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What will 2014 bring?

Well now that we've said goodbye to 2013 (boo hoo...you were an AWESOME year for me!) it's time to look ahead to the empty page that is 2014.

Right now I am spending it at home in minus 50C degree weather...need I say I am not impressed.  This is what -50 looks like...




Okay it doesn't look much different than -20 I guess but it sure feels it - or so I assume...I have no intention of finding out!!! 

However 19 more sleeps and I will be on the road again.  Three months is about the max I can stay at home and it turns out to be three months and 8 days (but who's counting? - yes I am) in between this time.

On January 24th I am off to Jackson, Mississippi to walk my 29th state capital. From there I will bus it down to Biloxi, Mississippi, an area I adore from a trip there previously in 2010.  I will do a couple of walks there and in adjoining Ocean Springs - I hope to walk the Biloxi Bay Bridge as I did in 2010.  Then I hop the good old 'hound again off to New Orleans meeting up with my buddy June.  We are renting a shotgun house through airbnb for six nights, exploring the city (the third time for me - what can I say, I love the place) with the highlight taking part in the Mardi Gras marathon.  We will be walking the half marathon - we are madly training in the field house but let's not talk about my new *&*^^^***#### running shoes and the blisters....it is going to be so much fun.  I always tell everybody - forget Vegas - New Orleans is the place to go for a good time.  From there June flies home and I fly up to none other than the Big Apple - New York City for a week!  I will be spending three nights at an airbnb home in East Harlem.  I am so excited about exploring a new part of New York - as a bonus my host has two labrador retrievers!!! Doggie fix time!   Then I will move to a hotel in midtown so I can attend the big Beatlefest at the Grand Hyatt for three days.  50 years since the Beatles did the Ed Sullivan show - to the day.  I will be seeing old friends from "back in the day" - it is going to be an absolutely blast!  I intend to immerse myself in everything Beatle!  While in New York I hope to do the Volkssport walks in Greenwich Village and Lower Manhatten.  If the weather holds I do have a very cheap return ticket to Albany on the Megabus booked so hopefully I can knock off walking in another state capital.  Woo hoo!!!

May looks to be a busy month as well with a possible long weekend in Vancouver meeting up with a long time pen pal from Australia. (formerly New Zealand)  We have known each other since the 70's and met up in England twice in the 80's while she was living there.  But haven't seen each other since!  So that will be fun.  Then there is the CVF convention in Banff at the end of May.  Lots of walking and getting to see walking friends I haven't seen since the convention in Ottawa in 2012.

So far that's it....I will be looking after my little buddy Casper in Chicago later on in the year but otherwise nothing booked - but you know things will change on that front.  And soon!!!! 

Happy New Year to all my readers and hope 2014 brings you good health, happiness/contentment and a few adventures as well!!! 

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