Search Results for: Minnesota state fair

In Tom’s own words, “Great day at the “MSRA Back to the ’50s” classic car show with son TJ at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds…

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TJ’s 1954 Buick Special next to his canopy set up at the Back to the ’50s annual event at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
Everything is set up under TJ’s canopy, including grill, chairs, coolers filled with food and beverages.

In Tom’s words:
Yesterday morning, after Jess dropped me off at the entrance gate to the Minnesota State Fair for the annual Minnesota Street Rod Association Back to the ’50s event, TJ met me to give me a participant’s button, so I didn’t have to pay the $12 entrance fee. 

Is this a Cadillac from the ’20s?

TJ’s classic car registration allows a number of guests to enter under his registration fee. He has a 1954 Buick Special and has shown it at this popular annual event over six or seven years.

Street rod, model unknown.

I was looking forward to spending quality time with TJ at this event. For TJ’s family, this is a weekend event with the show continuing over the weekend. Jayden (grandson), Sarah (TJ’s partner), and her parents were there as well.

1957 Ford Fairlane hardtop convertible.

Jess wanted to give TJ and I time alone together and was involved in her own busy day with granddaughter Madighan, spending the better part of the day with her. After I’ve dragged her (she says “willingly” for photos) to several classic car shows throughout the world, she was content to do her own thing for the day.

Unknown model, amphibious vehicle. Sorry about the blurry photos. I took all of them with my phone.

As soon as I entered the fairgrounds, TJ and I wandered to his designated area where he had two canopies set up, a portable gas grill, lawn chairs, a table, several coolers filled with beer, beverages, hamburgers, and hot dogs, and a variety of snacks and desserts.

Another pickup truck.

TJ and I spent three and a half to four hours walking around the fairgrounds, checking out the 12,000 registered cars, all of which were models previous to 1965. From time to time, we stopped back at his site for a beverage or bite to eat. 

1953 Mercury.  Tom’s brother-in-law Mike had one of these in the mid 50’s.

In total, I spent five hours at the event. It was a delightful time, especially having quality time with my son, TJ.  Thanks, TJ, for including me! Unfortunately, I never thought about taking photos of us during the event. 

GMC delivery van, year unknown.

Although the event continues over the weekend, we’re busy today attending my sister Margie’s 80th birthday party, starting at 2:00 pm at niece Paulette and husband Mark’s home in Ham Lake.

An old pickup truck, model, and year unknown.

At this event, we’ll have an opportunity to see more of the family members we’ve yet to see since our arrival almost one month ago. With time flying by quickly, this party is a good chance to catch up with more relatives.  No doubt, it will be another good time.

Chrysler or De Sota with a wooden canoe tied to the roof.
A late ’40s, or early ’50s Cadillac.

Jess had a busy day with granddaughter Madighan and transporting me back and forth to the State Fairgrounds. With road constructions and detours everywhere, getting in and out of the city takes hours to accomplish. 

Early ’30s street rod.
1955 Chevy Nomad.

I’m not the most enthusiastic guy in crazy traffic. Jess drove on the way back from the fairgrounds to the hotel during rush hour. I couldn’t help but be a “backseat driver.” But, Jess expects this and stayed calm and cheerful all the way back.

1957 Chevy Nomad.
1956 Chevy Nomad.

Jess says, “Thanks, Tom, for today’s contribution! We’ll be back tomorrow with photos from Margie’s party and…may all of our friends/readers have a fabulous weekend.

Photo from one year ago today, June 23, 2016:

Buffalos on the beach in Bali. Wow, we never stopped enjoying this daily scene! For more favorite Bali photos, please click here.

An afternoon at the fair…Marloth Park Honorary Rangers Winter Fair, that is!….

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At the entrance to the Marloth Park Honorary Rangers Winter Fair.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

This was a first…three warthogs sleeping in the yard, from left to right, Tusker, Little Wart Face, and Ms. Warthog, who the two boys were both interested in courting.

Yesterday, Saturday afternoon, we drove the short distance to Henk Van Rooyen Park located on the Crocodile River to attend the annual Marloth Park Honorary Rangers Winter Fair. We had no idea what to expect.
Each year the Honorary Rangers work hard to present this festive fundraiser and social event for the residents and visitors of Marloth Park. The entrance fee was a paltry ZAR 20 (US $1.46) per person, paid at the entrance gate.

Marloth Park Conservancy display with educational information about wildlife.

Once inside the gate, we didn’t have trouble finding a parking spot that had Tom concerned a few days before the event. He always worries about traffic and parking. It must be a “guy thing.” I never give either a thought. With attendees coming and going to the day-long event, it was easy to slide into a convenient spot without concern.

A display of a variety of plant and animals items.

Within moments of entering the fair, we started running into people we knew, which surprised and pleased us both. We knew we’d met many beautiful people in the past almost five months in Marloth Park, but until many were assembled at the public venue, we had no idea how many we’d come to know.

Many locally made handicrafts were offered for sale.

We purchased raffle tickets, played a game, and Tom enjoyed a big glass of beer for only ZAR 25 ($1.82).  Wandering by and stopping at many of the kiosks, we engaged in lively conversations with people we knew and many new people we met. We’re always amazed by how friendly the locals are here in the park. We’ve been made to feel so welcomed.

This lovely Honorary Ranger was equally friendly as all of the others we encountered at the fair.

It’s not always easy for local people to readily welcome strangers to their special place. Often, new people are left feeling like “outsiders,” but this has never been the case here.

Of course, there’s always jewelry for sale at fairs.

We realized that as of late, we’d posted a few “controversial” stories that could make particular residents uncomfortable. Never for a moment did we feel any strain or judgment from any participants at the event or otherwise.

A band played during the festivities.

Let’s face it, and this is a tiny town. There are currently 4355 properties in the park, including yet-to-be-built “stands” (lots or plots of land). These stats may be found at this demographics site here.

Picnic tables were available for those eating, drinking, or chatting.

In speaking with locals since we arrived on February 11th, we’ve heard that there may be less than 1000 property owners in the park at any given time. Of course, there are always several hundred tourists staying in holiday homes, such as us, although not necessarily for as long as we do.

Three of our friends were operating the beer kiosk from left to right in the center, Paul, John, and Sandra.

Many homeowners have homes in other locations, many right here in South Africa in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, and many other cities. Then, many homeowners from the Netherlands, the UK, and many other parts of the world.

Our friend Evan was selling soda and water.

Overall, most of the people we’ve met are native South Africans or have become residents/citizens of South Africa from other parts of the world. Oddly, as we’ve mentioned in prior posts, other than friends Kathy and Don, we’ve yet to meet any residents, property owners, or tourists from the US. 

There were several old telephones on the top shelf in this display, along with other antique-type items.

We assume few Americans here due to the long distance and the high cost to fly back and forth between any US state and Marloth Park. There aren’t many. As of today, the round trip fare to fly from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Nelspruit/Mpumalanga, South Africa, is (as of today’s best rate) is ZAR 38,441 (US $2800) per person, and the flight is over 34 hours. 

Handmade beaded wildlife characters.

Can you imagine how costly and time-consuming it would be for US citizens to fly back and forth to their “vacation/holiday” in Marloth Park three or four times a year? Few people choose this type of location for a second or third home due to these facts.

More jewelry…

We’ve yet to go to Kruger with all the holidaymakers here right now. I’ve seen a few videos from sightings in Kruger, and the cars were backed up on the tar road. As mentioned above, we prefer to go to Kruger when the traffic dies down a little. Perhaps, we’ll attempt sometime this week between planned social events or the following week.

Artist’s renditions of wildlife along with an array of skulls, horns, and tusks.

The “school holiday” for South Africans ends on July 17th. Then, there will be many more Europeans and others coming to Marloth for their summer holiday.  All of this should taper off by mid-August. By the time we return from Zambia on August 23rd, it should be quiet again in the park, at least until Christmas, when it is packed with tourists once again.

This was my favorite.  For ZAR 20 (US $1.46), a participant could pull one of the tangled strings to see which bottles they pulled as their prize.  We took two tries for ZAR 40 ($2.92).  See what I “won” in the photo below.

A special thank you to all Marlothians who’ve made us feel so welcomed in your magical place and, thanks to all of our readers for sharing it all with us!

Here’s what I won, a large bottle of tomato sauce and bottled water, both of which we’ll certainly use.

May your day be as bright and sunny as we expect ours to be.

 Photo from one year ago today, July 1, 2017:

Wayzata Bay is only a tiny portion of huge Lake Minnetonka with over 14,000 acres and 140 miles of shoreline where we boated for many years. For more details, please click here.

Sharing an interesting email from a loyal reader in Minnesota, USA…

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A furniture store with a shrine in the parking lot.

In yesterday’s post we mentioned, we’d received an email from a long time reader in Minnesota.  Shortly after we left Minnesota, a local publication wrote a story about our upcoming travels: Please click here to read the article.

From the publication of that article in our home town of Chanhassen, Minnesota, we gleaned a number of new readers, many who’ve continued to follow us to this day often writing to say hello and sharing precious morsels of local news along with their own personal stories and tidbits of information. 

Whenever hearing from readers anywhere in the world, it means so much to us. When communicating with readers from our own former small town, it adds a layer of heartwarming memories we’ll always treasure as is the case when most of us are reminded of favorite places we’ve lived throughout our lives.

From what we’ve seen so far, Thai architecture isn’t as distinct in local shops and buildings, although prevalent in the temples.

Over these past years we’ve been contacted by book publishers and a variety of publications inquiring as to our interest in further promoting our story. At this point, we have no interest in becoming “celebrities,” working the book signing circuit, being on talk shows, etc. That would totally change the nature of our experiences.

Others traveling the world in a similar manner; having no worldly possessions, no home to return to, no storage facility with “stuff,” and no plans to settle anywhere in the near future is becoming more and more common in today’s world as more and more people retire.

At various times we’ve heard from other retired couples (one as recently as a week ago) who’d made a decision to leave everything behind to travel for a designated period of time, later to settle in a location they find appealing where they’ll buy, build or rent a home after they’ve fulfilled their dream of world travel. 

Mom and Pop type grocers are found on almost every block.

Often, for Americans, they may choose warm climates such as Arizona or Florida or prefer states with no income tax (Federal tax still applies) such as Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. 
 
We surely understand why others eventually lose interest in continuing to travel over the long haul.  It’s not easy, especially as people age, with more and more medical issues cropping up over time.   Plus, some may find the nuances of continually traveling cumbersome and difficult over an extended period.

Certainly, we’re not exempt from these realities and undoubtedly at some point, we’ll have to make big changes. We have no delusions about this fact and have emotionally and financially prepared ourselves for this eventuality. However, at this point, we’ve only enhanced our desire to continue on, health providing.

Thai massage is known throughout the world for its healing benefits.  Unfortunately, message hasn’t been beneficial to my current condition.

Anyway, after getting off track here, I return to the email we received from a loyal long time reader that joined us after reading the above mentioned newspaper article. Over these years, she’s written to us a few times much to our pleasure. 

With such communication, meaning so much to us, we easily remember hearing from her and her husband, as we do for most readers who’ve taken the time to contact us.

Preferring to be anonymous, we avoid mentioning her name as she requested. (Many readers who comment online prefer anonymity). Here’s what our loyal reader wrote a few days ago after which I requested and received her permission to post a portion of her email message:

Public building in the background.  We weren’t able to read the sign written in the Thai language.

“Today’s post (see this link) gave me a nudge to connect with you. Several weeks ago, my husband and I drove past Grizzly’s, the restaurant near where you will be staying when you visit Minnesota next year. It reminded me of your writings about abandoning the RV idea and securing a location to stay when you will be back in Minnesota. 

Ever since then I’ve been thinking about your upcoming stay. I know that you will be very busy with family and friends, but I’m wondering if you would have room in your schedule to set a time when area folks who have “followed you” might get a chance to meet you just to say hello.  Even though we’ve never met I feel like I know you having followed your great adventures since the beginning.

I smiled when you again referenced Garage Logic today.  I shared that my husband is also a huge fan of Joe and the gang and we have had many laughs while listening to the show and their topics of the day. One of the things we do each year on our visit to the State Fair is to get a comfortable spot at the Garage Logic broadcast booth and just hang out for a lengthy period of time listening and observing the goings on as they banter and put the show together. It is indeed great fun.”
We couldn’t stop smiling after reading her thoughtful email. We giggled with delight over the prospect of meeting some of our readers living in Minnesota who’d consider making the trip to get together with us as a group to share our mutual stories, experiences and dreams of world travel.
ATMs and Seven Eleven stores are commonly found along the highways.
What a marvelous idea! This had never entered our minds, but as the time approaches, we’ll certainly make several announcements here on our site with a date, time and location for the future get together.
We’d love to hear feedback from our readers as to any suggestions they may have as to a good central location in the Twin Cities.  Most likely, a Friday or Saturday evening at a local restaurant will be ideal for most, perhaps even the above mentioned Grizzly’s by our loyal reader whom we thank for her thoughtful suggestion.
Surely during the six week period we’ll spend in Minnesota, we’ll find an evening that works. We’ll be back in touch with a date for next June, 2017 since we’ll be leaving MN shortly after the US holiday, the “4th of July” to head to Nevada for the next visit with family.
After narrow two lane roads in Bali, these wider roads in Phuket are easier to maneuver, especially with less traffic than in Bali.
If any of our readers are living in and near Las Vegas or Henderson, Nevada we’d be thrilled to get together with those of you interested during our three week stint in the state from July 7 to August 1, 2017.
Of course, this applies to any of our readers living anywhere in the world we may be visiting at any given time.  How wonderful it would be to meet some of you!

That’s our story for today, dear readers. As we’ve said, please don’t hesitate to contact us to say hello, share a story or express a dream you may have of stepping outside the box for a new experience, whatever that may be.

Have a dreamy day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 8, 2015:

We could easily envision a croc coming up and over this hill from the ocean to Deadman’s Gully in Cairns, Australia. For details of such an incident, please click here.

Today’s the day…It’s been a long wait…Test results to follow as soon as we know…

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Day #160 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…The frightening reality…
Walking down the street from our hotel in South Kensington, London.

Last night’s attempt at sleeping was fitful, filled with short naps and vivid dreams. As it turned out, I forgot to remind Tom to put “Do Not Disturb” on his phone, and every few hours, it beeped, waking me up when a message came in. Since he doesn’t hear the beeps with his impaired hearing and without his hearing aids while sleeping, he doesn’t notice.

But my sharp hearing picks up every little sound during the night, especially since I am a light sleeper. It was a long and uncomfortable night. I imagine that, with a bit of anxiety about today’s appointments flooding my thoughts when awake, I couldn’t find a way to escape them, regardless of how hard I tried to reframe my thinking.

When I got up this morning, I felt better and ready to tackle the realities of today, but going downstairs for a big breakfast in the restaurant was the last thing on my mind. Instead, Tom brought me decaf coffee from the complimentary service in the lobby. I ate one of my new favorite, very healthy protein bars, IQBar, which can be found at Amazon (please click our Amazon link on our site) and here.

These bars have the most healthy ingredients of any bars I’ve tried and are delicious, a perfect meal replacement or snack. That was all I needed today. The “My Chart” notes didn’t indicate that I’d need to fast for any blood test. I’m sure I’ll have many blood tests down the road, but not today.

Using the HDMI cord, we’re watching the “Garage Logic” podcast from the Minnesota State Fair on the TV monitor. It’s fun to see the guys at the fair. Had I not been having the breathing issue and needing a wheelchair, we certainly would have gone to the fair to see them. Joe continues to mention “the Traveling Lymans” every broadcast, five days a week, which always brings a smile to our faces.

At 11:00, we’ll call the front desk to have them order the Cleveland Clinic shuttle, which will take us to the building specified in “My Chart” for my first appointment. My last appointment is scheduled for 3:30 and lasts one hour. We should know something by the end of the day, but we are prepared that we won’t know much until the next round of tests, the dates for which are yet to be determined.

We should return to the hotel by 5:00 when we assemble a roast chicken dinner from the grocery order we placed yesterday. There will be enough chicken, rice, and salad for a few dinners. At that point, we’ll settle in for the evening and stream a few shows. Without a car, we would not be interested in going out for the evening.

That’s all we have today, folks. Soon, we’ll order the shuttle and be on our way. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, August 28, 2014:

Ah, my heart flipped at the sight of this warthog at the Museum of Natural History in South Kensington, Londo. The first time we had seen a warthog was in October in the Maasai Mara, Kenya, while on safari. Of course, later in South Africa, we joyfully saw them several times a day. Click here for the first time we saw a live warthog (scroll down the page. For more photos, please click here.

“Home Alone”…On the mend…

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A beautiful lily in the garden at our holiday home in Madeira.

This morning at 8:30, Tom left to go to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds to meet up with his kids, Tammy and TJ, to participate in the “Back to the 50’s Car Show,”  as described, “Back to the 50’s Weekend is celebrating their 50th annual event at the fairgrounds! Stop by for classic cars, some fair food favorites, and more!”

TJ has a “classic” car, as shown in the photo below. Tom last attended this event with TJ on June 24, 2017. We wrote about it in this post here.

TJ’s 1954 Buick Special was next to his canopy at the Back to the ’50s annual event at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.

It has rained almost every day since arriving in Minnesota in early May, and today is no exception. He’ll likely return before the next expected rainstorm around 2:00 or 3:00 pm. We’re scheduled to pick up our groceries at the local Cub Foods store when he returns.

We haven’t been scheduling delivered grocery orders at the Cub Foods store in Eden Prairie—the delivery cost here is $8.50 plus a tip, usually around $10. It makes no sense to pay $18.50 in extra charges when the grocery store is less than a mile from here. I place the order to be picked up at a specific time.

We drive up to one of the specific pickup parking spots, text our arrival to the number on the sign, and bring groceries to the car. They put together the order for the designated pickup time, so there is little waiting. It’s worth doing it this way, saving us almost $80 monthly instead of having the groceries delivered.

On another note, I am feeling better each day. My coughing has lessened in the past 48 hours since I started taking antibiotics and Prednisone. The only problem is that Prednisone has a severe impact on one’s ability to sleep. I’ve slept less than five hours the past two nights, making me sleepy during the day. But I make a point of not napping to possibly aid in sleeping better at night.

Taking the two tablets early in the morning is recommended, but doing so hasn’t helped. I only have to take them two more mornings until my five-day course ends.

As mentioned, we didn’t meet with Tom’s sister at Billy’s. In the afternoon, Tom drove to Chanhassen to pick up an online order for dinner from our favorite Chinese restaurant, Happy Garden. Their food is fresh and not overly processed. I ordered a dish with shrimp, chicken, scallops, veggies with sauce on the side, and pan-fried (not deep-fried) egg foo young, enough to last two nights.

Tom ordered his usual favorite, two orders of sweet and sour pork with fried rice, enough to last for two nights’ dinner. We’ll enjoy the delicious meals again this evening. We had a lovely evening streaming two shows on Apple TV, “Slow Horses,” a British spy MI6 spy thriller, and afterward, on Netflix, season two of Bridgerton, both of which we thoroughly enjoy.

As I continue to recover, we’ll do the same tonight. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I will feel well enough to make plans with family and get out and about. Tom is still coughing but is also considerably better than a week ago. He’s had the virus for two weeks, and it’s been one week for me.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 22, 2014:

An unusual type of cactus in Madeira. For more photos, please click here.

A delicious and entertaining dinner in Marloth Park…See “Sighting of the Day in the Bush”…Language barriers and adapting…

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For the first time, last night at Jabula Restaurant, we saw a Thick-Tailed Bushbaby. These are huge compared to the tiny bushbabies, the “Lesser Bushbaby,” which we see each night on the little stand where we place the little cup of fruity yogurt.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

From this site: “Thick-tailed Bushbabies have caused alarm for many visitors to the wilderness areas of Africa with their child-like screams during the night with some visitors complaining of child abuse among staff members at lodges. The Afrikaans name for bushbabies is nagapies which mean small night apes.”

Last night’s dinner at Jabula Lodge and Restaurant couldn’t have been more fun.  Sitting at the bar, Tom having his usual brandy and Sprite Zero on the rocks while I had my new favorite low alcohol red wine I’ve been enjoying lately (South Africa’s Four Cousins Skinny Red).

The environment at Jabula Restaurant is comfortable and inviting. We usually dine outdoors on the veranda, but we had fun with owners Dawn and Leon last night. We ate sitting at the bar for the first time.

This wine tastes great (now that I’ve acquired a taste for it), and with its low alcohol, low carb content with reduced tannins, it doesn’t cause the potential for aftereffects some of us suffer from when consuming a few glasses of red wine in an evening.

We both perused Jabula‘s expansive menu for quite a while as we sat at the bar, chatting back and forth with Dawn, Leon, and their assistant Lyn. The bar was packed when we arrived, while the locals enthusiastically watched a rugby game on the flat-screen TV, which ended, unfortunately, with South Africa losing to moans and groans in the audience.

The bar at Jabula Restaurant where Dawn and Leon chat with their guests.  It was an enjoyable evening.

Suddenly, we heard a commotion on the veranda. Guests dining outdoors had spotted a Thick-Tailed Bushbaby on the thatched roof. We’d heard a lot about these huge bushbabies but had yet to see one in our “garden” at night. I couldn’t grab the camera quickly enough and was thrilled to get these photos in the dark of night.

Speaking of “garden,” I will stop using the word “yard” in our posts. Here in Marloth Park and South Africa, they don’t use the word “yard” or “backyard” about their lot included with their home. Also, in South Africa, they don’t call a piece of land a “lot.” It’s called a “stand.”

Tom ordered Eisbein, a fried pork knuckle that is unbelievably delicious (I always take a few bites of this monstrous item).  We brought the bone home for the warthogs. They don’t like the meat, just the bone. Tom splurged and ordered the “chips.” The food and ambiance were exceptional as always.

Henceforth, when writing our posts and in speaking with others locally, we’ll use the local verbiage as a “garden” instead of a “yard” and of a “stand” instead of a “lot.”  We try to fit in. 

It’s bad enough that the locals have to speak English when around us when most native Caucasian South Africans speak the Afrikaans language. It amazes us how well they speak English as a second language, even in conjugating verbs and understanding slang and euphemisms.

But then, he splurged further and ordered a giant plate of fried onion rings. I didn’t complain. He eats healthy meals when I cook and splurges when we dine out.

As a result, we need to make every effort to blend in, not only in our behavior and interests but also in our acceptance of words they’ve incorporated in their use of the English language.

When we return to the US for a visit in nine and a half months, we can re-do our language to fit into the expectations of conversing in our native language.  There are always adjustments such as these when we live in a country for several months.

My grilled chicken breast, steamed spinach, and carrots.

And such was the case last night at Jabula. The bar, filled with locals, chatting to other locals in their Afrikaans language, never made us feel “left out” of the conversation. On a dime, any one of them would quickly revert to speaking English for our benefit.

But, this is how it is here in Marloth Park, friendly, open, and easy to make friends with. I should qualify this and state that not all locals in Marloth Park are from South Africa. Many homeowners here in the park are from many other parts of the world, including the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and other parts of Europe.

Tom gave me his salad which we ordered without the feta cheese when I no longer eat dairy products.

The only Americans we’ve met in Marloth are friends Kathy and Don.  Kathy grew up in California like me, and Don was born and raised in Kenya. They have homes in other parts of the world, including Hawaii and South Africa, spending part of the year here. Other than the two of them, we’ve yet to meet anyone here from the US.

Today is another perfect weather day, sunny, comfortably warm. After we upload the post, we’ll head out to see what we can find, again, hoping to spot the lioness. It will undoubtedly be a good day.

May you have a good day as well.

Photo from one year ago today, June 24, 2017:

Last year on this date, Tom and son TJ hung out together at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, where TJ had his 1954 Buick Special on display next to his canopy set-up at the “Back to the 50’s” annual event.  For more photos, please click here.

A children’s theater production…Shrek and company…Not so good dining experience…

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Madighan, Camille, and Maisie at The Stages Theater in Hopkins where the four of us saw a local production of Shrek.

By the time we uploaded yesterday’s post around noon, it was time for me to go back upstairs to our hotel room to change clothes and head to Greg’s home in St. Louis Park for a children’s theatre event.

Camille had purchased four tickets for us and Maisie and Madighan to see the new production of Shrek at the popular Stages Theatre in Hopkins, an often sought venture for kid celebrations and special events.

It was odd but the theatre didn’t have a parking lot in downtown Hopkins, a sleepy town known for its annual Raspberry Festival which my sons and I attended 40 years ago when we lived in nearby Minnetonka in the 1970’s.

“Hopkins Raspberry Festival

The Hopkins Raspberry Festival is an annual event in Hopkins. The Hopkins Raspberry Festival was founded in 1935 as a way to boost business during the Great Depression of the 1930s. A date of July 21 was chosen to hold the event to coincide with the peak of the raspberry-picking season. The festival now takes place the third weekend in July every year.
The Raspberry Festival is overseen by a board of directors supported by many additional volunteers and local civic organizations each year. Most of the volunteers return from year to year, with some being active for as many as 20 years. Since its inception, it has evolved into a dynamic community celebration with activities including music, sporting events, royalty coronations, craft fair, and parade.”

Hopkins, only consisting of four square miles (with a population around 18,000) is also known for it’s highly rated high school, low-priced movie theatre and of course, the Stages Theatre.

The Shrek production was well done with performers skillfully singing and dancing throughout the musical production. The storyline was light, as the case for most children’s productions and of course, it had a happy ending.

Madighan, Camille, and Maisie at the Stages Children’s Theater.

When the production ended, we made our way back to Greg and Camille’s home where I dropped them off, stopping to say hello again to Greg and Miles who was busy working on one of Greg’s vehicles. 

Back at the hotel around dinner time, Tom and I jumped back into the red SUV to head out to dinner to a restaurant where we’ve dined for no less than four prior occasions during this past month we’ve been in Minnesota. 

There were few diners on a Sunday evening in the now-familiar establishment. Waiting for a table for five or six minutes at the hostess stand, we wondered when we’d be served, noting many open booths and tables.

Asking for a booth, the hostess stated they were no available booths and yet, we had a clear view of two booths that only needed to be cleared. Tom pressed for a booth while I waited patiently curious to see how this situation would roll out. 

With an added level of insistence, Tom finally got the hostess to see we were serious about getting a booth.  Their wooden high-top chairs aren’t comfortable and we wanted a booth. Had there not been any available booths, of course, he wouldn’t have pressed the issue.

The small intimate theater was freezing in today’s cold weather.

The hostess finally agreed to clear one of the booth’s tables explaining we’d have to wait  for “several minutes.”  We waited quietly and finally were escorted to the booth, handed menus while graciously thanking the annoyed hostess. We rarely make any type of fuss in any types of venues but felt insistent in this particular case.

Each time we’ve dined at this restaurant, we’ve ordered the same items off the menu. Perusing the menu for other options, we still ended up ordering our usual items which had been perfect on all of our past visits. We waited for 30 minutes for the food to finally arrive. 

The restaurant continued to be quiet with few tables filled. Tom’s food was cold (obviously from sitting under the lights and not being served promptly and mine had the wrong type of meat and was missing items. 

I’d ordered the shredded beef for my chop salad and they brought a chunk of badly charred steak that was grossly overcooked. Waiting five minutes for the waitress to return to the table to explain our “issues,” she finally whisked away our plates, returning 10 minutes later with a new hotter dish for Tom.

Another view of Paulette and Mark’s beautifully landscaped lake property.

Again, my order was wrong. All they’d done was cut the burnt steak into tiny cubes and delivered it with the salad on a separate plate which I’d requested. There was no way I was going to eat those burnt little chunks of beef. Again, she returned my plate to the kitchen while I insisted Tom eat his meal before it got cold again.

Finally, my meal arrived but the salad was missing the avocado and bacon. I didn’t bother to mention this at that point. Since I don’t eat bottled dressings, I’d asked for sour cream when ordering. It still hadn’t been served. 

Again, I waited, this time for the sour cream which arrived in the tiniest of containers, way too small for the amount of lettuce in the bowl. It was comparable to putting one tablespoon of dressing on a huge salad.

At last, the waitress brought me a reasonable portion of sour cream. At this point, we’d had enough and I asked to see a manager. We waited for 10 minutes for her to arrive.  When she approached us, she immediately mentioned she was aware of our “issues” and was going to”comp” our dinner while apologizing profusely for the food and the service.

Paulette and Mark’s view of Ham Lake from their yard.

We appreciatively accepted her apology and the “comp” and finished our meals. Will we go back?  We’ve loved this restaurant on all of the prior occasions. We’ve agreed to give it another try but not on a Sunday when a lighter staff may have contributed to the problems with the food and service.

We haven’t mentioned the name of the restaurant since our comments aren’t intended as a bad review.  If all turns out well after our next visit to this establishment, we’ll write a good review. Why tarnish their reputation over one bad experience?

Today, Miles is with us for the day. Soon, Tom will pick up Sister Beth in Blaine to take her to the airport for her return flight to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was her second visit to Minneapolis since we arrived and was a surprise intended for Margie’s birthday party on Saturday night. 

The end of the day from Paulette and Mark’s yard in Ham Lake.

On Friday, while Tom attended the “Back to the 50s” event at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, I collected Sister Beth at the airport and drove her to Patty’s home in Blaine. I never mentioned it in Friday or Saturday’s post for fear of spoiling the surprise element.

That contributed to mine and Madighan’s driving time on Friday, including dropping Tom at the fairgrounds and picking him up later in the day during rush hour. She was quite the trooper when we spent nearly five hours in the red SUV.

Today, after Tom returns around 1:00 pm, we’re taking Miles fishing. It will be another pleasant and busy day.  We hope you have a good day as well!

Photo from one year ago today, June 26, 2016:

It was business as usual with Tom wearing a sarong as the required dress to enter the monkey temple. He had a hard time managing the steps. He just didn’t have the same experience as women who’ve worn long dresses, knowing when to hold up the hem for ease in walking. For the final figures as we wrapped up our first two-month stint in Bali, please click here.

Equipment failure…Shopping for upcoming shipment to Bali…

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A variety shop down the freeway.

Tommy’s smartphone died last night. Not the battery, only the phone. Kaput. Today I am going to contact Microsoft for a possible fix, but the message on the screen appears to indicate that it is everywhere. It’s almost two years old and although he only uses it for reading, its been an important device for him.

We tried installing my good battery which didn’t help and we were unable to bring up the home screen to reset the phone. This occurred last night, after coincidentally, we ordered a new battery for it yesterday, thinking that’s all it needed before it went belly-up. 

This is the Palm Breeze apartment rentals.  For prices and information, please click here considering that THB (Thai Baht) 1000 is equal to US $28.85.  To calculate various currency denominations, click here.

Once the error message appeared on the screen, long after placing the battery order and it had already been shipped, we decided a new phone may be on the agenda or, perhaps a Kindle Fire device which we’ll order online.

The new battery will work on my phone so it won’t be a total loss that we ordered it. It will be good to have a backup battery we can keep charged for travel days and also so I don’t run out of juice in the middle of the night when I’m online for hours when having trouble sleeping.

Restaurants are abundant serving popular local foods.

Over these past few weeks we’ve been in the process of ordering much needed supplies which we’ll have shipped to us in Bali in the upcoming month. We purchase most items using Amazon Prime with the link on our website receiving free shipping on most items sent to the US.

Our mailing service in Nevada receives all of the purchases, removes all the boxes and packing materials and ship everything to us in one big box. We usually request a three day shipping option, receiving the package within a week, even in the most remote areas of the world. 

Many signs indicate rooms for rent. There are many affordable places to live in Phuket. Many young travelers come here for water sports and adventure.

The cost of shipping is high, often hundreds of dollars, but what can we do when none of the items we purchase can be found or shipped locally based on the countries we visit?

What do we buy that can’t wait until we arrive in the US in nine months? We include such items as: Crystal Light Ice Tea; water shoes and underwear for Tom; a special travel sized neck pillow for me; sleep tee shirts and two swimsuits for me; a few vitamins (probiotics and B6 for Tom for kidney stone prevention) and so on. Today, we’ll add the reading device for Tom to include in this upcoming shipment to Bali.

Certain days, the traffic is light on the highway and others its bumper to bumper.

Ordering supplies such as these are a reality of our lives of travel. Besides the shipping costs, we’ll have to “negotiate” with customs in Bali over how much we’ll be required to pay in custom fees.  Generally, we’ve been able to keep these costs relatively low.

Our readers and family members occasionally send us links on how to “pack lighter.” We appreciate their good intentions. But, traveling with literally every physical item we own, is an entirely different scenario than a traveler packing for a trip. 

A variety of businesses line the highway with many laundry services as shown on the right.

We need the third checked bag to contain items such as the above, including all of our shoes (with only four pairs each), although clothing goes into our individual suitcases with electronics packed into Tom’s laptop backpack. 

Surely, we’ll have to toss some old clothes to make room for the new items which by the time we leave Bali won’t be a problem. Wearing the same items over and over does result in wear and tear, although we’re often surprised on the durability of some of our tee shirts and shorts.

We continue to see family, friends and readers enjoying time at the Minnesota State Fair, posting photos on Facebook. Thanks to everyone for sharing their photos. We’re happy to see you’re having a good time at the “Great Minnesota Get Together!” Tom didn’t like the traffic.  I didn’t eat the food. 

Have a fabulous last weekend in August!

Photo from one year ago today, August 28, 2015:

At the Great Barrier Reef, this semi-submersible had seats for 20. As shown, it was packed as tight as sardines, not good for those who may be claustrophobic. For more photos, please click here.

Earthquakes and aftershocks in Italy…Heartbreaking loss of life…Our own earthquake memories from the mountains in Italy…

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BBC news photo of earthquake rubble as rescuers search for victims of this week’s 6.2 earthquake. See details below.

Some of our readers may assume we’re so far away from civilization at times that we don’t hear what’s happening in other parts of the world. Without a TV in many locations, we’re still easily aware of world news from online announcements we receive and when reading online news and watching videos each day.

In most cases, we’re aware of news as readily as those in the more populated regions of the world with news available 24/7. The Internet also provided live video news feeds and broadcasts from around the world. Many who only watch news on TV may have never utilized online news. 

It’s as detailed and up-to-date as any broadcast news, keeping us well informed. However, local news feeds here in Phuket are behind some of the international reporting services throughout the world, as we’ve seen with the recent bombings.

The 300-year-old building we lived in during three months in Boveglio is near the clock tower in the top right in this photo. Certainly, none of these homes were earthquake proofed.

We were shocked and saddened to hear of the earthquakes in Italy that occurred on Wednesday (Thursday here) reported again this morning on BBC news, a source we often use:

“The 6.2-magnitude quake hit in the early hours of Wednesday, 100km (65 miles) northeast of Rome in mountainous central Italy.

The worst affected towns – Amatrice, Arquata, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto – are usually sparsely populated, but have been swelled by tourists visiting in summer, making estimates for the precise number missing difficult.

More than 200 people died in Amatrice alone, Ansa news agency reported.”

View from the living room window of other historic homes where we lived in Boveglio, Italy in the summer of 2013 where, we experienced a 5.2 earthquake without significant damage.

For today’s ongoing story of the earthquakes and aftershocks in Italy, including photos and videos, please click here.

We send our heartfelt sympathy and prayers for the families, friends, neighbors and tourists for those who lost their lives, for the rescue and healing of those injured and, for those hundreds, if not thousands of citizens who lost their homes, their livelihood and their sense of history and heritage as many historic buildings crumbled to the ground. 

Also, we pray for safety for the many rescuers who risk their own lives in the process. Many have traveled from around the globe to assist local rescue services.

In summer of 2013, we lived in a very similar village in Italy, in Boveglio, high in the mountains of Tuscany in a 300 year old stone house as shown in a few of today’s photos.

A short walk in the neighborhood where every building was old and most likely not earthquake proof.

Only four days after we arrived in Boveglio, Italy, we experienced a 5.2 earthquake in the region described as follows on our site with seismology statistics we’d discovered at the time Please click here for details.

For our story of the experience, please click here for our post of June 21, 2013.  For Tom, it was the first time he’d felt an earthquake described in that post:

“Halfway through writing our blog today, we experienced a 5.2 earthquake as we sat on the veranda.  Having grown up in southern California, this was a familiar sensation for me, although  it was Tom’s first experience.  We reminded ourselves as we ran for cover, that we are in an over 300-year-old stone house, most likely the safest place to be. Wow! The adventures never cease to amaze us!”

Little did we realize at the time that the 300-year-old building didn’t provide us with a safe place to be during an earthquake described in the above BBC news story. Apparently, many of the historic buildings provided no safety for the residents and tourists of the above listed villages devastated in this week’s 6.2 quake. 

Apparently, many are angry and frustrated that building codes didn’t require “earthquake proofing” of the old buildings. Sadly, for many of the owners, had such requirements been imposed by regulatory agencies, they’d have been unable to afford the costly upgrades.

It was required, we walk up this steep set of stone steps to gain access to the living quarters of the 300 year old stone house in which we lived for three months.  To hang laundry we had to maneuver these steps to the ledge shown on the left to get on the veranda, a very tricky and dangerous proposition.  Can you imagine trying to escape during an earthquake?  Most likely, many of those trapped under the rubble were faced with similar scenarios.

This is sad news. Should one wonder if further investigation isn’t necessary when staying for long periods in historic buildings or in living in high risk areas where crime is rampant or with a high risk of many types of natural disasters?

Good grief, we could go nuts trying to avoid what appears to be transpiring throughout the world. No place on the planet is exempt from some sort of risk or another. Undoubtedly, risks may be higher in certain areas which we attempt to avoid. But many seemingly safe regions present their own versions of risk.

We can only continue to book venues and locations considering many aspects of safety. Honestly, other than avoiding high risk areas of civil and political unrest, we continue researching our next leg of our itinerary. 

At this point, booked through March 18, 2018, we’ve decided to wait to add onto our itinerary until we arrive in Tasmania in December, 2016.  While there for three months, we’ll have a good WiFi signal and be able to concentrate on the future. It is during this research period that we’ll have an opportunity to study a variety of risks for each new location.

From the road below in the mountainous area, we took this photo of neighboring houses.

As an aside: As we prepare today’s post, for the sake of our Minnesota readers, Tom is listening to Garage Logic on KSTP 1500 radio, broadcasting from the Minnesota State Fair which opened yesterday. Over the remaining five days in Phuket with a good WiFi signal, we’ll be listening to the two-hour show (which is on live weekdays only, but can be listened to at any time via saved podcasts on the website) including another few hours of Sports Talk.

For our readers who aren’t able to attend their local, state fairs, most states and counties broadcast information and stories on similar radio shows that can be found online and listened to via a podcast. If you need help finding such a broadcast for your state fair, please write to us and we’ll try to help you find the link.

Enjoy the day and be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 25, 2015:

We were shocked to see the reasonable price on this exquisite flower arrangement at only AUD 20, USD $14.20 at the farmers market in Cairns, Australia.  For more photos, please click here. 

Happy New Year!…Do we make resolutions? Do you?..Acceptance of aging in today’s world…

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Riverfront property in the neighborhood.

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Tom explained the only resolution he ever made years ago was to quit smoking, which lasted for eight months when he purchased a pack of cigarettes at the Minnesota State Fair the following summer. He no longer smokes.

My resolutions of the past were always the same, common with many women and men; lose weight, exercise more, or smarter. I always worked out but never understood why I didn’t lose 10, 20 pounds, or more as shown in yesterday’s photo.

Now summer in Fiji, more and more flowers have begun to bloom.

I never understood why working out 90 minutes at least five times a week had no apparent bearing on improving my health other than strength and cardiovascular endurance, until 2011 when I changed to my current way of eating. I’d already lost about 50 pounds in 2004 and kept it off for seven years through a very difficult-to-follow, low calorie, low-fat diet. 

But, why didn’t my blood lipids improve on a low calorie, low-fat 1400 calories a day diet?  It was only after I began this low carb, high fat, grain, sugar, and starch-free way of eating in August, 2011 that my lipids greatly improved along with my health. 

Pretty blooms in the neighborhood on one of our walks on a few less rainy days.

From 2011 on, I no longer had to count calories and monitor how much I consumed by eating only to satiety.  My ravenous hunger was gone along with years of pain and disability, enabling us to travel. 

Basically, I eat food in its natural state; grass-fed, free-range, organic, without grains, sugar, starch, and chemicals. (Although I’m able to consume small amounts of full-fat dairy; quality cheeses, real cream, sour cream, cream cheese and, yogurt without additives, sugar, and fruit).

Modern house in the neighborhood with a name of its own.

With Tom following along in this way of eating, now at his lowest weight in many years, not smoking, and feeling healthier than ever, he doesn’t feel compelled to adopt any new resolutions to tackle. He’ll eat what he likes on the upcoming cruise and once we settle again, he’ll return to our healthy diet. (I maintain each of my food restrictions while on cruises with the help of the usual conscientious chef and other staff, never experiencing too many obstacles).

As a result, we can’t think of a lot of resolutions we feel compelled to make in this new year. Sure, we all have personality flaws and areas in our emotional lives that could prompt thoughts of a resolution. 

Several times we’ve walked along to road, beside the local golf course.

When one is happy and enjoying good health, it’s difficult to muster the motivation to make any major life changes. Are we cocky? Not necessarily. We’re simply content.

It’s ironic how as we’ve aged, we’ve learned a few basic life principles that may have been instrumental in easing many of the realities of aging and adding to our level of happiness:
1. We don’t need to analyze everything
2. What we perceive others may say about us may stem from their own experiences
3. We have choices we can make for our own happiness which others may perceive as selfish and that’s about them, not us.
4. Life is shorter than we imagined so live every moment to the fullest 
5. Physical signs of aging can be minimized with good health. But gravity is more powerful than anything we may try to do in an attempt to postpone it, so accept it with grace and dignity.

One of the green on the golf course.

6. Avoid disharmony. Baloney…that “stuffing it” is bad for one’s psyche. Doing so gives us an opportunity to think over the situation later in a calm manner and if one can put aside ego and apologize, accept and rewarm the relationship, harmony and happiness is retained. No snipping! We’d bite our tongues before being snippy at one another.  Ignore grumpiness rather than get involved in it.
7.  Avoid stressful situations by planning ahead as much as possible. When unexpected situations arise, breathe, think and come up with a mutually agreeable solution.
8.  Don’t worry in the middle of the night. Everything is easier during the day when we have an opportunity to work on a solution. (It’s only been in the last year that I’ve learned to do this and am still working on it after considerable improvement).
9.  Take risks and stretch ourselves while making safety and health the first priority. Fear is good when it protects us, not so good when it’s irrational and immobilizes us.
10.  Appreciate, be humble, thank your God or higher power every day. Pray, as well as take action, for the things we want to achieve.

The road along the golf course.

The above may not apply to everyone although we’ve found these ten points to highly contribute to our sense of well-being making us grateful and fulfilled while making these the best years of our lives. 

None of the above has anything to do with traveling and exploring the world and everything to do with exploring and developing our own personal growth and horizons.  We’re never too old to grow and learn. 

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s New Year’s day here in the South Pacific; very hot and humid with pouring rain. In three days the journey continues…


Photo from one year ago today, January 1, 2015:

Raging sea with heavy mist on this date one a year ago on the Big Island of Hawai’i. For more photos, please click here.