Change in weekend plans…Getting things done…

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A waterbuck on the riverbank with her calf.

Today’s photos are from five years ago today from this post…

Our plans for this upcoming weekend have changed. Originally, we’d planned to have Karen pick us up on Friday for a weekend at their new home two hours from here and then drive us back to The Villages on Monday. The more we thought about this, the more it bothered us that with Karen still working, this was ridiculous to have her drive all this way and back.

We considered renting a car to drive ourselves to their home, but at the cost of about $100 per day, plus transportation costs to the Orlando Airport to get and return the car (one hour each way), plus dining out while we’re there, the cost was prohibitive for us right now. We are on a tight budget with all of the travel we have coming up and hadn’t planned on these additional expenses.

We have to maintain our budgetary goals as much as possible. We’ve allowed dining out twice a week and a generous amount for groceries and miscellaneous items, but we try very hard not to deviate from our plan.

We’ve rarely observed this many waterbucks lying down.

As it turns out, Karen and Rich had planned to visit her mother, Donna, who lives about 20 minutes from here, so instead of us going there, they will visit Donna and then come here Friday afternoon and stay for dinner. This works for us. I will make a gluten-free, low-carb chicken, mushroom, cauliflower, and sausage dish with a salad for an easy dinner.

Thus, we may go out on Thursday night and then again on Saturday as we wind down our time in The Villages. However, if it doesn’t storm on Wednesday, we’ll go out on Wednesday night to play bingo at 3:00 pm at City Fire. We’ve been trying to do this for weeks, but there have been wild storms every Wednesday for the past several weeks.

This morning, I sent everything off to the accountant for our taxes. We’d had him prepare an extension for us when we were getting ready to leave South Africa, which gave us until October 15 this year to get it done. Getting everything ready has been hanging over my head. Finally, after a few finishing touches, after working on it yesterday, this morning I emailed our accountant the tax prep spreadsheet and requested the tax documents be sent to him from our mailing service in Nevada.

What a relief to have this off my mind! I was anticipating doing it while we were in Nevada or Minnesota in September, and that would have created stress during this time when we want to spend time with family and friends.

From this site: “The waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is placed in the genus Kobus of the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. The thirteen subspecies are grouped under two varieties: the common or Ellisprymnus waterbuck and the Defassa waterbuck. The head-and-body length is typically between 177–235 cm (70–93 in), and the average height is between 120 and 136 cm (47 and 54 in). A sexually dimorphic antelope, males are taller as well as heavier than females. Males reach approximately 127 cm (50 in) at the shoulder, while females reach 119 cm (47 in). Males typically weigh 198–262 kg (437–578 lb), and females 161–214 kg (355–472 lb). The coat color varies from brown to grey. The long, spiral horns, present only on males, curve backward, then forward and are 55–99 cm (22–39 in) long.”

Now, I’m thinking in terms of what toiletries we’ll need to get us through the few months until we get to Minnesota on September 9, when we will have a car and can easily go to the store whenever we need something for the upcoming extended period we’ll spend in Ecuador.

When I go for my pedicure appointment on July 26, we’ll head to Walmart to fill up the fuel tank on the golf cart and go into the store to get the remaining items we’ll need, enough to last until September 9 when we arrive in Minnesota.

Today will be another quiet day for us. We’re making a great dinner and don’t have any household tasks we haven’t yet accomplished. The laundry is done, the floors are clean, and this morning, I cleaned the bathrooms. Before Karen and Rich arrive on Friday, we’ll do a thorough cleaning, but at the moment, everything is clean.

Yesterday, we put some slivered almonds on the lawn outside the lanai. There’s been a mating pair of cardinals hanging around the garden the past week, and this morning, we saw the female pecking on the nuts. That was our wildlife fix of the week. Hopefully, soon, we’ll see the more colorful male doing the same.

Elephants on the Crocodile River.

The sky looks ominous right now. It’s uncanny how hard it will rain, and then moments later, the clouds have moved on, and the sky is clear, very typical weather for Florida this time of year.

That’s it for today, folks. We hope you have a great week, and we’ll be back with you soon.

Be well.

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

Never much of a gardener, I think these flowers in Tuscany were hydrangeas. For more photos, please click here.

Another fun night out on the town…

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Tom, at the bar at Cody’s Original Roadhouse on Friday night.

After having such a good time on Friday night, I hesitated when Tom asked if I was OK about going out again on Saturday night. Considering staying in and ordering takeaway, and with the recent return of my awful face and forehead pain, I really didn’t feel like going out.

But I knew he wanted to go, so I didn’t mention the pain, and took two Tylenol, and off we went around 5:00 pm in the golf cart. It was sunny, hot, and humid, but the breeze in the open golf cart cooled us down. We chatted playfully on our way out on yet another “date night,” and in no time at all, I forgot all about my head and face pain.

Either the Tylenol kicked in, or the endorphins from having fun helped me through the bad spell. We sat at the bar at City Fire while I slowly sipped on one glass of cabernet sauvignon, and Tom had a beer. A lovely couple was seated next to us, and lively conversation ensued. Before we knew it, it was time to go to dinner.

We drove several blocks to the restaurant, found a close parking spot, and, after checking in, got a beeper for our requested booth and headed to the indoor bar in air conditioned comfort to await our table. The beeper went off in a matter of minutes, and we sat down to relax and enjoy a nice meal, as shown in today’s photos.

Tom’s dinner last night….pulled pork, mashed potatoes with gravy, and coleslaw. Also, we shared the delicious bottomless salad.

We love the food there. After trying several restaurants and with The Villages not necessarily known for great food at its many restaurants, we may just stick with Cody’s when we dine out only four more times until we depart on July 28, a Friday. The time came up quickly, and we’ll leave in a mere 19 days.

We’ll start packing on our last week to determine if we must ship a suitcase to Minnesota. After reading the instructions for sending luggage at Luggage Free, I placed the link under its name that goes directly to their FAQ, which is very good at answering our questions.

We’ve already contacted the GM, who gave us a reasonable price at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to ask him if we can stay until October 8 for the same price. He responded quickly, and we’re good to go. Once we know if we will ship a bag, we’ll tell him so he can store it until we arrive. This way, we won’t have to pay extra baggage fees for several flights, which we calculated would cost twice as much as shipping the extra bag.

Right now, we have everything we own with us except for the bins with sealed, non-perishable food products that Louise put into the storeroom for us until we return next June. In about 11 months, we’ll be back in Marloth Park. Our many friends stay in touch, and it will be fun to return and see everyone and our animal friends.

My dinner looked boring but was delicious…a half-roasted chicken, steamed broccoli, and shared bottomless salad.

Today, we’re having bun-less ground sirloin burgers topped with cheese, onions, bacon, fresh green beans, and salad. As usual, Tom will have rice. We are streaming several good shows now and will start watching after dinner for a quiet, restful evening.

Soon, the sheets will be dried, and we’ll remake the bed while I finish another load of laundry. Once we leave, we won’t be doing our own laundry until September 9, when we get to Minnesota. We won’t be cooking again until after the Galapagos cruise ends on October 24, and we get situated in a holiday home a few days later. That will be almost three months without cooking.

As much as I enjoy cooking, this will be a nice break, most likely with few challenges with my eating style since ships and restaurants can usually accommodate me. I may have to compromise sometimes, but I’m used to that and don’t mind figuring out something that works.

Be well.

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

The rain in Tuscany, although often short-lived, could be torrential! While the sun still shone, Tom said, “I smell rain!”  I shrugged and dismissed his comment. Within 20 minutes, the sun was hidden behind the clouds while the rain poured down, and these puffy clouds appeared. For more photos, please click here.

Easy and safe food prep…Repeating meals over and over again!…Wild weather, but we still ventured out last night and again tonight!…

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The eyedropper bottle is a mixture of liquid stevia and sucralose. Unable to consume any form of sugar, it is a staple for me to use in moderation. You can easily substitute other sweeteners that you prefer to use.

Ten years ago, on this date, I posted the recipe for our favorite sugar-free coleslaw, which can be found here. In that post, we also wrote about how most of us home cooks tend to repeat the same ten meals repeatedly, meals that don’t require looking at a recipe or spending lots of time in the kitchen, chopping and dicing and prepping ingredients.

In that old post, I wrote:

“Let’s face it; food is fun. Dining is an integral part of our daily lives. It sustains us. It gives us comfort. It gives us joy. It brings us together. It inspires memory and emotions. If done correctly, it can provide good health, renewed energy, and a sense of well-being.

Suppose you were coming to dinner at our home in Tuscany tonight. In that case, we’d be having a string-tied grass-fed beef roast wrapped in fresh herbs from the garden, served with natural au jus, roasted carrots, onions, and mushrooms, stir-fried seasoned eggplant, tomatoes, and basil (from our garden) and, course, a side of Jessica & Tom’s Repetitive Coleslaw Recipe for World Travel.

Repetitive meals are comparable to a happily retired couple being together daily, night after night. It’s looking at the same face, hearing the same voice, and hugging the same less-than-a-perfect aging body, and it still feels good.”

Green cabbage and carrots that we prepped most days for our repetitive coleslaw recipe, a favorite while traveling the world with the ease of finding and keeping the vegetables fresh. Lately, since we’ve been in the US, we’ve been eating lettuce salad instead of coleslaw since we can get romaine lettuce here, which isn’t always available in other countries.

Here we are, ten years later, and nothing has changed. We still eat the same meals repeatedly during the usual five nights we cook dinner since we dine out twice a week. Breakfasts are also routine, consisting of bacon and eggs, bacon and omelets, bacon and scrambled eggs, or as of lately, an egg, mushroom, sausage, and onion casserole that I cut into portion sizes and freeze, taking out enough to defrost in the refrigerator each day for the next day.

As for repetitive dinners, it was fun to look back and see what has changed for our list of “ten things” that “they” say most households repeat repeatedly. Here is our list, posted ten years ago today…

Our meals are made using local ingredients, grass-fed, free-range meats, and organic vegetables when available.

1. Pizza with a side salad, cooked vegetables
2. Italian meatballs with sugar-free, wheat-free pasta sauce, topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Side salad and cooked vegetables.
3. Chicken breasts or whole chicken with a side salad and roasted vegetables
4. Steak with sautéed mushrooms (this could include various cuts of steak, prime rib, filet mignon) with a side salad and cooked/steamed vegetables
5. Pork which could include pork chops, pork roast, baby back ribs (rub type seasoning, no sauce), side salad, and cooked/steamed vegetables
6. Pot roast/roast beef with roasted carrots, onions, mushrooms, with a side salad and additional roasted seasonal vegetables
7. Mexican taco salad with chicken, shrimp or leftover pot roast, olives, tomatoes, onions, grated cheese, sugar-free/wheat-free taco sauce (no chips, no shell) topped with sour cream, avocado, or homemade guacamole
8. Seafood to include crab legs, shrimp, salmon, and cooked fresh fish or crustaceans with a side salad and cooked/steamed vegetables (mainly me since Tom isn’t a huge fan of fish)
9. Hamburgers topped with nitrate-free bacon, sautéed onions and mushrooms, cheese with a side salad, and additional cooked/sautéed/steamed vegetables.
10. Chicken salad, tuna salad, or seafood salad made with onions, celery, and mayonnaise atop a bed of fresh greens with a side of coleslaw and cooked/steamed vegetables

In going over this list, there have been some changes but not that much. As for #6, we can’t always get the cuts of meat to cook a pot roast, but we’ll substitute a beef roast of one type or another, whatever we can find; some require slow cooking, and others can cook more quickly for medium-rare doneness.

This morning I did a Kroger order which will arrive on Monday morning, and we’ll make one of our favorites; a copycat bread-free subway-type sandwich called an unwich at Jimmy John’s. However, we only “real” sliced meats and aged cheese rather than highly processed deli meats and cheese. It is much more expensive this way, but we go for the more healthy version whenever we cook anything. I’ve written several posts about how to put together these “unwiches.”

We posted a repeat of these instructions in this post in 2020 while we were in lockdown in a hotel in India for ten months when we were dreaming of eating these fun “sandwiches.”

Most of us don’t change our menu preferences that much in ten years. We’d love to see some of your lists. Please feel free to post in the comments section!

Be well.

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

This knife was part of the kitchen equipment available for our use in the house in Boveglio, Italy. It’s sharp and with two hands on the handles, making it impossible to cut oneself. That fact, in itself, makes it a must for me. The bonus is the ease with which it cuts and chops almost anything. For more, please click here.

Using perks and points from Expedia…Interesting photos from a very old house in 2013…Head banging?…

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In Tuscany, this yet-to-be-baked homemade low-carb, gluten-free, grain-free, starch-free, and sugar-free pizza was made with “real” mozzarella (often referred to as buffalo mozzarella in the US) and locally grown ingredients. The stringiness factor was tripled from the pizza we’d made in the past using “manufactured” bagged shredded mozzarella, which we hope never to use again. It was our best pizza ever! I’d cut double the ingredients to make another freshly made pizza for tonight with no microwave for reheating. Nothing like two nights of freshly made pizza!

Today’s photos are from the date in 2013, in Boveglio, Tuscany, Italy, which we posted here.   

How quickly we forgot the nuances of the 300-year-old stone house in Italy. From today’s re-shared photos, you can easily see how much we had to adapt to living in this very old house. It was sometimes challenging, especially when the WiFi signal was so poor.

The electrical wiring throughout the house is exposed, using cloth instead of the conduit most of us are familiar with as a code requirement in the US and other countries. We doubt that building/code compliance inspectors travel around inspecting these centuries-old properties. As shown above, the primary lighting source in the kitchen is these two fixtures over the kitchen table, encased in glass globes. Energy-efficient as the “curly” energy-efficient bulbs we’d used in the US, this particular style takes approximately five minutes to light up the area, which can be a little tricky at night.

Ten years ago, we rented a device from a company in the US called MiFi. This company still exists but can’t do much business these days when good WiFi signals are available worldwide, even in some remote locations. Even in the bush in South Africa, we had no problem getting a good signal.

Sure, some parts of the world are so remote that a signal isn’t possible, but over the years, we haven’t continued to experience issues being online. When renting a hotel or holiday home, we always check to ensure they have free unlimited internet access.

Cloth-covered wiring over the sink in the kitchen.

Today, we rented a car for one day from the Expedia link on our site, found here. When our ship arrives in Boston on August 30, we needed a means of transportation from our hotel to Stoughton, where my cousin Phyllis lives, so we could all go out to dinner near her home.

Again, cloth-covered wiring near the shower in the main bathroom.

When researching transportation from our hotel to Stoughton, a 40-minute drive, we found the cost of taxis, Uber, or transportation companies to be as much as $400 for the round trip plus tips. Instead, with points we’ve accumulated and hadn’t used lately at Expedia, we could rent a car for a good price and drive ourselves to meet with Phyllis.

We both had to duck to go down the long hallway to the bedroom. We got used to saying, “Don’t bang your head.”

As it turned out, we had enough points left to use on Expedia to offset the cost of a car. This morning we booked the car, and all we had to pay after using our points was $9.88 for the one-day car rental. We couldn’t get this done quickly enough! once the details were paid and booked, we added the information to our free Cozi Calendar, as we do with all of our bookings.

Tom also had to duck his head when heading out to the tiny veranda from the guest bedroom.

We now have peace of mind knowing we completed one of the few remaining tasks necessary for our upcoming trip, as listed in a post two days ago here.

Also, we’d like to ask our readers to kindly consider using the links on our page to compare travel costs and perks. We make a small commission that helps cover a portion of the expenses for the maintenance of our site, and you’ll pay no more using the links than if you went to them on your own. Also, you may find you can save a lot of money using these links and accumulating perks and points.

This doorway to the main bathroom was cut to fit the low frame, requiring that we also duck when entering or leaving.

We figured out an easy plan to get the rental car when we’ll be coming from the port on August 30, not the airport, where we’ll have to go to pick up the car. We’ll get an Uber or taxi from the port to drive us to the airport.

Tom will jump out and leave me with the driver, who will drive me to the hotel with our bags. That way, we won’t have to take the bags to the airport. Then, Tom will pick up the car and drive to the hotel. Later in the day, we’ll make the drive to Stoughton to meet my cousin Phyllis for dinner.

This hole was cut on the outside of the house to allow for the water meter.

I asked Phyllis if she’d like us to pick her up. She’s about ten years older than me and may prefer to have us pick her up so she won’t have to drive home in the dark. If so, we won’t mind at all. It will be wonderful to see her. It’s been several years since we’ve seen Phyllis, and she and her two daughters are my only living relatives on the father’s side. As it turns out, I am the oldest living relative on my mother’s side of the family. How did that ever happen? Where did the time go?

Tonight, we’re heading to Brownwood Paddock Square for the evening. It’s been raining off and on all morning, but it looks like it will be clearing by the time we leave at 5:00 pm.

Be well.

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

The heating elements in the 300-year-old stone house in Tuscany. The radiators are behind these hanging curtains in the long hallway. Hmmm…For more, please click here.

Hot today…Whew!…A scorcher….

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This was one steep road to walk down, but back up was more challenging.

Today’s photos are from this date in 2013 while we were living in Boveglio, Tuscany, Italy. See the post here.

Today, at 3:00 pm, the temperature will be 95F, 35 C, with the dew point at 84, the highest we’ve seen since we began traveling. This creates an uncomfortable environment, and we won’t go out today. The news reported these conditions feel like the temperature is 108F, 42C.

The neat trim look of many of the homes caught our eye.

I still went for a walk this morning since it was early enough that it wasn’t quite as miserable. It’s no wonder so many people leave Florida in the summer. Being here results in being indoors all day and spending a lot of electricity for the central air conditioning running non-stop, which is the case in this holiday home.

Unfortunately, homeowners have to find other areas to park their cars, especially when it snows in the winter.

We are comfortable with the thermostat set at 78F, 26C during the day and 72F, 22C at night, although we often turn on the overhead fan in the bedroom for a little more cooling. It’s hard to believe it’s hotter here in the summer than in South Africa in the summer. At least there, many days were much cooler, whereas here, the heat seems to be consistent, day after day.

Don’t get me wrong, we like it here and could see returning sometime in the future for a short stay while awaiting a cruise out of Florida. Tom always says living here is comparable to the movie, The Truman Show, where everything is impeccably clean and organized, including the yards and gardens at every single home. We’ve yet to see a house that wasn’t well maintained. Perhaps that’s a requirement of the codes and covenants for the area.

Two lookalike cats live here, often hovering around the entrance to the home, one of which was looking out the left bottom on this colorful door covering.

Subsequently, many seniors hire lawn and garden maintenance people to oversee the care of their gardens and mow their smallish patches of green grass. Also, we’ve noticed that two houses next to one another are always a different color on the outside, a different floor plan and design, and an overall unique look from house to house. Even the driveways are unique to houses next to one another. This takes some serious planning.

It appears that narrow tractors and trucks can make their way on the narrow roads to homes to deliver wood and building materials.

Still, we received more inquiries about whether we’d consider eventually living here. And still, we feel we would not. As mentioned above, we may visit for a few months in the future but this type of area doesn’t appeal to us. We aren’t golfers, and many activities here don’t appeal to either of us.

Another decorative entrance to a home.

If a resident didn’t get involved in the classes, sports, games, and group meetings here, it could be lonely, like anywhere else in the US and many other countries. As they age, some people aren’t interested in participating in the many activities offered here, many of which don’t require payment.

Tom enjoyed his beer while I drank sparkling water. I didn’t drink alcohol for 20 years, which included the first several years of our world travels.

Then again, most of the locals here seem to be able to afford the few events that do require some form of payment. It’s not cheap to live here with the cost of houses, fees, taxes, utilities, entertainment, and groceries. We have spent at least $250 weekly on groceries, yet we dine out twice a week, don’t eat lunch, or buy sugary treats and packaged foods.

Also, we haven’t had to buy any cleaning supplies other than laundry soap or paper or plastic products, except small ziplock and garbage bags and, most recently, toilet paper. If all of those items weren’t available in this house, we’d have easily spent another $40 or $50 a week.

    One of the few relatively level narrow roads to home, a welcomed relief.

We could afford to live here, but we have no interest in doing so now or in the future. Plus, we’re not interested in buying a home here or anywhere for that matter. We are content living our lives the way we do.

Be well.

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

As we walked to the pub in Boveglio, we found new roads to explore. For more photos, please click here.

Shocking number of events for our upcoming two months…Yesterday’s fun phone call…

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The chaos at the grocery store in Pescia inspired us to avoid shopping again on a Friday, obviously a busy day. Surprisingly, these little villages have enough population to attract this crowd. The cashiers sit while checking out customers, and there is a charge for carts (Euro $1.00) and each plastic grocery bag (Euro $.05.

Today’s photos are from this date in 2013 while we were living in Boveglio, Tuscany, Italy. See the post here.

Planning a cruise isn’t a singular booking event. Around it includes flights, ground transportation, rental cars, and hotels. Also, we booked our upcoming nine days in Henderson, Nevada, and one month in Minnesota while we await the cruise to Galapagos.

Such bookings, from the time we leave here on July 28, included:

  1. Flight from Orlando International Airport  in Florida to Edinburgh Airport in Scotland
  2. Transportation from the airport to the hotel in Edinburgh. TBD
  3. Three nights in a hotel in Edinburgh while we await the cruise
  4. Cruise Edinburgh to Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  5. Flight to Reykjavik, Iceland
  6. Transportation from airport to hotel. TBD
  7. One night in a hotel in Reykjavik
  8. Cruise from Reykjavik, Iceland, ending in Boston, Massachusetts
  9. One night in the hotel (airport hotel) in Boston
  10. Transportation to and from the restaurant from the hotel to visit my cousin in Stoughton. TBD (We will rent a car in the next few days).
  11. Flight from Boston to Las Vegas, Nevada
  12. Transportation from Las Vegas Airport to the hotel in Henderson Nevada
  13. Nine-night stay at a resort in Henderson (No rental car during this period-Uber is a better and much cheaper option).
  14. Transportation back to Las Vegas Airport (Uber)
  15. Flight from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Minneapolis, Minnesota
  16. Rental car in Minneapolis for one month stay
  17. Stay for one month in a hotel in Eden Prairie, Minnesota

All of the above has been booked (and primarily paid in advance) except for those items noted at TBD (to be determined), including a rental car in Boston and Uber in the other cities, which we’ll book at the time.

The stone floors were still wet when we returned from the market when our thoughtful housekeeper, Santina, cleaned every Friday. She often brought pies (for Tom) and vegetables from her garden.

At this point, we’ve yet to book transportation to Quito, Ecuador, but we will do so during our nine-night stay in the resort in Henderson, Nevada, as well as book hotels and holiday homes for our extended stay in Ecuador. While in Ecuador, we’ll book our plans to visit The Pantanal and other venues in South America.

Whew! If any of our readers have thought it is easy to live this life of world travel, consider the above. This is only for two months. When I think back to how we ever managed to book our travels for two years out (at the beginning of our world travels), they can see it’s not as easy as it looks.

Once Covid hit, everything changed, and we couldn’t book anything for more than a few months at a time, except for the extended period we spent in Africa, minus several trips away during that period for new visa stamps and five trips back to the US for me and six times for Tom (when his brother passed away and I stayed behind).

It’s a lot of work planning, but there are times when we aren’t rushed, and we enjoy it. As we often say to each other, “It’s the nature of the beast.”

The long narrow hallway in the 300-year-old stone house we rented. We had to duck our heads at certain points when walking down this hallway.

So even when we spend extended periods in one location, we often spend many hours planning and booking for the future. People often ask why we spend so long in some areas, and for us, the answer is two-fold; one, we enjoy staying long enough in a location to learn about its people, culture, environment, and nature. Secondly, it’s a nice break from constantly planning and booking for the following location. Overall, it’s easier when we don’t plan too far ahead.

As for yesterday’s fun phone conversation, our dear friends Rita and Gerhard called yesterday afternoon. As mentioned in many prior posts, we met them in 2018 in Marloth Park. They were long-time readers of our site and, as a result, decided to come and experience Marloth Park; during their many months in Marloth Park over the past five years, our friendship grew, and the four of us shared many beautiful memories.

We’ve been in close touch since they left Marloth Park in 2022 or 2023. Yesterday, they told us they were returning to Marloth Park in October. Of course, we won’t be there during the six weeks they’ll be there. We’re thrilled that they’ll be renting our old house and can see all of our animal friends and send photos of our favorites.

They may be able to work it out to visit us in Nevada in September, but we shall see how that goes. It was great to hear their voices from their home in Vancouver, Washington, where they’ve been busy working on their home. They’d been away a long time and wanted to do some updates.

Gosh, we love not having the responsibility of maintaining a home or paying for storing belongings we left behind. But our lives are busy in other ways, as shown here today.

Be well.

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

On our way back through Collodi from shopping in Pescia, maneuvering two roundabouts, we began the steep climb back up the mountain to Boveglio, a 30-minute drive with many hairpin turns and guardrail-free narrow roads. From what we can determine online, this mansion is the Villa Garzoni. For the post, please click here.

Happy 4th of July to all of our family and friends in the USA!..

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LPETTET/GETTY IMAGES

Many of our readers are not living in the US and are located in countries worldwide. For those readers and American readers who may like to be updated on the meaning of the Fourth of July, we’ve added the following from this site for convenient reading:

“The Fourth of July—also known as Independence Day or July 4th—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later, delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson.

From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades, and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues. The Fourth of July 2023 is on Tuesday, July 4. When the initial battles in the Revolutionary War broke out in April 1775, few colonists desired complete independence from Great Britain, and those who did were considered radical.

By the middle of the following year, however, many more colonists had come to favor independence, thanks to growing hostility against Britain and the spread of revolutionary sentiments such as those expressed in the bestselling pamphlet “Common Sense,” published by Thomas Paine in early 1776.

On June 7, when the Continental Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, the Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion calling for the colonies independence.

Amid heated debate, Congress postponed the vote on Lee’s resolution but appointed a five-man committee—including Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, and Robert R. Livingston of New York—to draft a formal statement justifying the break with Great Britain.

Did you know? John Adams believed that July 2nd was the correct date on which to celebrate the birth of American independence, and would reportedly turn down invitations to appear at July 4th events in protest. Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of Lee’s resolution for independence in a near-unanimous vote (the New York delegation abstained but later voted affirmatively). On that day, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail that July 2 “will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival” and that the celebration should include “Pomp and Parade…Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.”

On July 4th, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, which had been written mainly by Jefferson. Though the vote for actual independence took place on July 2nd, from then on, the 4th became the day that was celebrated as the birth of American independence.

Early Fourth of July Celebrations and Traditions

In the pre-Revolutionary years, colonists had held annual celebrations of the king’s birthday, which traditionally included the ringing of bells, bonfires, processions, and speechmaking. By contrast, during the summer of 1776, some colonists celebrated the birth of independence by holding mock funerals for King George III as a way of symbolizing the end of the monarchy’s hold on America and the triumph of liberty.

Festivities, including concerts, bonfires, parades, and the firing of cannons and muskets, usually accompanied the first public readings of the Declaration of Independence, beginning immediately after its adoption. Philadelphia held the first annual commemoration of independence on July 4, 1777, while Congress was still occupied with the ongoing war.

George Washington issued double rations of rum to all his soldiers to mark the anniversary of independence in 1778, and in 1781, several months before the key American victory at the Battle of Yorktown, Massachusetts became the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday.

After the Revolutionary War, Americans continued to commemorate Independence Day every year in celebrations that allowed the new nation’s emerging political leaders to address citizens and create a feeling of unity. By the last decade of the 18th century, the two major political parties—the Federalist Party and Democratic-Republicans—that had arisen began holding separate Fourth of July celebrations in many large cities.

Fourth of July Fireworks

The first fireworks were used as early as 200 BC. The tradition of setting off fireworks on the 4 of July began in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, during the first organized celebration of Independence Day. The ship’s cannon fired a 13-gun salute in honor of the 13 colonies. The Pennsylvania Evening Post reported: “at night,” there was a grand exhibition of fireworks (which began and concluded with thirteen rockets) on the Commons, and the city was beautifully illuminated.” The Sons of Liberty set off fireworks over Boston Common that night.

Fourth of July Becomes a Federal Holiday

The tradition of patriotic celebration became even more widespread after the War of 1812 when the United States faced Great Britain again. In 1870, the U.S. Congress made July 4th a federal holiday; in 1941, the provision was expanded to grant a paid holiday to all federal employees.

Over the years, the political importance of the holiday would decline, but Independence Day remained an important national holiday and a symbol of patriotism.

Falling in mid-summer, the Fourth of July has, since the late 19th century, become a major focus of leisure activities and a common occasion for family get-togethers, often involving fireworks and outdoor barbecues. The most common symbol of the holiday is the American flag, and a common musical accompaniment is “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States.”

Today, although we aren’t celebrating in any special way, we observe this special day with reverence and respect for our nation. Yes, there are issues in our country, as is seen in countries worldwide but many of us reflect on these special occasions with hope and prayers for better days to come.

Be well.

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

Last week I found this photo from when we walked to Petra in May 2013. I’d saved it in the wrong location, realizing it was never posted. These steps were much steeper than appearing in this photo. To see this horse gingerly tackle them in the scorching heat was both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring at the same time. For more, please click here.

Out and about today…More Tuscany photos…

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During our walk, we encounter this shrine with two water faucets running continuously for the use of the locals.

Today’s photos are from a post on this date, 2013, found here.

There’s not much going on here this week. This morning, when the house cleaner, Rafael, came to clean the house for the once-a-month-included cleaning, we headed out to the Publix grocery store, refueled the golf cart at Walmart, and made a quick trip to the liquor store for wine.

These steps were a lot steeper than they appear in the photos. We puffed and panted our way up.

We haven’t been doing sundowners much while staying in lately. We decided we didn’t need to do sundowners as often as we had in South Africa and have saved most of our cocktail hours for those nights we go out to dinner and a few occasional nights at the house.

Also, the cost of wine is much higher here than in South Africa, and although one bottle of wine lasts me three nights, the wines I like are about $15 per bottle, as opposed to the price we paid while we were in Marloth Park. I don’t see a need to spend $5 daily on wine. I’d instead not drink until the weekends when we go out since it’s $10 to $12 for a 5-ounce glass of wine in a restaurant.

We neared the ramp by climbing many steep steps.

I don’t mean to be a tightwad, but I monitor what I spend to keep our budget on track. It’s hard enough with the cost of groceries here. Each quick trip to Publix for a few extra items we didn’t order or couldn’t get in our weekly online Kroger order is at least $100. This adds up.

The BAR Ferrari, the local pub we stumbled across on our extensive walk in the neighborhood. The bar was in the “square,” a miniature version of various “squares” we walked in Venice, almost nothing like St. Mark’s.

Today, as we perused the aisles at the market, we were shocked by the price of any meat, whether chicken, beef, or pork, let alone the cost of fresh seafood, which is a shocker. We looked at a small 2.5-pound smoked ham, and it was $39. We can buy a similar-sized beef tenderloin in South Africa for half that cost, providing us with three dinners for the two of us.

Soon, we’ll visit this bar at happy hour. It didn’t appear that they carry Tom’s preferred beverage of choice, Courvoisier, but most assuredly, he’ll find an alternative, if only a beer.

Recently, with company coming for dinner, we purchased two t-bone steaks to cook at the house for $20 each! We won’t be doing that again. That’s ridiculous! We can buy two meals in a restaurant for that price. Sure, we spend more going out with a few drinks, taxes, and tips, but getting out for dinner a few times a week is an excellent way to connect with people and get out of the house.

The drive to Publix was pleasant today, even in the hot weather. It’s fun to get out in the golf cart. When he fueled it today, Tom only needed to add less than a gallon of gas. What a great way to get around!

Tom was the first to notice this pretty entrance, an operating hotel.

Speaking of the hot weather, it’s a scorcher again today. Right now, the temperature is 96F, 36C, with humidity at 47%, but the dew point is an uncomfortable 86. The highest recorded dew point was 95 on July 8, 2003, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on the Persian Gulf. That’s way more uncomfortable than what we’ve experienced in Africa.

While we were out and about today, I stopped in a spa to inquire about getting a pedicure before we leave on July 28. I asked about bringing my polish for two reasons; one, I’ll have the polish for any necessary touch ups; two, it’s more sanitary to use my own polish rather than the polish they use on so many other patrons.

Trying this path proved to be a dead end after a steep climb on irregular stone steps. Back down, we went to try again.

The manager told me they don’t allow people to bring their polish “for sanitary reasons.” That made no sense to me. Then, I asked if I could buy polish there and have the nail technician use the one I purchased. The answer was still “no.” They don’t sell polish there. Go figure.

Tom drove me to another nail salon where they didn’t care if I brought my polish or if I wanted to buy a new one from them for the technician to use. I booked the appointment for July 26, two days before we departed. The cost for the basic pedicure is surprisingly only $30. I expected it to be much more.

The new chaise lounges were on the veranda a few days after we asked if they had any chaise lounges. Later in the day, the sun was in a better position for a bit of sunning. Grazie, Lisa, and Luca.

Tonight, we’re having leftovers, and we purchased ingredients at Publix for tomorrow’s dinner, a favorite keto ground beef, and mushroom casserole with enough for three nights, to which we’ll add fresh green beans and a salad each evening. Then, on Friday, we’ll head out again.

That’s all for today, folks. For our family and friends in the US, have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July!

Be well.

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

Leaving the square, we began our climb back up, trying in vain, to find a less strenuous path for one of those nights after happy hour at the pub. For more photos, please click here.

Plans for the Fourth of July?…More Tuscany photos from ten years ago tooday…

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A pretty entrance to a home in Boveglio, Tuscany, Italy.

Today’s photos are from this date ten years ago at this post.

Since we’ve been out of the US for most of the past Fourth of July holidays, we haven’t really celebrated in the past almost 11 years. Once, I recall, we were in the US and had a barbecue at our son Greg’s home in Minnesota. After beginning our journey, as mentioned in prior posts, we don’t celebrate many holidays anymore.

Without a home of our own, we don’t put up US flags, and now, here in The Villages, the fireworks displays are too far away for us to reach by golf cart. We’d have to drive far to get back to the house amid tons of traffic in the dark. As a result, we have no particular plans to watch a fireworks display. We are OK with that.

The beginning of the steep walk downhill toward new discovery points in the neighborhood on a finally warm and sunny day.

Most of the friends we’ve made here are away for the long holiday weekend, seeing family members and friends outside of The Villages or who are like us; it’s no big deal whether we participate or not.

Last night, I had the worst night’s sleep in months. I was awake until 3:30 am, tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep. I did breathing and relaxation tips I’ve read online over the years. But, nothing I did let me drift off until that late hour. If I would have been able to sleep until 9:00 or 9:30 am, I’d have been OK. But, at 8:00 am, I was wide awake and decided to get up and get on with my day.

It was evident that the owners of this house had taken special care of an appealing well-kept exterior. The stone lasts for centuries.

Since we arrived here, on Sundays, we’ve been washing the bedding and remaking the bed. We hadn’t washed our own bedding since we were in Arizona in January 2020, before we left for India. Wow! That was a long time ago. Also, I usually make a special dinner on Sundays, perhaps something that takes a little longer to prepare.

Today, I’m making baby back pork ribs for Tom, enough for two nights, along with fried rice and salad, while I am making a shrimp and scallop stir fry for me, enough for two nights and a salad. I like ribs and will eat them occasionally, but it was easy to make a separate dish for me when we had one large slab, enough for Tom for two nights. This way, I won’t have to cook tomorrow, only make a fresh salad and heat our respective meals at dinnertime.

Often beads, vines, or ropes are used in the doorway of the front entrances, most likely for privacy during the day with an inner door to lock at night.

We had another fun evening out last night at the bar at City Fire. Before 7:00, we returned to our new favorite restaurant, Cody’s Original Roadhouse, for another excellent dinner. I ordered shrimp and steamed broccoli, which I had along with their delicious bottomless salad.

The statue we discovered is in the center of the square.

Tom ordered pulled pork (not on a bun) with mashed potatoes and ate salad. The waiter forgot to bring Tom the buns but didn’t ask for them when he had plenty to eat. By 8:30, we were on the road again to head home to stream another show on Starz, which we downloaded to watch the series we love, Outlander, but ended up watching a fantastic series, The Serpent Queen. We’re now hooked on that one too, and hopefully will find a few more series we like on the app.

After dinner, we’ll relax and stream both series until I get sleepy tonight and can make up for last night’s poor sleep.

Notice the year this house was built above the door. We were staying in a 300-year-old stone house in this neighborhood.

Sorry, we are so dull right now. This is what life would be like if we stopped traveling and lived somewhere in the US. We’re looking forward to being on the move again and have no plans to stop our journey unless health makes it an absolute necessity (which will happen at some point, a reality we accept).

May our family members and friends in the US have a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend.

Be well.

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

The view above us from the level parking deck I’d discovered a few days ago was as far as I’d ventured on my own, fearful of getting lost in the maze of narrow passageways. With Tom’s excellent sense of direction, continuing was easy. For more photos, please click here.

Fabulous night out…Finally found an excellent restaurant with good food…

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This was my delicious salad with eight grilled scallops grilled to perfection, without oil, and with sour cream for dressing on the side. I only used half of one of the little containers of sour cream.

With all the company and get-togethers we’ve had since we arrived in The Villages two months ago, we hadn’t gotten into a routine of our nights out with just the two of us. In Marloth Park, we went to Jabula on both Friday and Saturday nights and loved the routine of it. We always had a great evening, with good food and socializing with owners Dawn and Leon and the many patrons that arrived during the evening.

That scenario is challenging to duplicate. Instead, we’re now enjoying somewhat of a routine of going to Brownwood Paddock Square, the closest and most accessible town square for us in The Villages. The other squares are much further, and riding in the golf cart for the over 90 minutes round trip hasn’t appealed to us.

The atmosphere in Cody’s Original Roadhouse is cluttered but fun and festive.

In essence, the squares are very similar in their design. We’ve carefully perused the menus of all the restaurants in the three main village squares and concluded that Cody’s Original Roadhouse is the best restaurant for our tastes and my dietary restrictions.

Not only is the festive environment appealing to both of us, but the vast selection of menu options is particularly appealing. However, I am so enjoying their entree salads; it will be hard for me to select other options, especially after last night’s salad, as shown here, with eight decent-sized grilled scallops, were delicious.

Customers seemed to enjoy their food, as we did.

We started the evening at the bar at City Fire American Oven and Bar. We’ve dined there about three times and weren’t impressed with the options for my way of eating and Tom’s tastes. We decided we won’t eat there again, although the atmosphere indoors, seated at a booth in air-conditioned comfort with excellent service, is quite good.

This coming Wednesday, we’ll try again to go to bingo at City Fire at 3:00 pm. We wanted to go the past few weeks, but when it rained heavily each Wednesday, we decided not to chance it and drive the golf cart in the wind, rain, and lightning.

We lucked out and got a booth. We had a great time chatting, as always.

Last evening, while seated at the bar at City Fire, we met a lovely real estate agent, Poppy. We talked at length, and I explained that we’d like to do a story about real estate for sale in The Villages. We asked Poppy if she’d show us some houses enabling us to take photos and write about our observations in a post.

Tom couldn’t resist eating these warm squishy buns but wasn’t keen on the cinnamon-flavored and sweetened butter. A bottomless salad accompanies most entrees, but he only ate this portion of salad with his entree.

We also explained we were not interested in buying a house and our motives for looking at a few homes, and she was totally fine with this concept. After the Fourth of July holiday, next Tuesday, we’ll hopefully hear from her and set up a time to visit a few homes. Hopefully, she’ll contact me soon to set up an appointment.

We also chatted with a man whose wife passed away over a year ago and was going on his first date next Friday. We encouraged him to have a great time as he asked for a few pointers. I suggested he take off his wedding ring, but some may disagree with this idea. We hope to see John again before we leave and hear how his date went.

Tom ordered this chopped sirloin steak in a mushroom gravy with mashed potatoes. He thoroughly enjoyed it.

By 7:00 pm, we headed to dinner at Cody’s, and as mentioned above and shown in today’s photos, we had an excellent time, and by 9:00 pm, we were back at the house. They roll up the sidewalks by 10:00 pm in The Villages, with most bars and restaurants closing between 9 and 10 pm, even on the weekends.

We’re off again tonight for another evening out. We’ll see what Saturday night brings in The Villages.

Be well.

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

Today, on an exploring and invigorating walk, we found ourselves closer to the larger two clock towers for a better view of the cemetery on the church grounds. For more photos, please click here.