Passport renewal issue!!!..Yikes!!!…Photos from ten years ago today…Mykonos, Greece…

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This is Mykonos! Oh, my, how beautiful!
Although we were out last night at Brownwood Paddock Square, we don’t have any new photos to share. We’d already posted photos of this fun location, although we looked for photo ops throughout the evening. Thus, we’re sharing photos from our visit to the island of Mykonos, Greece, ten years ago today. We will never forget this special day as we walked for hours through the fascinating island of stark white and blue buildings, friendly people, and local charm. It couldn’t have been more exciting and fun.
Mykonos, as we walked along the shoreline.

We enjoyed being with a lovely couple we met from Quebec, Canada, Gerry, and Nicole, both with thick French accents, and they also spoke English quite well. We’d met them on the ship and spent much time with them, engaging in fun activities. It’s always special to meet new people on cruises, some of whom we’ve stayed in touch with over the years.

As for today’s headline, a few days ago, it received an email from the U.S. State Department about our renewal passport application that read as follows:

(Please excuse the line spacing. Since I copied and pasted this, I was unable to format it properly).

“Dear Ms. Lyman:
Thank you for your recent passport application. To continue processing your request, please provide the
The following information: Please submit your valid passport book. Our records indicate that you applied for a passport book in 2020. If you do not have that passport book and/or passport card in your possession, please complete, in detail, the
enclosed Form DS-64, Statement Regarding Lost or Stolen Passport, and mail the signed form to the address on this
letter. It is the policy of Passport Services to return any expired passport book and/or passport card to the
customer unless it is damaged or mutilated. To assist with processing your application, we must receive the requested information within ninety (90) days of the date shown in this letter. Please be advised that you may receive this information via email and a postal letter. Please respond to one request only. If the information is not received or is insufficient to establish your entitlement to a U.S. passport, your application may be denied, and your citizenship evidence will be returned. By law, the passport execution and application fees are non-refundable. For general passport information or to check the status of your passport application, please visit us online at travel.state.gov.

PLEASE RETURN A COPY OF THIS LETTER, ALONG WITH ALL REQUESTED INFORMATION, TO
THE ADDRESS LISTED ABOVE INCLUDES THE +4 ZIP CODE.”

The narrow walkways through the shops and houses were enchanting at every turn.

Of course, as I breezed through this text, I panicked a little and then slowed down and read it more thoroughly before I said anything to Tom.

Upon applying for the passport renewal, we called CIBT, the company we’re using, and explained that:

a. Our ten-year passports expired in 2022.

b. Our four-year second passports were going to expire in January 2024.

Gerry, Nicole, our Canadian French-speaking new friends, and Tom outside this quaint little church.

Since we began traveling in 2012, we’ve had three passports so far:

  1. Our first 10-year passport – expired
  2. A second 2-year passport – expired
  3. A third 4-year year passport – expires in January 2024

As we’ve explained in the past, we got second passports to enable us to mail in one of the passports when applying for visas (when required) and still have a valid passport in our possession which should always be the case. One should never be in a foreign country without a valid passport in their possession.

When we initially spoke to the online rep, we asked which passport we should mail to them; the expired ten-year or the active four-year. We were each applying for a 10-year renewal. They instructed us to send in the expired ten-year passports, which we did, which our multiple required documents.

We can’t wait to buy fresh produce in Tuscany in one week as we prepare to cook for ourselves! Mykonos didn’t disappoint.

Later, we were assigned a new rep, Arturo, and he assumed we had everything needed to apply for the renewal. This was incorrect. We should have sent in our active four-year passports with the application documents. I called Arturo immediately, and he apologized for the misunderstanding.

He sent me an email with a new FedEx paid label, which we needed to get to the FedEx store as soon as possible and mail him the four-year passport we did on Friday morning. He will receive them on Monday and will continue with the application process, assuring us we shouldn’t worry.

We’ll wait and see when we’ll get the new passports within a few weeks. We are glad we started this process so much earlier than our June 20 appointment. We feel confident, in any case, we’ll have the passports in plenty of time for our departure on July 28.

Tonight we’re going to the Havana Country Club for dinner. It looks like a great place to go on a Saturday night, and the menu looks good for both of us. Tomorrow, we’ll share photos.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 10, 2013:

An occasional stop was relaxing after the steep walk up the hilly roads. For more photos, please click here.

Could a full-time resident in The Villages function with only a golf cart to save on expenses?…

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This morning’s purchase of fuel for the golf cart that came with our rental. We had topped off the gas tank a week ago and drove around quite a bit this week.

We’ve been in The Villages long enough now that we have a relatively clear perspective of some of the living costs in this retirement community. No, those only receiving basic social security without having sold a home with sufficient funds to purchase another home here make The Villages a financial impossibility.

But, if one has sold a home and uses the bulk of those proceeds to purchase their home in The Villages (average sale price of $350,000), the result may avoid the necessity of a mortgage, making living here more affordable. I found this excellent website listing the estimate of some of the various expenses required to live here.

This website lists each possible additional expense over and above property taxes, amenity fees, homeowner’s insurance, utilities, and maintenance fees.

But, for today’s purposes, since the website so clearly defines potential expenses, we’re delving into transportation expenses which can be high if one has a car payment, car insurance, fuel, and maintenance costs. Then, most residents in The Villages own a golf cart that includes the purchase price, insurance, fuel, and maintenance.

As we were leaving Colony Plaza this morning after a few errands and breakfast at Bob Evans. It was a pleasant trip out and about.

The combined transportation expenses can total $1000 a month or more, which also could prevent fixed-income seniors from living here. We have fun playing around with these numbers, although we do not intend to reside here now or soon permanently.

But, we promised our readers, we’d do our best to report our perspectives on some of the features of living here, as far as we can determine, in this short period we are here, a mere three months. Of course, longer-term residents would be more qualified to report these expenses after living here for years, not months.

Our only true perspective has been over transportation after we’ve been “tooling around” in a golf cart for the past almost six weeks. We ask ourselves, “If a person/couple lived here could they get by with just a golf cart to keep expenses down and use an Uber or other service for longer trips outside The Villages?”

Driving past one of many golf courses in The Villages as described here:”There are 12 immaculately kept championship golf courses, 38 executive courses, and four practice facilities in The Villages. Lifetime country club memberships to the championship courses are included for Village residents, and walking the executive courses is free!”

Yes, it is possible, with some limitations. Already we experience the disappointment of it not making sense for us to travel, let’s say, to Spanish Springs Town Square. It’s a 40-minute golf cart ride each way which, for most people, is too far. Sure, at some point, we’ll probably attempt it. Instead, we’re reserving visits to Spanish Springs for times when we have houseguests with a car and can drive there in their car.

However, trips to Brownwood Paddock Square are quick and easy, and we can drive there in about 12 minutes in the golf cart. Tonight, we’ll be heading there again for the second time this week. Thus, residents could easily shop, dine out, play golf and participate in countless activities using only a golf cart.

The cost of a used golf cart can be as low as $2000 or as high as $20,000, depending on how they are customized to suit the purchaser’s desires. Some companies here provide yearly maintenance and service fees for golf carts, done right in one’s driveway. Of course, there are added costs for insurance and fuel for golf carts.

There are countless lakes and ponds on the golf courses in The Villages.

We took today’s main photo this morning at the Walmart fuel station in Colony Plaza, illustrating the low cost of running a golf cart. In the past week, after several trips out, we used less than a gallon of gas for $2.23. That amazed us. Imagine how much one could save only by driving a golf cart or driving it most of the time.

However, if we lived here, we’d pay cash for an older car in excellent condition and only use it for longer trips for needs outside of The Villages and for trips to such places as Spanish Springs, which can be reached by car in 22 minutes, (8½ miles). This is certainly no more time than it takes most people to go to dinner.

The website listed here is undoubtedly more detailed on possible expenses in The Villages, providing what appears to be a clear perspective based on long-term experience, as opposed to our little glimpse during these past few weeks.

Most roads accessible by golf carts have a clearly defined lane. However, there are a few main roads that allow golf carts when there isn’t a specific lane designated for golf carts.

Thank you for going along with us on this part of our journey. Time is moving quickly, and we’ll be on our way before we know it.

We’ll share a glitch we encountered in the passport renewal process tomorrow. For now, we’re signing off.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 9, 2013:

No photos were posted on this day as the ship made its way to Mykonos, Greece, one of our favorite ports of call. For the text on that date, please click here.

Yesterday’s delightful get-together with long term readers…

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Tom’s Chicken Pot Pie, which he ordered at City Fire. He’d had this on another occasion, and he liked it. It was covered with dough but included a piece of a baguette—lots of bread.

I regret not taking photos of us with Tracy and Nancy when we got together at City Fire American Oven & Bar late yesterday afternoon. We had such a great time together that the thought of taking photos of the four of us slipped away. I didn’t realize it until after we were back at the house.

It should have entered my mind when I was attempting to take photos of our food, two of which were blurry and I later deleted. Thus, the only photos I have today are Tracy’s flatbread and Tom’s chicken pot pie. Nancy ate a bun-less cheeseburger while I had a nutty salad with overcooked chicken breast. I won’t be ordering that again.

This was Tracy’s flatbread.

No words can express how delightful our few hours with Tracy and Nancy were. As often is the case with long-term readers, they knew everything about us, and it was fun to hear about this mother (Nancy) and adult daughter (Tracy) team who both live in The Villages. Not only were they very attentive and loving to one another, but they were also with us, and we felt like we’d known them for a very long time. We’ll never forget the precious time with the two of them.

Fortunately, Tom had taken the two photos of the signs he spotted outside the restaurant with historical information about Brownwood that is fun to read. As we know, Tom doesn’t take the best photos, but I decided to use the two he took today, albeit lopsided. (There are plenty of incidences where I take awful photos, too).

Their food isn’t that great, although none of the food at restaurants we’ve tried in The Villages has been excellent, except for the Chinese takeaway we ordered when we first arrived. We’ll certainly do that again some evening. We’re cooking our meals five nights a week and eating out on Friday and Saturday nights, as we did in South Africa. It’s a hard habit to break, but we enjoy getting out.

Tom took these two photos outside the restaurant.

We’re staying in tonight and having burgers on the grill (no buns), topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato, and onion. Soon, I’ll make our favorite homemade low-carb ketchup. I like to wrap my burger with all the fixings in lettuce leaves and hold it in my hand, so it feels like eating a regular burger. Tom eats his burger with a fork and knife.

We’re excited to watch game three of the Stanley Cup (hockey) finals on TV at 8:00 pm with the Florida Panthers and the Las Vegas Golden Knights. As residents of Nevada, we are rooting for the LV Golden Knights, who won the first two games. We’ll see how it goes tonight and again on Saturday. If they win the next two games, they’ll take the trophy. That’s exciting.

This morning we walked, but unfortunately, I am not finding it any easier each day. My legs hurt when I walk any distance, even our relatively short 15-minute walk around the block. I’d hoped I’d see some improvement by now, but there is none. I suppose I need to face the fact that my legs were permanently damaged when they became seriously infected after the heart surgery; veins were harvested from both legs from my ankles to about 14 inches above my knees.

Interesting tidbits about Brownwood.

I will be fine as long as I can walk on the upcoming ports of call visits on our upcoming cruises, including our cruise to the Galapagos. Surely, the tours provided by Celebrity Cruises will be guided, and we will be made aware of how rough the walks will be. We’re hoping I can manage it. Surely, as always, I’ll tough it out and do as much as I possibly can.

Today, I’ve been busy making dinner, doing laundry, and doing a little cleaning around the house. We both slept well last night, and we’re feeling chipper and upbeat, as we often do.

Have a great day and evening. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 8, 2013:

Views of the port in Naples, Italy. For more photos, please click here.

Ten years ago today, Livorno, Italy…Videos from our time in Europe…

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Historic buildings lined the streets in Livorno, Italy. See the post here.

In yesterday’s post, we wrote about our lack of interest in revisiting Europe. You may read that post here.

As we sailed on three cruises in the Mediterranean ten years ago, we fulfilled most of our desires to see Europe, especially after spending weeks in Paris and London, three months living in Boveglio, Italy, and then another almost three months in Madeira, Portugal. We had a great time, reveling in history, historical buildings, and classic old churches.

Overall, we spent about a year in and around Europe. We often went sightseeing at famous sites and many more obscure locations, always searching for a unique experience. Our desire for uniqueness was usually fulfilled, and we were rarely disappointed.

One of our videos on YouTube was indicative of how much we treasured the history of Italy, as seen here:

Then, of course, was the video we took after we sailed on a gourmet dinner cruise on the Seine River in Paris in 2014, as shown below. Such a fantastic experience. We loved it all.

It was these and hundreds of other experiences in Europe that we found to be worthwhile and enriching as we’ve traveled the world beginning in 2012.

We spent enough time, off and on, in Barcelona, Spain, visiting some popular tourist sites, especially enthralled with Sagrada Familia, the famous church under construction for over 100 years. Fascinating!

We could go on, and on about sites we visited and unique experiences we had while in Europe, but we won’t be any more redundant than we’ve been the past few days and in the past. Long-term readers have read the stories and seen the videos in prior posts.

As we pulled into the port of Livorno, Italy…

Often people we meet are surprised we don’t often return to Europe after all these years, and someday we may, should we find ourselves longing to do so. We’ve observed that many long-term nomads spend much time in Europe, often returning to their favorite spots.

But it’s all a matter of personal preference. We frequently discuss where in the world we’d like to visit in the future. After all, I am 75 years old, and Tom is 70. It’s not as if we can continue for another ten or twenty years. Old age will catch up with us eventually, and we’ll need to change where, how, and when we travel.

It’s a hard reality neither of us cares to dwell on. For now, we’re still finding ourselves excited and physically capable of continuing to visit those places that appeal to us. Although we’ve been to all seven continents with many repeated visits already, we can now pick and choose what makes the most sense to us.

Cruise ships and ferries lined up to let off the tourists to explore.

Cruising remains one of our favorite means of traveling, but we no longer have much interest in sailing on our former favorite cruise line, Royal Caribbean. Although, in October, we will sail on a Celebrity on our cruise to the Galapagos Islands, but it’s only on a 16-passenger ship.

Today, we’re paying the huge final payment for this cruise that made us choke, but it was one of those memorable cruises we’d talked about for years. That dream will be fulfilled with exquisite sightings and hundreds of photos. We are looking forward to this and other smaller ship sailings we are embarking on beginning in a few months.

Why did we stop sailing on Royal Caribbean’s large ships? We have no interest in sailing on giant family-oriented cruise ships geared toward children’s activities and venues. We don’t need water slides, amusement park rides, games, or events that appeal to families traveling with young children.

Also, after the pandemic and our awful experience with Omicron, we feel smaller ships are more appropriate for us. Children are allowed on Azamara, on which we’ll be sailing in about seven weeks, but no accommodations or venues are dedicated to children. The quiet, low-key ambiance appeals to us the most.

This evening we’re meeting with two of our readers and look forward to a delightful time once again.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 7, 2013:

That is exactly how we envision Italy. This was Livorno. For more, please click here.

Toulon France…Ten years ago today…Why don’t we spend more time in Europe…

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Boats packed the marinas at the popular resort destination. For the text on this date’s post, please click here.

We’re glad for the times we spent in various European countries in the first few years of our travels. We visited more historical buildings, old churches, museums, and botanical gardens than most people do in a lifetime. We spent months in Italy, Portugal, the UK, Ireland, and France.

There are countless other countries we visited as ports of call on cruises, getting the flavor of the country without actually living there. Sure, there are many other countries we could have seen, but as we continued on our worldwide, we concluded that we’d had our fill of old buildings, although from time to time, we still go to certain museums and botanical gardens.

The beaches in Toulon were sparse of sunbathers, the summer season yet to come.                                             

I guess it all boils down to our lack of interest in typical tourist locations that, for us, have become repetitious and all too familiar. Our ongoing journey is about visiting those places that appeal to our senses. Although we appreciate the significance and artistry of historical sites, our interests have leaned toward nature and wildlife…not zoo-type venues.

What often is represented as “rescue or rehabilitation facilities” may manage the care of rescued and injured animals; they are confined to a specific area or in cages. After living in the bush for over 3½ of our 10½ years of world travel, we’ve witnessed firsthand how animals like to wander in search of food, territory, and mating.

47% of Toulon’s buildings were destroyed in World War II, resulting in many buildings of post-war design

For example, Marloth Park is 3000 hectares, comparable to 7413 acres; that is no small area for the wildlife to explore, and yet even that kind of space has its limitations, with newly built bush houses crowding out the natural habitat for the wildlife as years pass. In ten to 20 years, that habitat may be dissipated to the point that the animals are eventually gone.

Confining wildlife in a zoo is indicative of an unnatural environment’s impact on the animals’ well-being. Thus, we find no enjoyment in visiting zoos to get our “wildlife fix.” The end result? We continue to have an affinity for wildlife and scenery, such as oceans, lakes, waterfalls, other waterways, mountains, and deserts.

Although many buildings are over 60 years old, the integrity of the familiar and revered French style was maintained.

It’s no wonder we particularly loved the boat ride with Linda and Burt a few weeks ago and seeing the impressive Dora Canal and its wildlife. Simply boating on a lake holds little appeal after we lived on a lake for 26 years and went boating over many years. Small boats on the ocean don’t appeal to us, but we love cruising on a ship or yacht.

Besides scenery and wildlife, we love meeting new people, which contributes to our joy of cruising and visiting certain parts of the world that are particularly friendly. In some countries, tourists often don’t have much of an opportunity to meet new people when locals perceive travelers as transient and unlikely to build long-term relationships.

Cafes and restaurants lined the boulevard in Toulon.

How fortunate we’ve been that we’ve made such great friends as we’ve traveled, particularly in those locations where we’ve stayed for a few months or more and been able to communicate. We appreciate the vast array of languages spoken throughout the world. Still, the reality is that we can’t learn every language to easily communicate with locals as much as we wish we could.

However, we treasure the opportunity to observe other cultures, their lifestyle, their vocations, and their various diets. Many countries we’ve visited have presented us with an inside look into the people of a nation, including their views, activities, and relationships.

Getting a good shot of our ship with many boats in the marina was difficult.

We’re not so presumptuous as to assume everyone in the world speaks English. They do not, nor should they, for the convenience of English-speaking visitors. If we were to live permanently in a non-English speaking country, we would make it our objective to learn the language as quickly as possible.

Let’s face it. We get to do whatever appeals to us, not what others may perceive as our obligation to do. Traveling the world is entirely up to the travelers regarding locations that appeal most to their tastes and senses. Our ultimate goal is to meet people, observe the culture and revel in the beauty of a country’s wildlife and nature.

Finally, a decent shot of our ship as we walked back to our ship. Security inspected the contents of our mugs containing iced tea to ensure we hadn’t put booze in them to bring back onto the ship, not for security reasons but to ensure we weren’t prevented from spending money on the ship’s $8 cocktails.

In a mere four months, we’ll be living in South America for an extended period with the intent of accomplishing our objectives. There’s stunning wildlife on the continent, fascinating cultures, and scenery we’ll happily share with all of you.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 6, 2013:

Not the best photos of us in Toulon, France, but we liked the mime, leaving him a tip in his basket. For more photos, please click here.

Part 2…Decorator items in our house…To go out or stay in…

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A peacock, a candle, and a vase atop the cabinets in the kitchen.

We don’t have any plans until late Wednesday afternoon when we’re scheduled to meet two readers, mother, and daughter, Nancy and Tracy, whom we’ve never met. We’re meeting them at City Fire in Brownwood at 4:00 pm. It’s always fun to meet our readers, whether long-time readers or new to our site.

A cabinet with lamps and candles in the dining rooms.

One by one, we’re working our way through the long list of readers and friends who’ve contacted us to get together. We are having such a great time here and look forward to many more gatherings in our remaining 53 days in The Villages. On the off times when it’s just the two of us, we’re also having a great time.

As seen in our posts, we enjoy the days and nights spent in this lovely house. It’s almost comparable to being on vacation with all the amenities and the ease of living. Our meals have been excellent, with easy access to many ingredients we like to use that haven’t always been available in other countries.

This is a popular print we’ve seen in other properties.

I must admit it’s fun hanging around the house all day. We have the TV on, a rarity in our lifestyle, playing popular news and talk shows, some of which we enjoyed in our old lives. Tom’s particularly been enjoying “Sunday Morning” and other news-type shows, and I am an old fan of Dr. Phil (yes, I know) with various episodes throughout the day.

This painting is in the bedroom.

Tonight, we’ll watch the second game of the Stanley Cup (hockey) with our favorite team from our current home state, Nevada, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, who won the first game against the Florida Panthers (ironically). We haven’t watched any sporting events on a TV in any country unless we were streaming it on our laptops.

Another print in our bedroom.

We’re not huge sports enthusiasts, but I love US hockey, and Tom loves US football, although each of us enjoys the other’s preference. We’ll be long gone when the football season begins, but we’ll see it again when we return to the US for several weeks to visit family at the end of September. By October 1, we’ll be on our way to South America, where all this will change.

Another piece of artwork in a bedroom.

You may think…hmmm…”Does their enjoyment of being in the US now mean they are considering ending their worldwide journey and living permanently in the US?” Not at all, but we’re reveling in these simple pleasures right now, as we always do when visiting other countries. Didn’t we write about how much we loved every moment in Africa? Even in lockdown in India for those ten long months in the hotel room, we found ways to enjoy ourselves and find purpose in our everyday activities, although limited during that time.

There are two lamps like this at either end of the larger sofa in the living room.

Today, again, we’re laying low. We did our walk, did laundry, and prepped for dinner. Neither of us is feeling any sense of urgency to go out. Knowing our passport renewal applications are in process has given us peace of mind since it was our objective to come to the US right now. Although it’s been fun, we didn’t come here to try out The Villages.

Items already shown in previous photos but indicative of good taste but not practical for use. The napkins and placemats require dry cleaning. We remove all of these when we eat at this table.

Will we return to The Villages for a short stay in the future? We may, especially if we’re awaiting a cruise embarking from Florida. Also, it’s delightful seeing our dear friends who live here and the new friends we’re making while staying here. The snow-free winter is also a plus.

That’s it for today, folks!

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 5, 2013:

Outdoor deck on the aft end of the ship, Norwegian Spirit. For more photos, please click here.

Part 1…Decorator items in our house…

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A print in the kitchen.

Decorating a holiday home is vital to making it appealing to potential renters in photos shown on holiday home rental sites and then after the guests arrive. Sure, today’s photos were taken out of desperation for photos to share. But, as I look around this lovely house, I see many items that the owner thoughtfully placed, some familiar, some unique.

After the guests arrive, pleasant decorating and design undoubtedly enhance the rental experience. It doesn’t have to be “Architectural Digest” worthy unless it’s a high-end property. But, the holiday/vacation properties we rent don’t require expensive accouterments and decorator items.

This small table is located near the garage and front doors. We keep keys and sunglasses on this convenient table.

The simple addition of pleasing inexpensive artwork, throw pillows, candles, clocks, area rugs, and interesting lamps are all a house, condo, or apartment need to create an attractive homey feel, which is so vital in providing vacation properties.

Artwork in the hallway.

We’ve been lucky over the years that most homes we’ve rented have been attractively staged and presented for rental, many of which we’ve shared in photos as we’re doing today and tomorrow. Although some of the items in this house may be “dated,” they create a pleasing atmosphere suitable for short-term renters.

A clock and globe in the office/third bedroom.

Of course, if we rented considerably lower-priced rentals, it may have been an entirely different scenario. But, over the years, we’ve been fortunate that the houses we’ve rented appear as represented in the photos provided to such sites as VRBO, which we have listed on our site here.

The pull-out sofa in the third bedroom.

We’ve been fortunate not to encounter any scams regarding holiday homes over the years, except for our first rental of a house on the beach in Belize in January 2013. The house was a disaster, with running water only three hours a day and window screens with holes too large to keep no-see-ums out of the house. Within 24 hours of our arrival, I was covered in bites. Unable to shower due to a slow dribble, within a week, we moved out, finding a fabulous resort where we stayed for over two more months.

Unusual artwork with round shapes in the third bedroom.

The owners refused to reimburse us, and we took the hit. At that point, we’d only been on the move for three months and were discouraged. We each wondered if we’d done the right thing, selling everything we owned and leaving to travel the world. But, after those two months in the fabulous resort, which may be found here, we were thrilled with our decisions and have enjoyed our unique lifestyle since then.

At that time, we expected to spend less money on holiday homes. But that rude awakening made us realize that even outside the US, you “get what you pay for.”

More artwork in the entryway.

Over the next few days, we’ll share these photos, giving our readers a greater insight into the pleasant surroundings in The Villages, Florida, USA.

Have a wonderful Sunday, and be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 4, 2013:

This was Tom’s lunch. I was so hungry I started eating my deli plate before remembering to take the photos. Tom ate twice, me only once, still full from breakfast. Real silverware and the food wasn’t too bad. For more photos, please click here.

Fun night out with new friends…Friends of friends….

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Us with Marty and Rick at City Fire Restaurant last night.

Last night for the first time, we drove the golf cart to Brownwood Paddock Square. We had to use The Villages app for directions since golf carts can’t go on many main roads, and there are many diversions to stay on the golf cart trails. Usually very adept at finding our way around many parts of the world, we were frustrated when the app sent us on a wild goose chase.

For the locals, knowing their way around the golf cart trails must be a breeze, but it can be challenging for us newcomers when the online app can’t keep up and keeps saying, “Make a U-turn.”  I bet everyone has experienced a similar message from a navigation app.

We’ve decided to stay in tonight with rain on the horizon. Our Kroger grocery order arrived this morning with two slabs of baby back ribs, which I’ll slow cook on the grill for tonight’s dinner with cheesy potatoes and green bean casserole for Tom with ribs and salad for me. We season our ribs well but don’t use barbecue sauce due to the high sugar content. We love ribs, well-seasoned without sauce, more than with sauce, although, for Tom, the exception may be the ribs at Jabula in Marloth Park.

So here’s what happened once we arrived at Brownwood Paddock Square with the intent of finding a great outdoor bar for socializing and good food for dining after that. We lucked out again and got a great parking spot which was a fluke. All we’d have to do is walk around the square and find a bar with two available seats.

The bar at the Blue Fin in Brownwood Paddock Square.

There are only about four restaurants with outdoor bars, but the one we found most fun, City Fire, didn’t have any available seats at the bar even after waiting a while. There was live music, and the place was packed. We walked over to Blue Fin, and they didn’t have the wine I liked. We left and tried another restaurant but didn’t like the food options.

We returned to City Fire when the band ended at 5:00 pm, found two seats, and had a good time talking to people sitting near us. Just before 6:00 pm, my phone rang, and it was Rita and Gerhard’s friends, Marty and Rick. We’d heard a lot about them and were anxious to meet them.

They asked where we were and suggested they meet us for dinner. We loved the idea and said we’d set a reservation for 6:30 inside the restaurant. Chatting with them standing at the bar wouldn’t have been easy. By 6:30, they arrived, and we took our reserved booth inside.

The conversation flowed with ease. They are great fun, as Gerhard described, and we found we had a lot of similar views on life in these challenging times. We enjoyed a pleasant dinner; although the food wasn’t spectacular, it was fresh and well-presented. So far, none of the food at the restaurants in The Villages has impressed us, as many of the locals have expressed. Everything here is about socializing and not necessarily about memorable food.

How fun is this 1940s-style Woody golf cart with a surfboard on the roof?

As time passed quickly, we sadly announced at 8:00 pm that we had to leave to find our way back before darkness fell. We programmed The Villages app on my phone and returned to our house. Luckily, this time we had no trouble at all. We said our goodbyes with warm hugs and hope to get together shortly.

In about 15 minutes, we were back at the house to unwind and relax for the remainder of the evening, streaming season four of Succession.

That’s it for today, folks! Have a fantastic weekend. We’ll be back with more soon.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 3, 2013:

This date in 2013 was a travel day, and no post was uploaded.

US conveniences…More houseguests coming…More food photos…

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Tom has been enjoying the food in the US. Look at his breakfast at Bob Evans yesterday morning! He was so full; he didn’t have dinner.

For some odd reason, I feel lazy today. Perhaps, it’s a result of a lack of sleep. I awoke at 3:15 am and had an awful time getting back to sleep. Finally, around 5:00 am, I dozed off for another hour, and that was it for the day. Once up, showered, and dressed for the day, we embarked on our usual walk. Upon our return, I worked on this post before I eventually made scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon for breakfast.

Now, I am sitting on the leather loveseat in the living room while Tom works on his computer on the matching leather sofa. It’s all very comfortable. The house is cool since the owner told us we could leave the central aircon running day and night. It is preset for days at 78° and 72° at night.

I forgot to tell the waitress to cook my omelet in butter instead of gobs of oil. I didn’t enjoy it.

These preset temps are perfect for us. As it heats up as the summer progresses, we may have to change it. But, for now, it’s working well. Also, there are ceiling fans in the bedroom and living room which, when added to the aircon, provide additional cooling.

It’s so easy here. The clothes dryer, dishwasher, garbage disposal, and big TV in the living room, where we can stream shows from my laptop using our HDMI cord, make life convenient. Having a chest of drawers for each of us and a large walk-in closet is a bonus. It’s nice being able to hang all of our clothes in the roomy closet, whereas in the past, in many holiday homes, we had small closets with only enough room to hang jackets.

The drive to Colony Plaza was pleasant riding in the golf cart. It’s the closest shopping area to us and takes about 15 minutes.

Many holiday homes have “cubbies” to keep clothes, but they tend to get messy when digging through them looking for something specific. The abundance of electric outlets we can use with our digital equipment is also a huge plus. Most often, in other countries, we’re using converters and adapters.

It’s easy dining out. The US is familiar with keto diets, and they have several options on the menus that can work for me. Also, it’s easy in the grocery stores to find most products we use for my way of eating. Plus, the wine options are many, and now that I can drink regular wine, it’s easy to choose a favorite at each location.

We entered two tunnels via golf cart to Colony Plaza, where we dropped off the packet of documents for the passport agent to complete our file and went to breakfast.

Right now, I am thoroughly enjoying William Hill North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon. I am not experiencing any Afib issues drinking a maximum of two glasses on any evening when we’re out and about. Once I got off the allergy meds, I haven’t had any signs of Afib, which has been an enormous relief. I check my blood pressure every few days and can see my pulse on my Fitbit at any time. Whew!

We heard from friends Lea Ann and Chuck, whom we met on a cruise from Sydney to Seattle in 2017 and hit it off the moment we met. They own a home in Florida over five hours from here. They will be staying with us for one night on June 19. They’ve been traveling extensively since we met, and it will be fun to hear about their travels.

Tom and I laugh that riding in the golf carts is similar to driving those noisy cars at Disneyland and Disney World.

We’ve all agreed to go out to dinner when Lea Ann and Chuck arrive since going to one of the restaurants in the unique town squares will be fun. This way, I won’t have to cook a big meal but will make a dessert when we return to the house. It will be lovely, we’re sure, as it’s been with all of the other houseguests we’ve had so far.

Today, we’re working on projects on our laptops. With the house cleaned yesterday, it’s a breeze today. All we had to do was make the bed, cook breakfast, and clean up afterward. Later today, we’ll freshen up and get ready to go out tonight. We’re heading to Brownwood Paddock Square around 4:00 pm for drinks and dinner, returning to the house while it’s still light outside.

We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 2, 2013:

No photos were posted on this date ten years ago. At that point in time, we weren’t as diligent in posting photos as we are now. A post was uploaded on this date. In a short period, you’ll see more photos in this feature. Please click here.

Issues with our passport applications…Photos from recent visit to Spanish Springs Town Square

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Beer is very popular in The Villages to warrant a beer store, as shown in Spanish Springs Town Square.

Yesterday afternoon, we received an email from Arturo, a representative from CIBT, that our paperwork had been received and there were some issues, as shown below:

  1. “Flight itinerary must be confirmed and up to date with your name on the form showing that you are the passenger for the State Department to process your passport in a rush time frame. ( dates, country traveling to with dates within 14 days of travel. )
  2. Please upload a photo. The photo must be taken facing forward with a neutral expression and from the waist up (this will help me adjust the photo to fit the State Department criteria ). Please take the photo against a white wall or background and upload it so I can work with it.
  3. The Letter of Authorization is a legal government document, and the courier company you wrote down is not what is in the top right corner. You wrote FEDEX, and it should be VISA SERVICES OF HOUSTON, as is posted in the upper right corner of the letter.”
Typical scene in a town square.

Of course, we panicked, thinking we would have problems promptly correcting these issues. Immediately we got to work and fixed #3, which meant we had to reprint the blank document, fill it out and sign it, scan it, and print one copy of the original document.

Previously shown photo in Spanish Springs Town Square.

Thank goodness we had a good scanner app on my phone, Mobile Scanner, which I downloaded a few months ago. If a scan is slightly lopsided, the app will adjust it and make it straight. It’s pretty easy to use after a few minutes of figuring it out. We got the forms redone and then realized I had written the date wrong on my form by not showing the year as 2023 but instead writing 5/31/23. This wouldn’t be good enough, so I did the entire process all over again. There’s no margin for error on these forms.

As for #1, that was an issue. When we prepared the original documents, we booked a flight, but the requirements stated our travel dates had to be within two weeks of filing for the renewals. We submitted that flight schedule but recently canceled it when our dates changed.

The busy bar in Amerikana Bar & Grill in Spanish Springs. We like this restaurant and bar, but it’s a long drive in the golf cart. We’ll probably try it one day soon.

Then, when CIBT received the flight schedule, they tried to verify the booking, and when it wasn’t verifiable, Arturo sent us this requirement in the objections to our file. Only yesterday, we booked a flight and hotel for our departure from Florida to Scotland on July 28, which didn’t comply with the two-week requirement.

It was too risky for us to have a new appointment with CIBT to finalize our documents. With the US State Department backed up with passports and renewals for months, we worried something could go wrong and we wouldn’t get the passports back in time for our departure. We’d be in big trouble then!

This guy with his arms spread had a thick accent, was from Tunisia, and was very friendly to us. He’s lived in The Villages for years.

After speaking to Arturo yesterday afternoon after receiving his email with the required changes, he assured us that he’d get everything processed immediately and not to worry about the two-week requirement. Whew! We could breathe easily.

For point #2, the passport photos we had taken at a Walgreen store in the US during our last visit were blurry and wouldn’t work. Using my phone, we took new photos. I have never seen such awful images of either of us, but once we submitted them to Arturo, he said they were fine, and he’d get them to work to the satisfaction of the US State Department.

My entree was a Greek salad with grilled chicken and pepperoncini. It was delicious.

This morning, after breakfast at Bob Evans Restaurant in Colony Square, we headed to the FedEx store in the golf cart and sent in the replacement documents as required, and we should be good to go. Now, we are waiting to hear if everything is OK once Arturo receives the packet of documents in the next 24 hours.

We stopped for petrol for the golf cart. We’ve used the golf cart many times, and gosh, it doesn’t use much fuel! The gas gauge isn’t working, so we had no idea how much fuel we’d need other than looking down the hole. As it turned out, we only needed to add a little over one gallon for $4.00.

Tom’s Rueben sandwich had a side of potato salad and a pickle. He enjoyed it.

After the pleasant drive this morning, we have no doubt we’ll be able to head to any of the town squares, even the furthest from us at Spanish Springs, which appears to be a 40 minutes drive, according to the app for the golf cart driving directions on my phone.

The once-monthly cleaner, Jennifer, arrived today to clean the house while we were out. By the time we returned, she was almost done, and the house, although perfectly tidy when she arrived, felt fresh and clean. We’ve kept everything organized and clean, but a deep cleaning was welcome. She spent almost three hours here.

After our huge breakfast, we’ll have a light dinner tonight and enjoy our evening at the house; with peace of mind, we’ve completed the passport renewal applications as required.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 1, 2013:

No photos were posted on this date, but we posted a story about the imminent danger of visiting the Pyramids from the US State Department. See the post here.