Farewell Huckleberries

Huckleberries Online blog is being put to bed. It has been the anchor of the local blogging community for the past 16 years or so.  Thursday it is closing up shop.  Dave Oliveria, the blog meister,  is going to take a well deserved rest and then who knows.  I  certainly don't see him fading away.

I haven't been involved in the day to day for some time now.  Time constraints being one reason and struggling for direction for my own blog another.  During Huckleberries heyday, however, I was in the thick of it! And what a trip it was.

Thanks to Dave my blog got some national exposure and I got my 15 minutes of fame.  A friend of his, a writer for the AP, was doing a story on seniors who blog.  She interviewed me and ultimately included me in her article.  Things soared from there.  On air  radio interviews with the likes of CNN and others.  Picked up from the AP wire articles began appearing across the country and people who are to this day cyber friends contacted me.  Even the AARP magazine did a story and some of my peers who knew me ages ago wrote to see if it was really me.

I was approached by publishers who had books written by seniors asking if I'd review them.  Of course I would and did. I was even asked to audition for a Centrum Silver commercial. I didn't get  it but even the audition was an unexpected experience.

In the early days we bloggers were a voice to be reckoned with locally.  We even socialized at an annual blog fest that has continued to this day.   Differences were put aside for the sake of community.  Lessons could be learned from that concept. The photo of Dave, the day I met him, was taken at the first one I attended where maybe a dozen people, if that, showed up. It grew from there to be sure!

It was heady stuff in those days.  People came and went.  There were bad apples as well as those who shined.  I made some great friends and even more acquaintances I'd never have met otherwise.

So here's my tip of the hat to you Dave.  Job well done.  The blog under your steady hand will be missed.

I'll feel some emptiness in my heart as those in this unique and intriguing community begin to go their separate ways. But that's okay. Good things do end.  And this one ends happily.  I'll end on a personal note.  Thanks Dave, for everything.