2024: Year in Review

Another year over, and a new one just begun.

But since the new year has just begun - or is about to begin, anyway - it seemed to me that now would be an ideal time to review the year that was, and is about to turn into history and memories.

And memories this year, I have quite a few. 

Indeed, there were some real highlights. Chronologically speaking, there was an earthquake, the first that I can remember ever feeling. Than, my job sent me to Los Angeles, a place where I had never before been, and which I was both appreciative of and fascinated by. Then, my son graduated from high school, which was a momentous occasion. The summer saw my girlfriend and I taking some small daytrips to the beach and to Philadelphia, to see Les Misérables. My son and I visited Flushing Meadows, to visit the grounds of the New York's World Fair of many decades ago now, as well as to attend a session for the US Open tennis, which I had not done in over twenty years prior to that. Finally, there was another major trip, a vacation, where I got to spend a little time in Great Britain (London, specifically), with one of the highlights being enjoying tea time at Wimbledon. But the main part of that trip was a visit to South Africa, during which I got a bit acquainted with Johannesburg, Soweto, Pretoria, and especially Cape Town. It was by Cape Town that I really saw some spectacular things, enjoying the Victora and Alfred Waterfront, visiting Robben Island, going up Table Mountain, seeing the Cape of Good Hopes and the colony of African penguins at Boulder Beach, visiting Cape Town City Hall and seeing the statue of Johan Van Riebeeck and his wife, and going on my first ever safari at Aquila Game Reserve in the Little Karoo. The drive there took us through Paarl and some beautiful valleys surrounded by quaint farmland and rugged mountain, with some which were snow-capped (at least at that time of the year). 

Going to South Africa was always a dream of mine. And despite some setbacks and unforeseen circumstances which I had little to no control over, I was glad to finally see that country. I had studied South Africa on my own back when I was a kid into my teenage years, when the struggle against apartheid was still making news headlines on a daily basis. Back then, I read as much as I could about South Africa. That included magazine articles and books. It also meant watching South Africa Now! pretty much every Sunday on PBS, although the reception was consistently terrible (we didn't have cable). Regardless of what people said, or how critical they were of the government and practices back then, it seemed to me that everybody would take a moment to pause and talk about how blessed with natural beauty that country was.

So yeah, I wanted to see it. 

And you know what?

Yes, it really is as beautiful as people described it, and continue to describe it right to this day. Cape Town, and the region surrounding it, was particularly enchanting.   

Then, of course, this was a major election year, here and abroad. It seemed like many European countries had elections earlier. And then, of course, there was the long, long, long election year, and all of the polarization and divisiveness that has become trademark of American politics, here in the United States. 

Frankly, I have come to dread American elections. And there has never been an election which I dreaded quite as much as the one which we had this year. TO be honest, I was dreading it ever since the end of the 2020 election ended. It feels like there is hardly a break these days between election cycles. Yet, I am always glad to see all of those ridiculous election posters and bumper sitckers and the annoying adds finally come to an end.

Sorry, but that's what American politics has conditioned me to feel these days. When younger and more naive, I used to believe that this was good for the country, that it helped to keep us informed and think about important matters.

Now, I tend to believe exactly the opposite is true. 

But that is another matter altogether. 

Indeed, 2024 was a year to remember. Like most years, there were things that were wonderful, and things which were decidedly less wonderful.

New Jersey Earthquake, April:

Solar Eclipse, April:

Pictures of Los Angeles, California (Late April - Early May):

Expo Park

Griffith Observatory

Venice Beach:

Santa Monica Pier & Beach:

End of Route 66

Santa Monica Pier & Beach

My Son's High School Graduation, June:

Philadelphia, September:

Pictures of South Africa (Late September - Early October):

This was a picture (which I have since cropped) of the new South Africa flag of the post-apartheid era. I actually took this one at the apartheid museum, as this was the final display, if you will, of the museum, the symbol of the emergence of a "new South Africa."

This picture felt to me almost heavenly, with the sun peeking through the clouds, which were blanketing those incredible, jagged mountains, which I took as we were coming back from the safari. It was taken in the back of a Spar Express in Worcester North.

Statue of Nelson Mandela in the gardens in front of the Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa

Pretoria:

The square's most prominent feature, since June 1954, is the statue of the late Boer leader and president of the South African Republic, Paul Kruger, at its centre.[2] Statues of four anonymous Boer citizen-soldiers surround that of Kruger on a lower level of the plinth.

The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa. This monument is viewed as an architectural wonder by many. Yet, it has a troubling legacy in South Africa, as it honors the Boer victory over Dingaan at the Battle of Blood River, and the Vow that those Boers took, effectively proclaiming the land to belong to the Boer people (now known as the Afrikaners). It was built during the early days of apartheid rule. I took this picture during my visit to the monument in September of 2024.

The Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg

Jo'burg Skyline:

Snow Capped Peaks in South Africa:

From the Air:

Aquila Safari Reserve:

Penguins at Boulder Beach:

Cape of Good Hope:

A picture of me standing at the Cape of Good Hope, in South Africa. This was taken this past Tuesday, although now that I am back in New Jersey, it is hard to believe that this was only three days ago as I write this.