Now Is the Time...

for ALL of us to come to the aid of Blipfoto! 

At age nine, as seen here in this Christmas present for my mother, I could not have imagined what my life would be like nearly six decades later. When people ask me what I do in my retirement, I say "Genealogy and Blipfoto!" I'm passionate about both. Genealogy connects me with people in the past, and Blipfoto connects me with people in the present on several continents. 

Access to the genealogy website I use is expensive, but I gladly put aside the sum needed because I love the endless research I'm able to do on that website. Today it was finally possible for those of us outside the United Kingdom and European Union to donate to Blipfuture, and I was delighted to finally be able to make my donation. 

This is my 1,437th blip. During my time here, I've met blippers in person from Scotland, France, Croatia, Yorkshire, Australia, and Iceland, yet I've only traveled to France and Iceland -- the others came to visit me here. And nearer to home, in addition to sister blippers in Bellingham and the Seattle area whom I see fairly often, I've met others in Portland, a city that Phil and I visit every year, and now have blipmeets in every year. Another Blipfoto friend, who lives in California, has visited here and I hope to see her on her own "turf" next time, as well as meet a "kindred spirit" blipper in Maine. What a great reason to travel!

And through Blipfoto, I discovered someone who went to the same high school as I did, and played in the same concert band, and lived near me as well -- tookie! Considering that our high school was in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, the odds of us finding each other out here were pretty slim, particularly as I was two years ahead of her in school.

It's unfortunate that this fundraising campaign is happening concurrently with the Christmas season, making it difficult to make our money stretch, but let's each do all we can to keep this beloved community thriving!

Blip 1437