“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written”.
Welcome to my annual Year-in-Review post, where we recall special thoughts, moments, and events that stood out in 2024. Because this is a photo challenge, please share your photos of those memories.
The year 2024 was marked by a leap year, non-covid Summer Olympic Games, a US presidential election….and wait for it… this was the Year of the Aurora, also known as the Northern Lights, at least for those who don’t live in Canada or Norway. The Northern Lights were seen all over the Northern Hemisphere.
Disclaimer: there is a LOT to this post…skimming is allowed. Note: the featured image was generated by AI.
2024’s Northern Lights
I saw my first set of Northern Lights in October 2021, and pleased as punch, I felt like a bucket list item had been checked off. Until…
…Well, you know I’m a geek for all things cosmic and celestial. In November 2023, I witnessed another aurora. Both were thrilling to see, as I understood that we are lucky to see this much as far “south” as we are in the Spokane area. Once again, I digress…
Our local news channel teased a massive Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) in mid-May, a geomagnetic storm classified as a rare G5, expected to result in an epic northern lights show. In layman’s terms, the sun’s activity interacts with Earth’s upper atmosphere and geomagnetic field, causing the Northern Lights.
People who inhabit the northern reaches of the northern hemisphere can expect to see the aurora more frequently, even with lower frequencies of CME storms. At any given moment, the sun is ejecting charged particles from its corona, or upper atmosphere, creating the solar wind. When that wind slams into Earth’s ionosphere or upper atmosphere, the aurora is born. Source
The Northern Lights are more active around the equinoxes, hence the stunning displays in 2024 in May and October.
So after all that preamble…, I saw with my own eyes not one set of Auroras, but four, beginning mid-May. Another set graced us on Sept 16, Oct 7, then Oct 10. May boasted the G5 event, while October was a G4. Oh, GEE, they were all amazing!
Let’s see what else happened in 2024!
For this two-week photo challenge, looking back at your year in photos can be done however you choose. I’m sharing my favorites from each month of 2024, which include the wows, special memories, and notable captures.
“For me the end of the year is always a time to reflect and recharge my energies.” – Gisele Bundchen
Jam-Packed January
Over the years, we’ve spent a few winter days in Arizona. In 2024, we readied our snowbird flight feathers to enjoy sunny, warm Arizona for a few weeks. We mainly stayed with family near Scottsdale and a few days in San Diego. Besides meeting up with local bloggers…
…I checked off some bucket list items by seeing Sedona’s Chapel of the Holy Cross and exploring Antelope Canyon. Notice my coat. January was unseasonably cold.
February Feedings
Once back home from our month-long trip, February was rather dull in comparison. I occupied myself watching the mule deer and birds, both attracted to our backyard feeders.
March Memorial
In February, we received news that my brother-in-law’s long-time friend was diagnosed with cancer. Though she and I didn’t always get along for reasons baffling to me, we made our peace as she lay in hospice. We celebrated her life at the end of March.
March always brings the promise of spring and new beginnings, as well as the waterfall from which our town is named.
An Active April
In late March, my cousin, who lives in the Portland, Oregon area, called to ask for help with her father (my uncle) as he was to be admitted into an assisted living facility in April. We jumped at the chance to take another road trip, a mere 5 hours drive from home to Portland. I always enjoy seeing my cousin, and she graciously hosted dinner for us for several nights.
While there, we made plans to visit the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, thanks to a post shared by Miriam Hurdle, with whom we had the pleasure of visiting in her lovely Portland home. We also visited Multnomah Falls, an hour’s drive from Portland.
We took a short drive to the Palouse Falls in southeast Washington the following week after returning home.
May the Maternal
By the end of April, I look forward to the grand awakening and blooms of the wild Arrowleaf Balsamroot Sunflower that covers the forest floors in Eastern Washington.
But May held another big surprise, one that quickened my maternal instincts! Yep, I was to become a bird Oma soon! Say’s Phoebes (western flycatcher) visited our property for the first time and decided our patio cover was good real estate for their nest.
May was also the month we saw the G-5 aurora borealis…
Jumpin’ June
If my calculations were correct, June was to be the birth month of the Say’s Phoebes.
Sure enough, on June 2nd, the Phoebes fledged!
They fluttered from their nest on a cool, rainy day and huddled together for warmth and support.
Our backyard was popular with the birds this year. A swallow built her nest in a metal birdhouse and we enjoyed the bird show all spring.
When not home to enjoy the bird show, we also attended our first rodeo in a nearby rural town.
Jazzy July
July is a month we traditionally stay home. The July 4th Independence Day celebrations can be nerve-wracking with abundant illegal fireworks nearby.
It was also time to replace our living room carpet with new vinyl plank flooring.
An Abiding August
August 2024 was a month four years in the making. When my mom passed away in March 2020, we couldn’t engage in a proper memorial due to pandemic restrictions. Family members started making plans and reservations in early 2024 to visit Yosemite National Park, specifically the high country of Tuolumne Meadows, to memorialize Mom and spread her ashes at her request.
The entire month was busy after our Yosemite trip when my brother and his partner visited us (and worked) at our home. They enjoy escaping the brutal Arizona summers as much as we love to escape Eastern Washington’s winter cold. We enjoyed dinners and day trips, including first-time visits to Spokane’s Manito Park and Metaline Falls, near the Canadian border.
Serene September
The month of September brought continued warm temperatures and an opportunity to go kayaking with friends.
The following week, my friend and her fiance from Sacramento visited us in their travel trailer as they continued their vacation to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. But not before we took a day trip to Couer d’Alene, Idaho.
Yep, another Northern Lights show appeared, and this time, I captured my husband in the shot. My friends also got to see these northern lights in Glacier National Park.
Opportune October
October was another month full of surprises and helped boost my photography hobby! Not only did we experience yet another aurora, but TWO separate displays were visible to us.
We attended a family wedding in Winthrop, WA, in the Cascade Mountain Range.
Once home, Autumn made a wondrous appearance, likely bothered by all the overhead sky attention from the auroras.
November Nailed Down
“You can get excited about the future. The past won’t mind.” —Hillary DePiano
After a lengthy process that began in early August to set up and apply for our Medicare and Social Security benefits, and wade through paperwork for pensions and insurance, we finally nailed down everything by mid-November. Between using a notary public, sending and receiving applications via FedEx, and signing forms online, we felt like we were back to working full-time again.
Once we could breathe again, we took our first trip to the Saltese Flats, a local bird sanctuary in Spokane Valley. Unseasonably warm temperatures greeted us, as did many species of birds (Great Blue Heron and Canada Geese). We also took time to give thanks with our families and friends for Thanksgiving.
Dashing Through December
As we dashed through December, we attended the local tree-lighting, were visited by Santa’s Sleigh, and celebrated my big 6-5 birthday.
We experienced a smattering of snow and planned and executed our road trip to Arizona and beyond. But the time spent on Christmas day with my family and, of course, my dear father, was precious. Matching PJs also helped.
“At Christmas, all roads lead home.” – Marjorie Holmes
For this blogger, 2024 can be summed up as a year of northern lights, waterfalls, and wonderful moments in between.
Sharing for Cellpic Sunday, Weekend Sky, Lens-Artists, and Cee’s Flower of the Day.
Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders
The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.
- Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
- Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
- Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
- Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
- Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
- I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.
If you have already published a 2024 “retrospective” post, please feel free to link it to this post so we can see how everyone’s year went. You have two weeks to share your 2024 retrospective through January 5th. The January two-week color challenge will be published January 12-19th. I hope you join me again.
2025 begins the 8th year of Sunday Stills, and I am so grateful to everyone who has read my posts or participated and shared their creative energy in photos, poetry, stories, music, and art!
“Last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice.” ~ T.S. Eliot
Wishing you the very best of 2025!
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