Fanciful Friday: What’s Up, 2026

For those who have been following Meandering Passage for a while, you may have observed a noticeable increase in the posting frequency in 2026. If this trend continues, by the end of the year it would be necessary to go back 15 or 16 years to find a year with as many or more annual posts. So, in this age of social media, with blogging seeming to be less mainstream, what happened?

Survive or die?

At one point, around this past January—when Meandering Passage was celebrating its 20th anniversary—I considered gradually letting the blog fade away until it was time to renew my hosting. At that point, I would simply let it go. I have seen this happen often. There used to be a strong core of bloggers who actively engaged with each other through comments and links. Now, my link library is cluttered with disabled, outdated, or broken links to blogs that no longer exist or have been abandoned and left unupdated.

People change, lives change, and the Internet landscape has evolved as well. It can be difficult to maintain enthusiasm for anything over the long term. I understand this struggle because I’ve experienced it myself. I’ve often strayed from what many consider a fundamental rule of social media: “stick to one specific topic and become an expert.” Over time, this blog has changed focus and explored a variety of subjects, including blogging, the Internet, Apple computers and technology, amateur photography, traveling, and RVing. Today, it blends photography, AI, and personal expression.

Although this blog initially aimed, for a short time, to achieve success and build an audience, it has since shifted focus. Instead, it has become a space for learning, personal growth, discussion, and sharing ideas with a few like-minded individuals who wish to engage.

So, if my life were a walk along the beach, Meandering Passage would be the footprints I leave behind.

What changed the posting this year?

A couple of changes made a world of difference in the number of posts this year:

• I made a personal commitment to post more, and believe me, no one’s more surprised that I’ve been able to honor that commitment than I am;
• I became interested in the creative side of AI, and like AI or not, for me that was like a bud of creativity flowering;
• With the help of the first two items listed above, I organized projects and categories into which “Fanciful Friday” and “Life Frames” fall. This helped me focus my attention and efforts;

• I’m finding ways to combine images with the written word, or create images that I hope, in some manner, speak to their stories and truths, at least as I see them.

Where to from here?

Damn good question, and I don’t have a real clue at the moment, but I want to be patient and let things develop naturally. What I’m doing presently is still fun for me. It’s also been a wonderful learning opportunity and excellent mental exercise. Although I think the AI thing has cut into the number of comments I used to get from some photographer followers, my visitor and view counts have tripled, and there are indications that people are coming back to see what’s next. I do know that as long as this blog continues, photography will still play a role.