For the past 10 years, I've put together a gallery that I've shared with friends and family over the Holiday season.

In the beginning it was a modest gallery.  Just a few family images.

And then it expanded.  It went from a joint gallery to two galleries:  the one of my photos from the past year and the official holiday letter showing family and travel photos.

And then it expanded even further as I went to Photo-A-Day, my way.  that means taking at least one photo a day.  Lately, it seems like I take G's of photos per day and have to select amongst those that I find are memorable or have some reason why I want to share with others.

Last year I decided to focus on my trip to Sicily and an exhibit that I saw that featured the Grand Tour as seen through the eyes of a French watercolorist.  I took this approach using Topaz apps and transformed my photos into more of a watercolor like feel.

Palermo: San Giovanni Degli Eremiti: The Garden

It was a smashing success.  I got lots of positive feedback and interest in these photos.

So, what do I do this year?  The Grand Tour approach applies to my travels this year.  But I wanted to do something different.  We've taken a lot of different tours and had the experience of being in different locales other than home.  So, this year I am concentrating on those memorable travel experiences and the story behind them.

I haven't sent it out yet so I don't know the response, but it was a pleasure to put it together.  An experience of thinking of what I experienced with my travels and then finding the photos to support my thoughts.

Here is a small sampling of the photos that I decided to include.

Barcelona...

March 5 Placa de CatalunyaWe arrived at this placa in Barcelona getting off the train that transported us from the airport. It was a beautiful site after being in a plane for hours.

A couple of days later, we walked through the placa on the way to our hotel and they just finished planting the spring flowers. This made this special place even more special.

My special moment was getting off of the train and seeing this beautiful placa.

A scenic view in Germany...

May 22 Bridge in Hann Munden, GermanyEarly morning walk before breakfast in this quaint town.

My special moment was the great reflection without any bustling traffic or big trucks on the bridge.

A Foggy Day along the Oregon Coast.

Sept 9 Fishing on the Pacific at Lincoln City, OregonMarie and I almost didn't go to this beach. It appeared while we were driving into Lincoln City that the beach was going to be totally socked in by fog. We decided to park, anyway. We actually got a great parking spot since no one was at the beach today, except for a few fisher persons.

My special moment is making the decision to walk the beach anyhow and I was delighted by the foggy shots that I was getting.

Enjoying the wall in Motovun Croatia in the early morning.

Oct 6 Early Light after Sunrise in MotovunEarly morning light. I had the whole fortified wall to myself with early morning light. What a delight!

Kotor, Montenegro

Oct 13 Walking around Kotor, MontenegroI loved the "threes" aspect of this photo. The mountains, the castle fortifications, and the lovely reflecting pond.

And sometimes walking around in your own town can have it's rewards as well.

Nov 2 Expect Goodness and Kindness in Appleton WisconsinSometimes you can simply walk in your neighborhood and see amazing and poignant things.

Great message on a fall day.