Time Flies

You've heard the saying, "Time flies when you are having fun". Well time flies by faster as you get older too, or at least it seems that way.  Each year I try to do a Christmas letter but this year time flew by too fast and I didn't get it done, so here is a look back in 2011 (via my blog).

Time Flew By 2011 (the condensed version)

January

A new year to start. The Goal (our new year resolution): A better year than 2010. I figured anything would be a higher aim than 2010.

February

It looked like the year was going to start of with a bang. I had set-up my business, Alternative Inbound Marketing, and I was now doing Social Media and email marketing for small businesses. I now had 3 clients - Cornet Bay, Indonesian Batiks and Island Adventures Whale Watching. I also had a few consulting clients that I was setting up, and I was busy. There was hope for 2011.

March

March did not start off so good. A very dear friend, and instructor for our photography workshops, passed away from colon cancer.  I organized a photo workshop to raise money for his family. We did five nights at the Deception Pass bridge at sunset with close to 20 people and raised $3,000. All of us had lost someone that was very important to us and this is how he would have wanted us to celebrate his life.

April

Tulip season started late again this year.  We did our first tulip workshop in 2011.  It was a cold, wet and early morning, but that just added to the class. Personally I liked it. The rain added a fun dimension to the landscape.

photo by 9 year old, Angel

I also organized a workshop through the Skagit Valley Camera club for the Anacortes Boys and Girls club.  Four days, ten kids, hundreds of photographs and hours of fun and excitement.  A talented bunch of kids and future photographers.  This photo of the water spout is my favorite by 9 yr old Angel.

May

Dick Garvey's celebration of life was in May. 













We also did a workshop on San Juan Island.  It was a dreary, cloudy weekend and we had a great time. 

         

June

Betty

June was an exciting month for us this year.  Tony had been working with author, Betty Wright, on a book, "Adventuring to Princess Louisa Inlet" for about 8 months and they were just about finished.  Betty, treated Tony and I, on an all expense paid vacation to the Sunshine Coast, Egmont and Princess Louisa Inlet in British Columbia.  We had 5 days of action, fun, sightseeing, boat rides, riding the Sechelt rapids, and the highlight - Princess Louisa Inlet and Chatter box falls. Most importantly we spent time with an amazing 87 year old woman, who has become very special to us and an important part of our life.

Chatter Box Falls

A very important event happened in June. Our son, Shawn, graduated from Tacoma Community College.












July
One of my social media clients this year was, Island Adventure Whale Watching Tours.  The perks for working for this client was fantastic. They also hired Tony to consult on upgrading their sound system, so we got to spend a lot of days out on the boat. The perks: whales, whales and more whales......

                         



   

August

August was a month full of Highlights:


First highlight for August - The 50th year of the Anacortes Arts Festival.  The festival hired me to head up a new area - Gorilla/Guerrilla.  It was three days of being surrounded by talented working artists. The days were long and well worth every minute.

    










Second highlight - the book, Adventuring to Princess Louisa Inlet, was published.  To see this amazing book that Tony designed and Betty wrote, visit the website - http://www.armchair-cruising.com







Third highlight - the long awaited photography workshop to the Palouse. This has been something that I have been wanting to do for years and it was finally coming together.  We spent five days in the Palouse with 5 very talented photographers. Hundreds of photographs, very long days, sunrises and sunsets, beautiful and amazing landscapes, pounds of dust, and acres upon acres of wheat fields.  Well worth every moment and every memory.

September

There is an event for one day in September, where the small town of Anacortes, becomes a thunderous roar of over 20,000 motorcyles and 1,000's of people.  It is called the 'Oyster Run'.  They shut down the main street downtown and the street is filled with motorcyles, all shapes, all sizes.  This event is a photographer's dream - colors, shapes, abstracts, people, chrome, chrome and yes more chrome.

   














We also went on our last whale watching tour for the season.  With us went our friends, Joan, Hap and Karen.  My goal that day - to see a baby orca.  A goal I achieved.  This year I have seen gray whales, minke whales, humpbacks, and our resident orcas - including Granny (the oldest resident) and a baby orca.  I am very satisfied.

October

This year we saw changes in our business.  We grew into publishing, book designs and layout. We also delved into doing ebook designs, conversion and distribution.  We were hired by published author, Barbara Bickmore. Barbara hired us to convert her nine published books into ebooks.  Seven of the  books were out of print so we had to scan and convert the printed copies to digital.  This proved to be somewhat challenging, but very doable. Also since she was now self-publishing, she no longer owned the rights to her covers, so Tony is designing the covers for each of her books. Her covers are some of Tony's best work.

I designed her new website, set up all of her ebook accounts on Amazon and the Nook and started her marketing campaign.   Check out our new website for our epublishing business - Armchair ePublishing

November

The big highlight for November - Betty was invited to talk to the Princess Louisa Society at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club in Vancouver, British Columbia. This invitation meant a lot to Betty. Her love for the Princess Louisa Inlet is evident in her book, and to be invited by the society that maintains this beautiful place, was an honor.  The directors of the society were very generous to her and bought a lot of her books.  We had a wonderful time in Vancouver and it was memorable watching her as she presented her books to the directors.

December

For the second year in a row, I organized the Holiday Express Gift Show. This year we had some really good artists selling their art for the holidays.  Attendance was down a bit but the artists still did well. It was very festive and we are all ready for next year -though not too soon...




                           





I guess time does fly by when you are having fun and I didn't realize how much fun this year was, until now .   

Happy New Year everyone and may 2012 be a BLAST, but preferably a little slower. I am not ready for Christmas yet. :-)



Expressing myself with time flying by.