2020, the worst year in recent memory, has come and gone, and no one can say they’re sad to see it go. Political strife, social upheaval, pandemic, lock downs, and more unpleasantness has roiled the U.S. for the past several months.
In my own little corner of the world, my ability to travel and visit new places for this blog was greatly curtailed. Museums shut down, travel restrictions were imposed, and plans got canceled (including my honeymoon, which I’m still upset about).
Despite all that, I’ve tried to keep this website going, continue writing, and bring you new and interesting articles to, at the very least, inform and entertain you during these dark times. But cheer up! I firmly believe 2021 will be a great year. There’s nowhere to go but up.
By now, you’ve probably noticed some dramatic changes at this website. First and foremost, I’ve chosen a new layout that I think is strong and appealing and will allow me to really highlight my photography. There will be some adjustments that need to be made to old articles, but overall it’s a big improvement.
Second, I’ve introduced premium content available only to subscribers. This option is available through WordPress and will help me continue writing, researching, and traveling to provide the unique content you love far into the future. Don’t think of it as a paywall. Think of it as supporting the months and years of research, writing, and traveling I’ve done to create this content. You can sign up today by using the button below.
Finally, I wanted to explain the type of content I’ll be posting on this site. By now you should be familiar with the main categories: Musings, Explore, Fiction, and Photography. I haven’t posted fiction in a while and I’d like to change that.
Explore, of course, is the main category and it’s divided into three sections: Historic America, Mysterious America, and Roadside America.
- Historic America is for articles and photography pertaining to historic events, sites, forts and battlefields, and museums.
- Mysterious America is devoted to true crime, legends and lore, unusual places and events.
- Roadside America is devoted to unique signs, brick ads, roadside art, diners, and commercial archaeology.
None of these subcategories are exclusive, of course. An allegedly haunted site might be a museum or even on the National Register of Historic Places. There are many historic diners on the National Register. But these are just a convenient way to organize everything.
I will continue updating at least three times a week, with the goal of five times a week. Look for a new photo every Friday in 2021.
I hope we can continue this journey together for years to come. See you in the New Year!
M.A. Kleen 