“Where one door closes, another opens.” The view from 2024 differs dramatically from where I stood at the beginning of last year. I look at the road before me with new eyes and wonder where the path will lead.

This spring brought with it the Great Pruning of 2023. Our weeping willow has needed help for quite a few years. The amount of gnarly dead limbs detracted from its majestic beauty. The willow's wide breadth was putting pressure on the base as well. The last thing I want is for the trunk to split from the weight of its heavy, far-reaching limbs.

This spring, I was fortunate to work with an incredibly creative and personable designer and artist: Emily, from Big Blue Hat Studio. We discussed the feel and functionality I wanted for my website, and she exceeded my expectations.

It’s not often I spend a year and a half in pre-production. That’s quite a while to be zeroed in so tightly. It’s also a long time to cast and keep connected with actors, build costumes, select and reselect locations, dress sets, find and build props, music, rehearsal, plan for this, plan for that, logistics…

If you’ve never been to the Puget Sound region of Washington, you should definitely schedule a trip. My specific destination was Port Orchard. It’s a quaint area across the inlet from Bremerton. This was my first visit beyond Seattle and my first adventure in a Fiat 500.

“Whereto?” she asks, ready for the new year. And so begins my adventure in blogging. Recently, while driving down a less-traveled road, I found myself in total observation mode. The dirt road, covered in a thick layer of ice, took me through a canyon of towering trees—their limbs weighed down with sparkling snow.