to the readers

THANKS to everyone who has been following along with my blog.  i'm doing it mostly for you, though i know i'll also benefit from it later by having it as a nice journal of my travels.  other than a bunch of photos and few words jotted down each day as a brief log to remember where i've been, my blog is the only coherent record of my journey.  i don't even have souvenirs from any of these places.  just my blog, and the great memories it stirs.

what i might kick myself in the butt about in the future is not writing down all of the wonderful conversations i've had with people. i've had so so many amazing conversations!  for the sake of respect, privacy, or confidentiality, i rarely refer to or discuss them on my blog.  i don't even write my own thoughts a lot of times because they are too entwined with other people's lives.  that said, i apologize in advance to the people i've talked to if i don't remember the stories you've told me that are dear to the heart... or in some cases, don't remember your name!

i enjoy putting this blog together.  i'm not a fast writer, but i still want to try to compose well.  i probably average over an hour a day creating these blog posts because it not only involves composing, but also taking and uploading and selecting photos, backsearching some details, finding a place where there is internet, etc...  it all takes effort.  basically i spend one or two days each week blogging the past and organizing future plans.  i now have a new respect for blog posters!  the down side is that when i'm working on the postings it's keeping me from using that time for the actual travel.  the posts could be a lot better, but not worth it for the extra time it would require.  so it is what it is and i hope you are enjoying it!

i've had some good feedback from a couple of you.  if anyone would like to see more or different things, i want to hear that.  like i said, i'm doing it mostly for you... so if your interest slacks because it's boring or repetitive or missing elements, or too wordy, or whatever, let me know and i'll see what i can do.  if all goes as planned, there's still a lot more to come.  my guess is that i'm a little more than half way through this particular swirlstates trip.

oh, and super special THANKS to everyone who has commented on my posts or responded by phone or email.  i don't know how many people are reading or skimming or casually checking in on these posts... i haven't checked any stats or whatever.  for some reason, comments are always exciting to get.  without comments it can 'feel' like there is no one out there reading.

i know a number of you would enjoy my posts no matter what they were...  but for the rest, i hope i can keep it as interesting and fun for you as the trip itself has been for me...  even if it's only the up side down poses that make it worth checking in.  : )