? Because of my mom. My mother, in her 80s, drives or walks down her steep driveway, to the mailbox every day. She is looking for a letter or a card, or even a piece of junk mail. Maybe because she is bored, or maybe it just a habit, formed over the years. Why do people write letters? Perhaps, it is to share news; good or bad. Perhaps , it is just to show others you care or you are just thinking of them. Letters are not expected to have perfect grammar or spelling. This is a very good thing for me and this blog or I would be in a great deal of trouble. My apologies to the teachers out there, I will do my best. Letters are often intended to inform, enlighten and inspire. Therefore, I have chosen to write my blog in letter format, to my friends. Hopefully, as you read, you will become one of our friends, be part of our family and feel “at home”, when reading. I am the author of this blog. My best friend and husband, Eugene is my sounding board, critic, cheerleader and traveling partner for life. Without him, this adventure would not be the same. He encourages me to write. He knows it makes me feel accomplished. (Except with the technology.) When writing this on the balcony of the ship, I was having so much trouble, I almost tossed my computer overboard, but remembered there is a serious fine for throwing things off the ship and thought I should take a break instead. Im doing my best.

Again while developing this blog, I have encountered many obstacles. Because I have limited technology experience, there will be mistakes. Please be patient with me. I am learning. Old dog, new tricks…. learns slowly. I want to thank my son, Cory, who has helped me so very much in developing this blog. Without him, it wouldn’t probably exist and there would certainly be many more errors. I am a “learn as you go girl”, so I promise the formatting will get better. I have so many pictures and ideas I want to share but, it will take time, until I learn the ins and outs of posting. As this blog… I am a work in progress. Thanks for understanding.

Your friend, Jamie

September, 2023

The above is my original letter, and why I wrote my blog why I did. As you can see, I quit writing for almost 9 months. My mother became ill and passed away.. while I was on a cruise. I did spend time with her while she will ill and she enjoyed my reading my blog and the fact that I dedicated my way of writing to her. It has been difficult getting back into it. Even today, I felt tears filling my eyes. I am on another adventure and will attempt writing again. Hoping to inspire others to live their lives as though tomorrow is the last, because… you never know. Please enjoy reading. These letters are dedicated to my mother, Myrna Halcomb,

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