The sunset of a year in watercolor, and more

Sunset on Dec. 31--9 1/2" by 12" watercolor, 140 pound paper

The sun sets on another calendar year, and we try to dwell on the future, calling it New Year's Eve, which is fine and shows the hope in our species. But at the moment, I choose to think about where I've been, where this blog has been in 2013. I wanted to capture that in a watercolor, never even thinking about New Year's Day, 2014,  until I sat down to write this.
Paraphrasing Dickens, it has been the best of times and the worst of times, depending on where and who you were in this country and world. Fortunately for us, and ours, in spite of tragedies, of politics, of violence, and of wars, I can look back thankfully, but be thoughtful of those who cannot. 
In this year, I've traveled new miles and places, met new friends and people, lived new adventures and thoughts, found new stories and life. The sun setting on those experiences seems to mean there will be more of them when the sun rises tomorrow.  
This will be the last 2013 post, 39th this month and 252nd this year, on Coffee with Clark. It's been  a reader-record-setting year, with more than 45,000 page views from readers in 228 countries. Thanks for reading. Tomorrow, my bucket list.