Category: blogging

My first post was October 8, 2008 so this 2024th post marks ten years blogging with at least half of each year from the North Rim Grand Canyon where blogging started at the end of my first season.

When I began blogging at the suggestion of friend and fellow Ranger Karen at FabGrandma I didn’t have any idea what blogging even was.  But I like to write, share stories and take photos so what the heck.  I really didn’t figure anybody would even care to read my story or figure anyone would find me in the giant Cyberworld.

Somehow I ended up on two memes, Sky Watch Friday and My World Tuesday, where I started reading other blogs and leaving comments.  I met some of you there.  I didn’t understand what to write, especially for the My World meme so I began my series of “The gypsy life of a seasonal park ranger” from the start of my Ranger career the summer of 1992.  I shared my world in six month increments of working and off season traveling.

I started on blogspot and stayed with that for almost 3 1/2 years when I bought a domain and moved to WordPress on my birthday 3/26/12.  I’ve always been big about my birthday figuring it’s MY special day.

When I started blogging I thought it would be a way to make a little money.  How wrong could I be?  I’m not much of a consumer so don’t want my sidebar slathered with blinking stuff to get your attention and buy, buy, buy.  Well unless it’s my photos coming from a website I opened in January 2017, and just a wee bit of Amazon which I fail to make any money on.  Instead blogging made me a lot of friends.

Fall colors below Angel’s Window from the Cape Royal Trail North Rim Grand Canyon National Park

You’ve seen a lot of photos from Grand Canyon and may almost feel like you’ve been here.  Actually I hope you have been here.  And if not, why haven’t you been?  I’ve met so many wonderful people at the park, including some of you.

So Happy Birthday to Geogypsy and thank you all for keeping me motivated for 10 years blogging.  Wonder if I can keep it up for 10 more.

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I started the Geogypsy blog October 7, 2008 on blogspot while finishing my first season at Grand Canyon.  Then on March 26th, 2012–my birthday BTW–after three gruesome months of setting up a new theme for Geogypsy officially launched my own WordPress domain.  Have loved my Suffusion theme ever since but the developer will no longer keep updating and warned the theme will crash eventually.  Moment of panic.  Oh no, do I have to start over!?

My long time web mentor Karen said it would probably just require a few tweaks.  Easy for her to say with her knowledge of HTML code.  That acronym just makes me shudder.  I’m an instant gratification, turn key ready kind of person.  I looked over several themes, some free some not.  Dang, I thought, with the ability to  change colors, type, layout and all they seem relatively the same to me.  They’re not.

I started blogging to fulfill my own dream of writing, getting published, and maybe even paid.  The last hasn’t worked out but that’s OK because I’ve learned I’m writing for you more than me.  I love to interpret places visited and share the experience.  In addition, blogging has inspired me to become a better photographer.

Plus blogging has brought such joy meeting other bloggers virtually and in real time.  We are writing his/herstory as we see it, our truths.  Probably more real and reliable than any history book.  Sharing the people, places and feelings we are surrounded by in life.  I appreciate every one of you taking the time to read my drivel and your comments not only feed my ego but keep me sharing the stories and photos.  Thank you!

There will be bugs to work out on this new theme and if you notice any please take a screen shot or let me know if a link isn’t working.  I’m certainly not done making changes and am open to suggestions.  It would be nice to create a Geogypsy logo but then I’m a cheapskate not willing to pay a designer what they’re worth.  Maybe someday.  I already put enough money out paying for domain, host and now theme with no financial return.  I want my site to be crisp, clean, easy to read and navigate, inviting readers back.  Everything I’ve learned in the last 6 1/2 years blogging says it’s all about content, which I hope I’ve been doing OK.  But it does have to look nice too.

Blogging is like a fun job.  This is post #1587.  That’s 1587 mostly original titles to think of.  Times 5-25 photos each time to process and perhaps millions of words.  I’ll let someone who likes to do math figure that out.  (Yogi?)

My mother called me a “drama queen” in youth, I’ve always had the gift of gab.  I get paid to talk during the summers as an Interpretive Park Ranger.  Blogging feels like an extension of that.

Thanks to each and ever one of you who bother to read and/or comment.  Without you this blog would be nothing.

Cha cha cha changes in the blog

No, the blog is not down for maintenance yet I think some changes are in order.

But, I’ve looked back at 2013 according to Google, chose last year’s favorite photos and shared some lessons learned.  Now it’s time to look ahead.

Of course I’m leaving in six days for three months in South Africa and although I’ve been there before there’s so much to see I could never tire of the country.

Be part of the change

As I enter six years of blogging and almost two years with the same format I wonder what you, the reader, thinks.  I want to know what you like and don’t like.  Colors and format OK?  Easy to navigate?  Does it work on phone, pad, etc?  More photos or less?  Personal stories?  More specifics about a place?  Do you like links?  More posts or less?  What do you want to see? I write this blog for more than just me.

Please share suggestions for changes.  No guarantees that anything will change for a while.  But I want to make this blog better for you.  Plus if I use your idea you’ll receive a gift from South Africa.

Thanks for helping me out.