A Year of Unexpected Delights and Frustrations!

I love year-end reviews. I look back at what I’ve experienced, what I’ve learned and what I’m planning for the new year. The delights were many: travel, family visits, theatre, and writing, always writing.

The frustrations had more to do with what happened outside our home: politics in the USA and the #metoo movement. The latter, I applaud, as there have been so many brave women and men needing to be heard. Feminism, which stands for equal rights, exploded as a result. My novel, A Rubber Fence, set in the 1970s, shows what it was like at the start of that movement.

A Busy Travel Year

©Diana Stevan                      Salton Sea, California

2017 was an unusually busy year for Rob and me, travel-wise. We had three great trips.

In April, we saw our grandson, Michael Stevantoni, who’s taking film studies at Chapman U.He took us around Salton Sea, where he shot his first feature film. It’s called Desert Shores. The release date is yet to be decided.

We also saw Desert X, featuring amazing art installations in Palm Desert, and heard pianist Hunter Noack play some great arrangements on the grand lawn at Rancho Mirage.

We also weathered extreme heat when we hiked Joshua National Park. The bonus was the fabulous display of desert flowers, unlike any we’d seen before.

Then, in July, we spent 18 days in New York City, one of our favorite cities in the world. Our son-in-law, Diego Matamoros, was in three of eleven productions that Soulpepper theatre company of Toronto took to the Pershing Theatre on 42^nd street.

© Diana Stevan                                         Central Park, NYC

Daughter Robyn and our two granddaughters Chloe and Mimi were in NYC as well, and together we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Broadway for a play, and Central Park, where we cycled, rowed a boat and saw Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

I also re-visited Bryant Park where Catherine in my novel, A Cry From The Deep, had a momentous meeting.

©Diana Stevan          Open Mic Sidewalk Cafe, NYC

A highlight in NYC was going with granddaughter Chloe Matamoros to an open mike night at Sidewalk Cafe to hear her sing one of her original songs.

And in October, we visited Chloe in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she’s studying opera and drama at Dalhousie U. After a week with her, we took in the Celtic Colours of Cape Breton Island and heard some amazing fiddling.

I was so impressed and inspired that I bought a violin and started taking lessons again. I haven’t played a fiddle since high school and even then I wasn’t that good. Now Rob has to listen to my screeching. Good thing he wears hearing aids so he can take them out when I play.

©Diana Stevan                                               Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

While we were in the port city of Halifax, we visited Pier 21 and the Immigration Museum, to do some genealogy research and get more material for future stories.

And we topped off the year with celebrations of Hanukkah with friends (Rob found out this year that one of his great-grandparents was Ashkenazi Jewish) and Christmas with family—daughter Karen, son-in-law John and grandson Michael. The latter we celebrated with hearty meals, Christmas carols, readings from The Northern Nativity by William Kereluk and daughter Karen’s magnificent plum pudding.

My Third Novel and More

As for my third novel, I’m still hemming and hawing as to how to get it out. It’s done and I’m polishing it. I may still indie publish it. My experience in self-publishing has been positive and I can apply what I’ve learned from my last venture. It is very rewarding to have control over title and cover and when my “baby” goes out to the public.

And in the new year, I’ll pick up where I left off on my book of short stories, and Along Came A Gardener, my inspirational book. As I also have a number of other writing projects, started and abandoned, I’ll soon see what gets my attention first.

My Wishlist

I’m wishing for and praying for World Peace, nuclear disarmament, the wealthy to pay more in taxes—fat chance of that in the USA—so that the poor and the middle class don’t carry the burden, affordable health care for all, fulfillment of the Paris Accord (respect for our environment), and respect and tolerance for one another regardless of race, religion and sexual orientation.

I know that’s a tall order, but I know that many want what I want. Through working together in our wonderful world and putting out positive energy into the universe, we can accomplish more than we think.

Thank You Dear Reader

Thank you for visiting my website.My ongoing joy comes from connecting with you, the reader. If you’ve read any of my books, thank you and if you haven’t, more information is available here. For book news or any offers down the road, you can sign up for my newsletter. I generally send one out quarterly. I promise not to flood your inbox.

If you have anything to add to my wishlist for 2018 or anything else, would love to hear it. You can leave a COMMENT below.

I’m wishing you all a Happy New Year, one full of Peace, Joy, and Love!

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Year-End Musings 2017, Out With The Old, In With The New Life’s Unexpected Surprises Jelly Bean Houses and Other Delights in St. John’s, Newfoundland