Colombia: Aunt Ruby Everyday Tourist’s Oldest Follower
I recently received an email from a regular Everyday Tourist reader telling me not only that she enjoys my blogs, but she often sends them to her 99 year old aunt in Colombia. Ironically, soon after getting the email, I had a comment on my website in a foreign language that looked like Spanish. Using Google Translate it was indeed Spanish and it was from Aunt Ruby. How cool is that?
Turns out Aunt Ruby, who will turn 100 in August 2021, is very active. She still looks after her own banking and investments, as well as actively follows what is happening in the world. She loves the internet because it allows her to follow world and local events. And she still participates in several groups that discuss various current events and topics, as well as a bible study group, even though she is confined to a wheel chair.
While she hasn’t been able to travel for the past 15 years, she loves looking up places where her family is travelling to. Turns out she uses my blogs as an opportunity to learn more about other cities. I am told she loves the ones about Calgary’s gardens, architecture and public art.
Aunt Ruby doesn’t speak English so she uses Google Translate to read the blogs. But mostly she likes the ones that are more photo orientated so she doesn't have to read them. I am told she studies the photos very carefully, as she loves photography as an art form. I believe this is true as the comments she left me were about the composition and lighting of my photos. If I ever get to Colombia I will definitely be looking up Aunt Ruby and perhaps she could give me a critique of my photography.
In honour of Aunt Ruby, I decided to create an exhibition of 99 photos of places I have enjoyed visiting, over the past few years. However, the first time I added them up, I had 100+ so Aunt Ruby will have lots to look and think about this at year as she prepares to celebrate her 100 birthday.
I hope she and everyone else will enjoy this extended photo essay. There is no rhyme or reason to the selection or order, I have tried to choose some old and some new architecture, public art and gardens - things Aunt Ruby loves.
Last Word
Congratulations you made it to the end of this blog. Hope you enjoyed the tour.