We love this time of year. Christmas decorations packed away. Gift exchanges made. Resolutions (well, the few we make!) all resolved and some even broken. (Someone had to eat that last bit of Italian Cream Cake, right?)
As bloggers, it’s only fitting that we look back at our most popular posts (listed below) and remind ourselves of the best places we have seen this year. So, here are our best — followed by what we hope to see and share with you in 2014.
Most Clicked Posts of 2013
Number Three:
“Puhleeze” butter my biscuits in Knoxville at the International Biscuit Festival — The lowly biscuit takes center stage at this springtime event receiving national attention. Combine the one-ticket grazing privilege with booths of local vendors and a food writer’s conference, and you have a Knoxville hit that just keeps on growing!
Erin Donovan, Biscuit Festival Queen
Number Two:
Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop: New sweet shop in Bearden! — Lines are still long for this shop open only since November, and owners have converted one of their cupcake venues to a second shop just for pies! Oh, my!
Owners Meredith and Scott Layton of Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop
Number One:
Books and Buttercream at the Great Cake Bake — Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is the beneficiary of this wildly popular fund raiser held each year at UT’s Neyland Stadium. The 2014 event (slated for February 22) has area bakers already thinking of what book-themed cake creations can top those of last year!
Alexander of Alexander’s Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Favorite Places of 2013
From The Bund in Shanghai to The Palouse in Eastern Washington, we’ve been fortunate to have traveled, looked, photographed, and sampled the goods in well-traveled and seldom-traveled places this year: a great life — and we’re grateful for it! Here are some of our faves.
Looking Ahead to 2014
Although we have no definite plans for travel in the coming year, we have some ideas for what we’d like to see and share with readers.
- More shots of Idaho, perhaps some of the resorts we’ve missed and the coveted farmland of The Palouse in the snow! (Three more trips are in my future, thanks to work with Discovery Education.)
- Visits to places and events in Knoxville. Since the top three visited posts have focused on our hometown, we “get it.” So, look for coverage of what’s new and what’s most visited in and around our great city.
- Posts from our Viking River Cruise to Russia. With the Olympics in Russia this year, look for our take on St. Petersburg and Moscow with points in between.
- Serendipitous posts — who knows where we’ll choose to go or what we’ll see. But if we can work it in, our Bucket Short List includes Portland, Oregon, and maybe even Alaska. Stay tuned.
Our wish for you, our readers, is for good health, happiness, and experiences that enrich your life, no matter where you travel! Thanks to each and every one of you for making us part of your reading pleasure!
gallivance.net
What a great wrap-up Rusha! I loved all of your top 3 posts, and I don’t know how I missed the “Praise the lard and pass the biscuits” T-shirt. Love it! I also thoroughly enjoyed your Viking River Cruise to Russia posts. Can’t wait for more of those. Here’s wishing you lots of adventures and all the best in 2014. ~Terri
Rusha Sams
Thanks so much for being one of my top commenters in 2013! Hope we both have great travels and good health throughout the new year!
FreeRangeCow
Rusha, I know you say positive things (and lovely pics) of all the places you wander, but I have to say thank you, extra much, for the positive look at Idaho. So many of my friends have only experienced Idaho on I-84 and reflect it’s an ugly and bleak state. You dig into the nooks and crannies of your towns and show the true beauty hidden within. Your soul lights mine up. Thank you!
Rusha Sams
Are you kidding me? Idaho is one of the prettiest in the whole 50! I tell people all the time how much I enjoy going there and poking around. It’s not just the scenery — it’s the people, art, food, etc. (Going back next Thursday to Idaho City!)
Gale
It’s 6 days into the New Year, but I just wanted you to know how much I love reading everything you write about. It’s fun being a tag-a-long on your journeys. Keep up the good work and have a fabulous 2014.
Rusha Sams
Thanks for reading, commenting, and following! Hopefully, we’ll get to go to some places you want to read about! Stay tuned.
susanissima
Great blog Rusha…inspiring and love the photos! All the best for 2014. Thanks for dropping by my blog, too!
Rusha Sams
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. It’s been great to get to know so many nice people on the Internet, and you are one of them. Best wishes for a great 2014!
Amy
Beautiful wrap-up for 2013, Rusha! Look forward for more for 2014 🙂
Rusha Sams
Thanks so much for your continued reading and commenting. Means a lot. Hope your 2014 is good, too!
Valentina
Love how you compiled your 2013. I am sure you fun in storage for this year. Happy 2014.
Rusha Sams
Thanks so much. And thanks for reading and commenting. Happy New Year!
freebutfun
Your ideas for 2014 sound pretty good to me!
Rusha Sams
Thanks! I just hope we get to do most of these things. You know how New Year’s Resolutions are!
Pride in Photos Photography
I look so forward to seeing your future travels…never disappointed when I come here my friend.
Rusha Sams
Thanks! I feel funny having so little planned for the new year, but as we speak I’m in Philly airport headed to Hershey!! Pics of candy bars are in your future!!
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Bronwyn Joy @ Journeys Of The Fabulist
Happy New Year! And love seeing your take on 2013.
Rusha Sams
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. Means a lot!!
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