Happy Easter to those who observe…Also, the beginning of a memorable saga…

Posted by worldwide-admin on April 20, 2014 with 0 Comment

We spotted five stray cats hanging around this motorbike. The lanterns were for sale.

Our last Easter in Minnesota was in 2012. In a way, it feels as if it was many more than two years ago and in other ways, only yesterday.

As we post here each day, we purposely don’t discuss intimate details of our lives with our children and grandchildren in an effort to respect their privacy. Not doing so, in no way diminishes the love we feel for each and every one of our four adult children, their significant others, and our six grandchildren.

Many have asked, “How could you leave your family?” It wasn’t easy.

Stray cats seem to be comfortable around all the crowds and activities in the souk.

It was a decision wrought with a modicum of guilt, apprehension, and fear. How could it not be? Guilt for leaving them and apprehension and fear that they’d be angry at us for going away, so far away, unreachable at times. We understood that as we took this risk.

Tom and I, a blended family, both had children as teenagers. Our lives were not unlike the lives of other parents with grown children and grandchildren, filled with dreams and expectations on all sides, some fulfilled, some perhaps unrealistic.

I retired from my business in December of 2011. All of my life I’d dreamed of writing when I retired. With little fodder for writing, I allowed imaginary characters to run through my mind in hopes of someday writing a work of fiction.

This cat was black and grown, an interesting combination for a non-calico.

My life of retirement allowed little noteworthy action for a story with our lives so like the comfortable lives of many retirees worldwide. Who’d want to read about our medical appointments, dinners for family and friends, and occasional trips to Costco?

In January 2012, as the New Year began, one morning, Tom broached a topic we’d avoided with his retirement date looming on October 31, 2012, “What do you want to do when I retire?”

I looked at him, as we both sat in our comfy chairs in the family room asking, “What do you want to do?” our typical response to such a question, asking the other the same question. How familiar, eh?

He thought for a moment turning to me and said, “Why don’t we travel the world?” I was shocked. I never imagined this from him.

My response was simple and expected, “Let me do some research, do a spreadsheet, and see if it’s possible. I’ll have it ready in one week.”

And, I did. And one week later, we decided. On October 31, 2012, ten months later, we left our loved ones with heavy hearts, after selling and disposing of everything we owned, we left Minnesota. Leaving our head-scratching family behind, wondering how long it would be before we gave up and settle down, we left with a sense of excitement and adventure.

Sure, leaving them was hard and angst-ridden. And today, always a special holiday for all of us, we are reminded of how much we’re missing them and will continue to miss daily well into the future.

This black and white cat reminded me of a cat we had when my kids were young that had extra toes on all four feet, an anomaly seen in cats from time to time.

But, somehow, the missing them is a part of our lives that we embrace and accept. My oldest son lived away as an adult and has always been missed. This is not uncommon in today’s world. Many of our retired friends moved to warmer climates away from frosty Minnesota, leaving the family in their wake, to call, to Skype, to write.

Here we are, 18 months later, and feeling we have so much world left to see. The excitement coupled with the knowledge we’ve acquired through experience as we learn more each day has only spurred us on, to continue on.

The fodder? Ah, it’s grand! Although at times, our days are quiet and mundane as over this busy holiday weekend, too crowded in the souks to even venture out, we stay in our comfy riad with our delightful staff eager to make us one more appreciated meal which we’ll savor with gusto.

No, there won’t be a baked spiral sliced ham, green bean casserole, cheesy potatoes, fruit whippy, fluffy biscuits, and bunny rabbit cake for dessert. Instead, we’ll have plates and plates of vegetables, beef tagine (minus hot spices) with chips (fries), and local bread for Tom.

We’ll sit at the romantically lit dining room table served by three of the finest household staff in the land, grateful to our family for their acceptance of us living our dream, grateful for each other, grateful for our continuing health, and grateful that we had the courage to step outside the box to experience the “fodder” that makes writing here each day a rare gift indeed.
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Photo from one year ago today, April 20, 2013:

Here is the inside of our cabin on the Norwegian Epic one year ago. This cruise was the beginning of one of the most harrowing and exciting experiences in our lives when this mammoth top-heavy ship was caught in an outrageous storm at sea with 50 foot, 15.3-meter swells lasting non-stop for a full three days and nights. We almost had the ship to ourselves when neither of us was sick while many passengers and crew stayed in their cabins. We wrote here, we dined, we walked around the ship, although not allowed outdoors. More will follow on this storm in the next few days, perhaps with a video depicting the adventure. For details of the day, we boarded the Epic which was several days before the storm, please click here.

Much to do…Retirement isn’t a free lunch….Photos from dinner in the souk…

Posted by worldwide-admin on April 18, 2014 with 0 Comment

A complimentary bowl of spicy olives is served when dining at Arabe restaurant.

There’s never a day that passes that doesn’t require tasks related to our travels. In reality, it’s comparable to a full time job. Fortunately, we don’t mind doing most of the tasks. Although, it’s easy to lie in bed early in the morning thinking about everything that must be handled, we try not to make ourselves crazy or worried with the responsibility of accomplishing them.

The overlook to the shops below from Terrasse des Espices Restaurant.

Let’s face it. There’s no free lunch. We all have many tasks in our daily lives continuing well into retirement, if not until the end of our lives should we be so fortunate to be able to continue to do our own tasks.

For most of our readers, daily household tasks and maintenance preoccupy a good portion of each day. Add the responsibility of handling medical insurance, medications, health appointments, paying bills, grocery, and other shopping, visiting family and friends who are ill or in nursing homes, and entertaining family and friends, it is exhausting.

Complimentary bread sticks are provided at Arabe restaurant. The price of cocktails is high in Morocco, as much as US $10 per cocktail. As a result, Tom doesn’t bother to drink any alcohol. With us dining out three or four times per week, him not drinking could easily be saving us over US $100 per week.

Although we have eliminated some of the above items from our “to do” list, since we no longer have a home, we have other tasks to perform that replace them, mostly wrapped around our continuing travels.

In other words, being retired is not being “retired’ from anything other than going to an outside job each day. The perception that many younger still working people may have is that life is free and easy. Ha! It’s hardly the case.

A pigeon we spotted while dining on the rooftop. Their cooing sounds permeate the air in the riad each day, along with the crowing rooster who crows every 5 or 10 minutes.

Although at times I consider myself in the retired category, I am far from retired. I work half or more of each day with our website, writing, editing, taking photos, and generally being continually aware of the creation of the inspiration for the next story. That’s hardly retired. The fact that I enjoy doing so is incidental.

Add the financial management, record keeping and the daily task of handling of the budget, logging each penny spent, my days are full, leaving a little time for playing Gin with Tom, watching a few shows and of course, getting out to explore.

This is the usual crowd we must maneuver each time we go out to dine, get cash from an ATM, roam around the Big Square, or to exit the Medina in order flag get a taxi.

This morning I spent an hour placing our few pills into our pill cases. Tom’s case holds two weeks of pills. Mine holds four weeks. The end result is that I have to do pills every two weeks. Now, this should be an easy task. I take a few prescriptions and Tom takes one. Adding the few vitamins and probiotics we have left and it seems that it shouldn’t take so long.

But, as time has moved on, we’ve used all of our US prescriptions and are now into the one year’s supply of the those we’ve purchased from ProgressiveRX, a reputable online pharmacy company. (They don’t take insurance). Each pill they dispense is individually wrapped in foil requiring a huge amount of time to get each pill out of the right wrapping.

As we dined at Le Jardin, Mr. Turtle stopped by, hanging out for “crumb patrol.” Of course, we complied with his request for vegetable tidbits from our plates as he stared up at us, which he savored with delight, quickly snapping them up. He rested between bites at my feet.

Today, I unwrapped over 100 pills for the six weeks total of pills I placed collectively in the little cases. As I’ve aged, good grief, I’ve noticed my fingers are not as adept as they may have been 40 years ago. Small handiwork is not my forte.

Also, several years ago I had surgery on my right thumb and it’s basically useless. Try unwrapping those tight little tin foil packs when right-handed and the right thumb doesn’t work. What a time consuming ordeal.

Mr. Turtle and his companion, another male, scour the floor of the restaurant all day, as customers come and go. The staff feeds them their usual diet of fresh greens but they particularly seem to like the cooked vegetables from our plates.

After performing this task this morning, I thought, “Why don’t I unwrap them all and put them in the plastic bottles I saved from the old pills?” Simple reason. As we are stopped by airport or cruise security, we’ll fare better with them in the labeled foil packs than in the white plastic bottles I saved that I plan to toss before we leave Morocco.

This morning, I performed the pill task earlier than usual after being awakened at 5:00 am by the crowing rooster next door. He’s obviously going nuts now that its spring, continuing to crow throughout the day, until dark.

Fresh produce is offered for sale at Le Jardin including these pretty oranges.

Looming in our minds has been the car and flight we still need to book for leaving here in 27 days which invariably proves to be a lengthy process when making every effort to get a good deal. We postponed booking these two items as we considered the possibility of leaving a few days earlier. Now, that we’ve re-framed our thinking, we’re content to stay until our departure date of the 15th of May.

In addition, we still have four more family members to book for Hawaii as we continue to watch rates on a daily basis. We plan to have their bookings completed by the first week of May.

Notice the two buds growing behind the flower. Photo taken from a tree in Le Jardin a restaurant we’ve found that stays open at all hours.

Yesterday, we created a detailed spreadsheet listing all the places we’d like to visit in the next year including prices and details of possible cruises and the flights to travel to those locations, the cost of rent, rental cars, and other expenses. As a result, we created a budget for the next year. It feels great to have accomplished this task.

When realizing that the cost of our “wish list” was more than we’re comfortable spending, we knew that the next step in the process was to whittle it down to an acceptable level. That it itself is a time-consuming process. However, that business-related part of me still enjoys creating and updating spreadsheets. Good thing. It’s definitely not within Tom’s skill set or desire to learn.

A hand-carved head on display at Le Jardin.

Assigning tasks to each of us helps to avoid redundancy. At the moment, Tom is researching future travels while I document his research. This works well for us. I’m researching the remaining flights for our family, while Tom keeps checking our booked cruises for rate changes. (If prices drop, we get the benefit of the lowered price, if done so prior to 90 days before sailing).

As a result of the division of tasks, neither of us, ever feels there is an imbalance in responsibility, very important in keeping peace when together around the clock. Resentment over the balance of responsibility is often a source of disharmony in relationships which has never been an issue for us.

As I shot this photo of this parakeet in a cage at Le Jardin, she shook her tail feathers.

Without a doubt, I spend more time “working” each day as I write and post photos. But, the fact that it is a pleasant task, doesn’t make it feel as if it’s work.

As much as life for retirees may seem like a walk in the park, most of yours and our days are filled with tasks and responsibilities, none of which we can easily ignore or postpone.

This guy refused to awaken from his nap while I took these photos.

Maybe next time our hard-working, still working, family members or friends comment about the “easy” lives of retirement, they can ask us how we spend our days. Then, perhaps, they may realize it is not as simple or easy as it appears. Sadly, they eventually find out how difficult it is when we get so old that we can no longer perform our own tasks, and they have to take over.

It’s for all of the reasons we must grab at every moment we can, finding joy, pleasure and meaning in our lives. And, it’s for this very reason, that we find ourselves in Morocco in spring of 2014, living life to the fullest, the best way that we can.
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Photo from one year ago today, April 18, 2013:

Photo Tom took from our balcony at sunrise, as our ship made it’s way to Sam Juan, Puerto Rico where it spent the day. For details of this date, please click here.

Dinner in a cave?…Yep!…Last night we dined in a cave…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 15, 2013 with 4 Comments

I thought Tom looked great in this photo, but I reminded myself of Morticia wearing all black or, of the day in Abu Dhabi when we entered the famed White Mosque, requiring that I wore the black abaya in the 100+ degree weather while I was sick. I’ll never forget that day or, that photo which my sister Julie gets hysterical over every time she looks at it! (See the post in the archives for May 30, 2013).

As we continue on our mission of trying a different Diani Beach restaurant each Saturday night, we enjoyed on our second outing at the locally acclaimed Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant.

The ambiance, in a natural cave, was formed by the sea over 400,000 years ago while the restaurant itself is thought to be between 120 to 180 years old, renovated in the 1980s with the intent of maintaining its original integrity.

Standing at the top of the stairway leading down to the natural cave, we were able to look down at the bar below. Every effort was made to maintain the original integrity of this environment when it became a restaurant over 100 years ago, renovated in the 1980s

This was accomplished with the most finite details, using only a minimum of modern-day amenities such as; candles as opposed electricity; few electric wires discretely placed to allow for small fans for movement of the humid air as opposed to air conditioning; an open ceiling as nature had created allowing a view of the stars in the night sky while dining.

During dinner, Tom mentioned that it reminded him of a “man-made attraction one might find at Disneyland where the walls we made of molded resin as opposed to the natural stone.”

The lounge in the bar where we had our drinks while waiting for our table. The restaurant didn’t open until 7:30 pm with most diners not appearing until 8:30 or later. I guess us folks from the US are early diners. We’ve found that dinner is typically served at 8:00, often 9:00 pm as we travel the world.

Adding to the ease of making online reservations for dinner, Ali Barbour Cave Restaurant provides complimentary driver service to and from the restaurant. At promptly 7:00 pm, the driver arrived as we waited with the guard at the main gate to our complex.

As the older van pulled up, I asked, “Where are you from?” as a safety precaution. When Joseph replied, “Ali Barbour Cave Restaurant” my mind was at ease.

Another view the seating areas in the bar, depicting somewhat of a Moroccan theme, of which we’ll see plenty when we live in Marrakesh Morocco, a mere six months from now. My, how the time is flying by!

Based on the restaurant’s proximity to our home on Google Maps, I’d anticipated a short two or three-minute drive. Once on the dark, narrow, bumpy unlit road, as cars drive on the left side, I began to worry after more than 10 minutes had elapsed.

Joseph reassured me it was down the road a short distance. As we pulled into a narrower rocky unpaved, unmarked road, Tom and I squeezed each other’s hand, wondering why there was no sign on the road and where we were going.

View of the walls in the bar. All lighting in the walls and at the table was a result of candles, creating a warm atmosphere, romantic to say the least.

Later, when we left the restaurant, we noticed a glaring sign on the opposite side of the highway that we missed when turning in. Perhaps, we were foolish to give it a thought. But, living in Kenya one cannot be too cautious.

The seating across from us as we lounged on the love seat in the bar.

For the first time in our travels, with all the bumpy and scary roads we’ve traveled, last night was the first time I felt a little carsick. The weaving back and forth along the busy highway, the lack of air conditioning, the smell of toxic fires in the air, my stomach revolted in queasiness. Luckily, once we arrived, the feeling quickly passed.

To our surprise, no security was in place at the entrance to the restaurant, although a Maasai guard/greeter wearing traditional African red robes warmly welcomed us, graciously opening the car door and offering a hand to assist us out of the back seat.

The story about the cave. Excuse the flash. In the dark cave, it was unavoidable.

Upon entering the unique space, we both were instantly in awe of yet another of nature’s creations that humans had so carefully maintained.

The air, thick and humid, cooled by numerous quiet, well-hidden fans, took a few minutes to become adapted. After all, we were in a cave. I’d expected to find a few bats flying about or perhaps evidence of guano. There was no evidence of either.

In Kenya, living, and dining all of our meals outdoors, I feel sticky and grimy at all times. Also, the necessity of re-applying mosquito repellent (DEET free is working well, but requires reapplication every few hours) during all waking hours (we’re protected by the mosquito netting in bed) invariably attracts the soot and sand in the area at all times, only adding to the feeling of being dirty.

Showering every morning leaves me at my worst by the end of the day. With the water restrictions, we choose to only shower once a day. Having to dress in more “evening out” clothing as is typical in finer restaurants in the area (no shorts allowed), it’s difficult to make myself change into other clothing, as the mosquitoes are in a full frenzy around 6:30 pm each night.

Diners began to filter in around 8:00 pm, filling all tables by the time we were ready to leave around 9:45 pm. We’d be warned not to rush the servers for the check-in our travels. Many countries’ servers are accustomed to taking their time in delivering the bill. Most often, as is the case here in Kenya, tips are only allowed to be paid in cash, not added to the credit card slip. Of course, this requires us to keep adequate change on hand.

When staying in, we both change into our BugsAway clothing provided considerable protection from the mosquitoes except for exposed skin. Each night before dinner, I lather my arms, hands, and ankles with the stinky lotion.

Going out to dinner changes the entire scenario. With no BugsAway clothing acceptable for dining in finer restaurants to protect me, I have no alternative but to fully coat myself with the lotion before putting on the evening clothes.

Talk about feeling hot and sticky! Of course, I bring the lotion with us, often requiring an additional application during dinner, as the mosquitoes swarm around me.

This is the natural opening in the ceiling, allowing a view of the night sky. It would interesting to visit during the day to look down into the hole in the main dining area.

Perusing the dinner menu, we were at a loss as to what we’d order. With their chef familiar with gluten-free cooking, I felt reasonably at ease, especially after explaining that he need also consider my avoidance of sugar, grain, and starches.

Twice, the waitress came to our table graciously inquiring as to our readiness to order, and twice we still hadn’t decided. Tom, beef lover than he is, coupled with his finicky taste buds, ended up choosing double Fillet Mignon once again, one of which was veal with Bearnaise sauce and the other regular beef with a peppercorn sauce.

Only a few tables had guests when we entered the dining room around 7:45 pm. Within an hour, it was fully booked, mostly with non-English speaking tourists.

He didn’t find either of the sauces offensive in any manner but said the steak was less tender than he’d had the prior Saturday night at the Sails Restaurant at the Almanara Resort.

Compliments of the chef, we were both served this tangy GF marinated salad. Tom took one bite turning his serving over to me, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

My dinner was similar to a pesto cheesy chicken recipe I’d concocted while living in Italy using the fresh herbs from our patio garden. The portion at The Cave was small leaving me hungry after dinner. Upon returning home, I ate a large handful of Macadamia nuts, which took care of that issue.

The dining room extending beyond where we were seated.

Most likely, we were the oldest diners in the restaurant all evening. We noticed that the majority of the diners were younger couples, mostly in the late ’20s and ’30s. As we’d also observed in Italy when out and about, we seldom encountered any “old-timers” like us, causing us to wonder where all the retirees have gone for vacations or “ex-pat” living.

With the cost of living escalating in Kenya over the past several years and, with tourism down considerably, few retirees are making Kenya their home. Also, the negative press regarding the crime rate in Kenya has deterred many travelers from coming this way.

This was the view to my right as we sat at a cozy, not too small table against one of the walls. We always prefer a wall, table as opposed to one positioned in the center of the room.

Candlelight accentuates the natural holes in the cave, adding to the ambiance.

For my dinner, as shown, I ordered the Cheesy Chicken atop a pesto sauce, all gluten-free, with a side of sautéed vegetables. Tom, as always, scooted his vegetables onto my plate, a common occurrence due to his distaste for “green things.”

My dinner, Cheesy Chicken atop a pesto sauce was well seasoned and pleasing to the palate, although the serving size was small. Rather than a chicken breast, this serving was a small single thigh.

Realizing that my dinner may not satisfy my now ravenous appetite I’d considered a side salad. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a salad dressing befitting my way of eating (low or no sugar and gluten-free) plus, we assumed that the raw vegetables weren’t washed in purified water, adding to the risk of disease or illness.

Tom’s dinner of two small Filet Mignon, each with a different sauce. He was disappointed in his meal, having higher expectations after reading many five star reviews.

Would we recommend the Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant? Yes. The interesting and unusual atmosphere is well worth the visit, although we’d consider the food to be average. The service was flawless. Over the top!

Overall, including VAT tax, Tom’s two huge bottles of beer, my full liter of sparkling water, the service charge, tips for the servers, and the shuttle driver, we spent a total of US $68.09.

The stairway going up and out of Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant. Gee, we’ve gone up and down a number of stone stairs in these past months!

Currently, with taxes, we’re spending approximately US $40 per day for groceries. It’s certainly worth spending an extra US $28 for us to get out of our outdoor living room for an evening and to dine at the hands of a local chef.

Typical day in the life…

Posted by worldwide-admin on August 4, 2013 with 0 Comment

The blue in this photo is a small kiddy pool on the shared patio next door. We don’t use that area due to the plants surrounding it that seems to attract more wasps and bees than on either our private patio or veranda. By the way, we do not take photos of topless sunbathers, often seen lounging on this shared patio.

A number of our friends have asked, “What do you guys do all day?”

With no yard work, no major cleaning, no visitors, no dog to walk, no nearby store or health club, no family coming for breakfast or dinner, no cable TV, and no English speaking neighbors to chat within the yard, how in the world could we possibly keep from getting bored?

This is not exclusively our dilemma. Many retirees eventually move to a low maintenance lifestyle in warm climates far from family and friends, facing a similar situation.

While living in Scottsdale, Arizona from November 4 to January 1, 2013, we were entrenched in such a lifestyle.

Tom’s sisters and brothers-in-law were living only a half-hour away in Apache Junction Arizona as they did each year to escape Minnesota’s rough winters. Connecting with them each week or so was a respite from our daily flurry of activities as we prepared to leave the US.

Switching back and forth between two local restaurants for breakfast every few mornings, dining out for dinner each week, and occasionally attending a local comedy club created a pleasant break in our daily routine.

During that two month period in Arizona, we were busy preparing documents to enable us to leave the US for an extended period, learning to use our new digital devices, preparing our taxes, and spending a week in Henderson Nevada with family over Christmas. Actually, we visited Henderson on another occasion, to babysit our grand dog Monty while son Richard traveled out of town.

Without a doubt, it was a busy two months, not unlike the busy times spent with many of our retired friends who have condos in warm climates, living a rewarding and fulfilling life.

As for us living in Boveglio, it was a culture shock to realize no one and I mean no one speaks English. Not at the grocery store, not in the street, not a neighbor, not our landlords, not our cleaning lady, no one. Adapting to this reality has been challenging.

Much to my surprise, now when a person speaks to me in Italian I am able to decipher the gist of the conversation, although not able to translate word for word nor respond in other than a few Italian words I’ve managed to learn.

Today, I researched the word for “thick” in Google Translate. The butcher at the deli slices the bacon (US type) too thin, resulting in in cooking too quickly and well done. There are several options for “thick” in Italian: “spesso,” “denso,” “grosso.” We’ll see how it goes when we shop for groceries in the next few days when I attempt to explain the preferred thicker slicing of the bacon.

Two to three times per week someone rings our doorbell immediately speaking to me in Italian. (Tom refuses to answer the door, understanding less than my feeble attempt). They are either selling mops, brooms, and dustpans, frozen foods, looking for an address, looking for a person, or our kindly Santina, dropping off yet another bag filled with vegetables from her garden which we cook daily, never seeming to run out.

A few days ago, Tom and I chuckled over the fact that we’ve had more surprise visitors at the door in the past seven weeks since we’ve arrived in Boveglio, than we had in the prior seven years in our old lives, with each exchange challenging my language skills.

The point well-made: Not speaking Italian has had an enormous effect on the activities if our daily lives. So, how do we stay busy each day?

Here’s the rundown of our activities today. Tom’s day is similar spending more time online than I do. (I’d be curious to hear from others as to their daily activities. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re similar. Please do share).

7:30 am
Bolt out of bed. Turn on the coffee. Shower and dress for the day. Make the bed together.

8:00 am
Start a load of laundry. Then, drink coffee and fire up the laptop, checking in. Put away dried dishes from last night’s dinner. (In my old life, I never left a plate to dry in the sink overnight).

8:30 am
Make breakfast: sausages, bacon, and eggs. Eat breakfast.

9:00 am
Do dishes. Decide on dinner. Hand cut the cabbage and carrots for the coleslaw, a daily task. There’s no pre-cut coleslaw mix here. Cutting it fresh each day seems to add to its crunchy texture. Slice and dice any other veggies for dinner.

9:30 am
Removed all the food in the freezer stacking it in the kitchen sink to begin the process of defrosting the freezer for the third time since we’ve arrived. The freezer is tiny. We need every inch of space for our next shopping trip.

10:00 am
Tom poured the hot tea water into a pan, placing it in the freezer to aid in the defrosting process, repeating three times. Within a half-hour, the freezer was defrosted. I replaced the food, noting what we have on hand for the upcoming shopping trip.

10:30 am
Took the laundry out of the washer, starting another load of whites, hanging it outside on the patio (where the bees congregate). Quickly hung the laundry, in another successful attempt to avoid being stung.

11:00 pm
Made hot tea, taking it out to the veranda with my laptop in hand, to begin writing this post, while responding to email, etc. Continued to check the laundry. When the sweat started dripping off of me, I switched to iced tea, capping off the liter container. Used the remaining hot water in the coffee machine to make a new batch of iced tea.

11:30 am
Observed topless woman arranging her chaise lounge on the patio next door. Mentioned this to Tom. Using his monitor as a mirror, he checked it out to no avail. Turning around would have been tacky and obvious. I had a better vantage point.

11:56 pm
Heard twelve clangs of the clock tower next door, always four to five minutes early, repeating at 11:58. Removed the second load of laundry from the washer heading out to our patio to hang today’s final load. Finished making the pitcher of iced tea, chilling it in the fridge. Back to the veranda to work on my laptop.

1:00 pm
Laptop batteries were almost dead. Returned laptops to the kitchen table to recharge and began downloading TV shows and movies from Graboid for tonight’s viewing. Sat in the living room, playing Gin with Tom while English speaking international news program played in the background. He won.

2:30 pm
Laptop batteries recharged, Tom headed back to the veranda while I read my latest mystery novel on my smartphone while lounging on the lumpy 100-year-old sofa in the living room. It was 95 degrees and steamy yesterday. Today it was only 90 but steamy as a gentle breeze wafted from the living room window, the opening now covered with mosquito netting, keeping the bees and flies at bay.

4:30 pm
Tea time, a daily ritual, hot or not. Tom had already showered and returned to the veranda with his charged laptop. I brought in the now dry laundry from the patio while once again batted off the bees, folded everything, and put it all away.

5:45 pm
Begin final prep for our dinner, planned as usual for 7:00 pm. Yesterday, I prepared, but didn’t cook our dinner for tonight, a common practice with no microwave, making two night’s meals, cooking one each night for optimum freshness and enjoyment. Chopped more zucchini, to soon be cooked in olive oil with fresh garlic and herbs from the garden.

6:00 pm
Arranged the clean and dry tablecloth onto the kitchen table, setting our places for dinner: linen napkins, forks, and sharp knives.

6:15 pm
Mixed up the coleslaw dividing it into two batches and placed them back into the refrigerator to stay cold. Preheated the oven to bake the cheesy chicken/bacon roll-ups, a recipe I got off Facebook, which I modified with local ingredients. Chopped the sausage and onion for the stir fry side dish. Prepared the fresh green beans. It’s a good thing that Tom does the dishes with so many pots to wash. Good thing there are enough pots in which to cook.

6:30 pm
Put the chicken in the oven. Started the stir fry sausage and onions.

This is the pan of yet to be cooked bacon and pancetta-wrapped chicken scallopini (thin slices of chicken breasts pounded by the butcher) that I stuffed with seasoned ricotta cheese and chopped herbs from our private garden, wrapping them in in the two versions of “bacon,” Tom prefers regular US-style bacon and me, loving the thin-sliced pancetta. These cooked for 30 minutes at 375 degrees (180 centigrade). I topped this with an Italian pesto sauce I’d made using ingredients from the garden.

6:45 pm
Started the green beans. Reheated the zucchini. Tended to the stir fry as it cooked.

7:00 pm
Served dinner with each of us easily moving through the kitchen to fill our various plates with a wide array of food. Sat at the kitchen table eating our meal while watching a show, a favorite ritual when its just the two of us. Again tonight, we watched another episode of the current season of “America’s Got Talent.” More light entertainment we find to be rather humorous and entertaining.

7:45 pm
Having enjoyed our dinner with the show over, Tom washed the mountain of dishes while I cleaned off the table the stove, and the countertops.

8:15 pm
Set up my laptop in the living room in order for us to watch two shows tonight, the final first season’s episode of The Killing (AMC) as well as episode 5 of House of Cards (Netflix production). Positioned ourselves as comfortably as possible on the lumpy 100-year-old sofa.

9:45 pm
Finished watching the two shows. Downloaded from Graboid, there are no commercials reducing the actual viewing time. It’s at this time, I usually take my smartphone to bed to read until Tom comes to bed. (I read my downloaded ebooks on the same smartphone I’d dropped on the cement in March in Belize. Never having had the screen repaired due to the inconvenience of shipping it back and forth, I quickly read the first sentence at the top of the screen which was the most damaged area. Once past that first sentence, the remainder of the reading is a breeze.

11:30 pm
Tom came to bed, his smartphone in hand to read his book while I attempt to go to sleep. By midnight, he turns off his phone, lightly snoring a few minutes later.

12:00 am
Tossing and turning I struggled to find a comfortable spot for my still painful but improved right shoulder. Within a half-hour, blissful slumber overtakes me only to be interrupted by dreams of having to get up to go to “work,” driving in the snow, office politics, deadlines, trying to achieve the impossible, a true “frustration dream” often similarly repeated several times a week.

Does this mean I feel guilty about our simple life, our never boring routine? I don’t feel guilty, but I do still pinch myself every few days as many retirees may do, asking themselves, “Am I really free? Is it true that I don’t have to go back to work on Monday morning? May I now enjoy Sunday afternoons, angst-free, knowing that Mondays are just another “typical day in the life?

The tender took us to Mykonos, Greece…Pure heaven…Lots of photos!

Posted by worldwide-admin on June 10, 2013 with 1 Comment

Our MiFi is working again after the company Xcom Global gave it a hit from their San Diego, California location.

This is Mykonos! Oh, my!

Mykonos from the tender as we approached the dock.

Early this morning our ship maneuvered into the harbor of Mykonos, a virtual paradise of crisp white houses, similar in design, dotting the hillside of this historic and quaint Greek city.

Our first steps into Mykonos after stepping off the tender.

Island houses scattered about the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea follow suit in their pleasing design and mystery, making one long to enter any one of these to see what lies beyond the white facades.

Mykonos, as we walked along the shoreline.

Awakening at 5:45 this morning, we dashed to the window after hearing the roar of the thrusters and anchor as the ships locks it in position, a short distance from the shore, requiring us tourists to travel by tender to step foot on the land.

Gerry, Nicole and Tom outside this quaint little church.

At 9:00 am this morning, tender tickets in hand, we’ll meet our new friends from Canada, Nicole and Gerry, to share a day’s outing by bus and on foot, exploring the sites of this interesting area.

It was s crowded in this tiny church, I couldn’t straighten out my elbows in order to take a level shot.

Having seen photos of Mykonos over the years, our curiosity was peaked to visit this appealing area and, much to our delight, we will see more today. Ironically, since we left the US on January 3, 2013 our bucket list continues to grow, not diminish, as we hear more and more from other passenger extolling the virtues of a new place to visit.

The vendors along the boardwalk offered a wide array of fresh flowers and produce.

My current ‘song and dance” is Petra in Aqaba, Jordan and Tom continues with his passion for the Panama Canal which, up until Petra, was my favorite. The next few days could hold some treasures that possibly may top Petra for me. But Tom, I suspect, will stand firm on his #1 choice as we travel along.

Look at those “real tomatoes!” They invited squeezing, but I kept my hands to myself.

Last night we dined at the prearranged dinner in the Windows Dining Room, with the two other couples having the time of our lives. We’d met at the muster station drill on the first day, chatting on endlessly until the leader of the group hushed us to shut up.

Three of the four in their group are school teachers and for some reason they were determined to sit with us to pick our brains. Of course, we were flattered, almost embarrassed, to be so chosen for such “brain picking.” In any case, they all were fun to spend time with, each with their own interesting and unique story and perspective of life.

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

The water was crystal clear.

At the late end of our evening, four hours later, we commented how in essence, we all are very much alike, seeking fulfillment of our own hopes and expectations of how our latter years could and should be spent.

Amid the white everywhere on the island, the flowers offered a majestic backdrop.

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

Nicole and Gerry, our French speaking new friends from Montreal were delightful touring companions.

Here’s these crazy retirees traveling the world. My pockets were so full, I look fat! No longer do I carry a purse. Tom calls himself the “pack mule” since he always carries my overflow.

The common message: Feel free, doing what you love and fulfillment will come.

Tom referred to this little shop as “the Greek Victoria’s Secret!”

Shops and cafes lined the narrow stone walkways.

One narrow stone street after another. Narrow vehicles serviced the areas deliveries and trash pickup. It was impeccable everywhere.

Trinkets and souvenirs, not allowable in our tightly packed luggage, were in abundance in Mykonos, many passengers eagerly grabbing mementos of their travels.

At every turn a new view awaited us, as endless lines of passengers paraded past

From time to time we’ve seen artwork from Mykonos. Seeing it in person explained the charm this island has to artists worldwide.

Restaurants and cafes lined the boardwalk.

The streets were comparable to a maze, leading us to one more enticing view after another.

Stopping for a moment to rest, we looked up to behold this olive tree filled with bunches of ripe olives ready for brine.

Feeling unencumbered by “stuff” that binds one to a life that can by suffocating and restricting. Spreading one’s wings, however that may be: riding a Harley in your old age, sailing in a regatta, falling from the sky, living in a jungle far from civilization, learning to sculpt, or ballet dance may all offer the tranquility we all desire.

The windmills of Mykonos, close to the shore for ships to unload the grain.

Although all the buildings were white, many of the properties had colorful doors, roofs and window trim.

Churches were in abundance on this small island.

An occasional stop was relaxing after the steep walk up the hilly roads.

Is that a bread oven up on that roof? Ah, the days of home baked bread!

Stopping at a popular café for a cold beverage with Nicole and Gerry.

I wandered into the main part of the café to find a restroom, which required a walk through the busy kitchen.

In the kitchen I discovered shelves of prepared foods appealing to the palate.

Octopus? I’d eat that! Tom, not so much!

Prawns and what appear to be stuffed Portabello mushrooms.

Moving right along through the crowds didn’t diminish the quality of our experience.

Hand made fluffy scarfs.

A dirty faced kitty, among many stray cats wandering the streets.

It was difficult to resist some foot stomping as this musician played. “Oompah!”

A single home overlooking the sea. It would have been fun to go inside!

Our walk back to the area above where our tenders awaited the returning passengers.

As our tender pulled away from the dock to return us to the ship.

One last shot of Mykonos, a fine day to be had.

For us, we chose this life, however encumbered it may be at times, with its own weights and restrictions, ultimately leaving all decisions in our own hands. We know we’ve made the right decision.

Tomorrow morning we’ll arrive in Istanbul but we have yet to hear as to our safety in visiting this troubled city.

Stay tuned, we’ll be back with news.

A romantic day in Marseilles…Photos…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 4, 2013 with 0 Comment

Le Grand Hotel in Marseilles, France.

He went kicking and screaming. My dear husband Tom, not one to do lines, participate in group activities, ride on a bus with tourists or wander through crowded areas, tentatively agreed to go on an excursion with me to Marseilles, France.

Now a popular department store.

Had he chosen not to go, I would have gone on my own, determined not to miss seeing the second largest city in France’s southern coastal area.

Lifestyles of the rich and famous, an endless array of watercraft, some small and unassuming, others stunning and opulent, all a part of the resort atmosphere of the city of Marseilles.

No doubt, the prospect of being herded like cattle onto the bus was most annoying to him. But the bus was newer, air conditioned and surrounded with massive windows suitable for photo taking.

As we looked out at the island of the Count of Monte Christo, the tour guide explained that no such person actually existed. But tourists arrive from all over the world to see the supposed island of the fictional Count.

Packed in the narrow seats, we took off from the parking lot near the pier for a full afternoon of
experiencing the sights and sounds of the city of Marseilles. As mentioned yesterday, the cost for two for the excursion was $150 which included a 21% VAT (value added tax).

Historic church we zoomed past. Couldn’t get the name.

As we arrived at our first destination, the famous Palais de Longchamps, renowned opulent “water tower” (it didn’t resemble a water tower in any manner) Tom grumbled as we exited the bus, preferring to wait on the bus while I got off to enthusiastically take photos.

Palais de Longchamp is not a palace, instead a tribute to importance of the water supply in Marseilles. Please click here for historical significance.

Unfortunately, we only had 10 minutes at this site, preventing us from further exploration.

With only 10 minutes until we were required to return to the bus, he had a ready-made excuse to hurry me along. So impatient! I didn’t protest while doing exactly as I pleased, all the while ignoring his grumpy demeanor, which I’d learned to do long ago.

Sidewalk café where Tom ate his ice cream.

The selection of gelato was mouth watering.

I don’t fight. Nope, I won’t fight. I refuse to participate in the idle ranting of a grump. Have you ever caught anyone fighting when there is no audience? We don’t fight without a willing participant.

The gelato shop, Regal Glace Café was located on the Place Gabriel Peri, a quaint location down the road from massive marina. See Tom in the foreground enjoying his gelato as I took the photo.

So, long ago, I decided to be void of reaction to his occasional grumblings, knowing in a short time he’d lose interest and go back to his generally cheerful self.

Back on the bus, he mumbled under his breath, “Next time we stop, I’m not getting off the bus.”

“OK,” I calmly retorted, a smile on my face as I peered out the window at the wealth of beauty, a feast for the eyes, as we drove along the coast.

A short time later when we arrived at the Arche en Bord de Mer, I said “Excuse me, Honey,” as I unbuckled my seat belt in preparation for getting off the bus.

Tom happy in front of the Arch.

Me, equally happy that he is off the bus.

A kindly passenger on bus offered to take a photo of us together.

Immediately, he stood, extending his hand to me as we made our way down the steep steps of the bus together both grinning from ear to ear.

A little sandwich shop along the street.

Thus, our romantic day in Marseilles began leaving us with memories we’ll treasure forever.

Sycamore trees beginning to bloom as spring approaches. The weather was cool.

Whether it was a walk along the busy streets near the marina, Tom’s chocolate mint and coconut cream, gelato cone from a shop along the street where a purchase is required to use the restroom (always the case in France, so we learned), or again sitting at a minuscule table on the sidewalk watching passersby, we were in heaven.

Taking photos while the bus zipped along the winding road was difficult through the glass.

Marseilles, a city of great food, entertainment, art, interesting architecture, massive estates of the rich and famous, was made picturesque by it’s close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea.

Love this street sign!

With its seeming endless array of marinas, yachts, beaches, restaurants, bistros, coffee shops and patisseries along the coast, it was easy to become entrenched in the romanticism of this city of 850,000.

The narrow streets were a wealth of one interesting building after another. Marseilles is a very clean city, a delight to behold.

For us, the hustle and bustle of the city was a delight to behold as a visitor, but such a life would not appeal to us in the long term. We’re not “city people” preferring a more quiet lifestyle surrounded by nature and wildlife.

Taking this photo on foot, as we had an opportunity to walk the area, was the fastest moving 40 minutes of our lives.

Marseilles, although rich in character and style, was void of vegetation with a but a smattering of trees which most likely would be adorned with colorful flowers later in the season. It was still quite cool, the summer season soon to arrive. It’s temperate climate is comparable to California, adding to its draw for the affluent, tourists and retirees.

An old merry-go-round amid the office buildings and shop seemed perfectly in place in this charming city.

Our tour guide explained that a tiny two bedroom appartment near the coast would begin at no less than US $1.5 million, not necessarily affordable for most retirees.

Arriving back to the pier at 5:30 PM, we were practically floating on air from a glorious day in Marseilles. Now, I am as determined as ever that we’ll spend such a day (or more) in Paris sometime in the future.

Maybe then, he won’t go kicking and screaming as he recalls our memorable day in Marseilles.

Newspaper story about our adventure…

Posted by worldwide-admin on January 5, 2013 with 2 Comments

We’ve got press! The story below was published in the Chanhassen Villager and other western suburbs publications. Some of the facts aren’t accurate, such as Tom ha two sons and my having a son and daughter, when in fact, it is the opposite. Guess that’s how media works. We won’t fuss about the details.

The story hits the major points. Our readership has catapulted in the past few days since the story was published on January 3, 2013, the day we sailed on the Celebrity Century out of San Diego. Thanks to all of our current readers and our new readers for following us! Thanks to our wonderful friend Chere Bork who was highly instrumental in getting the story in the right hands and son Greg for finding the article and posting it.

Here’s the link to see the article in the paper. Please give it time to load.

http://www.chanvillager.com/news/chanhassen/former-chanhassen-couple-begins-worldwide-adventure/article_8d0eb428-7e2d-5a13-9bab-67e8737b8459.html?mode=story#.UOfAIiJv_II.gmail

Former Chanhassen couple begins worldwide adventure

Tom and Jess Lyman

Some folks don’t know what they’ll be doing in a week. The Lymans have plotted out their travel itinerary for the next 880 days. From left, Tom and Jess Lyman, formerly of Lake Minnewashta, and now, expats and world travelers.

Travel itinerary*

Posted: Thursday, January 3, 2013 5:06 pm | Updated: 8:15 am, Sat Dec 29, 2012.

By Unsie Zuege uzuege@swpub.com | 0 comments

Bon voyage. Today, Jan. 3, Tom and Jess Lyman, former Lake Minnewashta homeowners in Chanhassen, begin their worldwide wandering. They sail from San Diego today, go through the Panama Canal to Fort Lauderdale, then sail to Belize, then Africa, and Europe and beyond. They may be gone for five years or 10 years, depending on their health and other circumstances. They don’t plan to stop until they find the destination of their dreams or until one of them is tired of living out of a suitcase or just plain wants to stop.

The Lymans won’t be on the road constantly. Instead, they’ll use a series of cruises (already booked through 2015) to transport them to and from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, to South America, to Europe, to Africa, and then to Hawaii. In between they’ve booked rental homes where they’ll stay no less than one month and no longer than five months at a time. Their rentals include a condo in Dubai, a home in Tuscany, a beachside cottage in Kenya, a home in the Kruger National Park Reserve in South Africa, and a 16th-century stone house in Cajarc, France. They’ll plan on meeting their families on the Big Island in Hawaii for Christmas 2014 where they have a rental and plan to stay through March 31, 2015.

Looking toward retirement.

Nearly a year ago, as Tom Lyman looked forward to his retirement from Burlington Northern, Minneapolis, at the end of October 2012, he and Jess, his wife of 21 years, discussed what they might do once Tom retired. Jess had retired in 2010 after a career in real estate and professional management.

Tom is 60, Jess is 65. Each had been married before and divorced. When they met more than 20 years ago, they recognized kindred spirits and eventually married, blending their families. Tom has two adult sons. Jess has an adult son and daughter. Between the two, they have six grandchildren.

Like scores of other baby boomers, the Lymans considered renting a condo, townhome, or small home in Florida or Arizona in winter, spending their days golfing, socializing with similar snowbirds, relaxing, and enjoying a slower pace.

After 43 years working 14-hour days and enduring a daily two-hour commute, being able to spend more time at home with Jess and his genealogy hobby would be welcomed.

But as they talked, they realized that doing the same old, same old didn’t have much appeal. As a couple they’d spent most of their free time at their Lake Minnewashta home, working on home improvements and entertaining their circle of friends.

“It was time to step outside the box,” Jess said. “Tom and I had both married young and had children in our 20s. We always had to be responsible and our lives revolved around our families.”

Life change

As they looked at approaching retirement, they realized it would be more enjoyable if they were healthy. Although Jess was always slim and fit, she had chronic pain and had high blood sugar. Tom was 40 pounds overweight.

About a year and a half ago, the couple changed their diets to low carb, gluten-free, sugar-free, wheat-free, and starch-free. Tom lost 40 pounds and Jess’s chronic pain went away.

“We’re in good health now,” Jess said. “That was our goal, to be in good health in our retirement. I could not have done this three years ago. The food thing is such a big thing. We don’t eat any grains, not oatmeal, quinoa, any beans, corn, or rice. It literally changed our lives.”

Can we afford it?

While their bodies became healthier, they had to do a similar checkup on their finances.

Jess and Tom ran the numbers. How much would it cost to do the typical retiree thing? They created spreadsheets of their cost of living if they did the typical retirement community life. They estimated their costs for housing, food, clothing, entertainment, and utilities, dental, medical and prescriptions, household goods, car upkeep and maintenance, and everything else they could think of.

And then they compiled spreadsheets of the costs of traveling. The cost of staying in rental homes, not only in the States but in Europe and Africa, food, transportation, special insurance, passports, visas, technology to keep them wired and in touch with family and friends.

“Our baseline was, ‘How much would it cost to rent a condo in a warm climate? How much would we spend a month in retirement?’ That was our magic number,” Jess explained in a phone interview two weeks before their January departure. “Could we make our travel number match that number and not tap into Tom’s pension? We didn’t want to do this and get into financial jeopardy.”

After a lot of research, number-crunching, and Internet research, the numbers worked.

But it would mean a drastic change to their lifestyle. Instead of settling into a warm climate condo to call home base, the Lymans decided they’d travel, trying out different locations and seeing the world until one of them didn’t want to travel anymore. No home, no car, few possessions except what they could pack in six pieces of luggage.

World Wide Waftage

Jess describes herself as a detail person. How detailed? Visit the Lyman’s website called World Wide Waftage at http://worldwidewaftage.blogspot.com/

It’s the culmination of online research “eight hours a day, seven days a week,” Jess explained. Their website is organized into categories: Tom and Jess’s blog posts, itinerary, travel documents, medical issues, health insurance, travel costs, smart decisions, planning mistakes, Internet access, products they like, vacation houses, cruises, retirees, baby boomers, and senior concerns.

It’s so complete it prompted the question, “Are you going to write a book about how to plan for a trip around the world?”

“I’ve always wanted to write,” Jess said. “I always thought that when I retired that I would write. But I needed to find a vehicle to inspire me. So I decided to do a blog for our family and friends to avoid constantly emailing.”

In addition to the emotional preparations the couple is experiencing — saying goodbye to children and grandchildren, selling their home, having an estate sale and the reality of living out of six suitcases, Jess writes about all the small details necessary to make such a trip as worry-free and efficient as possible; details like getting wills and living wills written and into the hands of a trusted family member, doing taxes while out of the country, explaining why a second passport is necessary for the type of traveling they’re doing, questions to ask when buying a mobile phone for international use, arranging for a year’s worth of prescription meds, what to know about health insurance, getting Wi-Fi in remote parts of the world.

“When we planned our retirement and our plans to travel, we asked ourselves, ‘How well can we do this?’” Jess said. “It’s predicated by our health. If we get tired, we’ll stop.”

Getting familiar in a whole new world…

Posted by worldwide-admin on November 8, 2012 with 0 Comment

Thanks to our reader’s patience as we continue to work on our new look. Its a work in progress and we’ll continue to refine it as we move along.

Whew! These past five days in Scottsdale have been a whirlwind as we experience life outside of our familiar and well equipped past. We now realize how spoiled we’ve been as we try to adjust to our remaining 56 days in the US, living in our Scottsdale condo.

Here’s what conveniences we’re missing the most:
1. No TV in the kitchen: Intended to entertain me while I whittle away with the dullest knife on the planet, preparing our homemade gluten free, starch free, low carb, sugar free and grain free meals.
2. HBO and Showtime: We miss watching Boardwalk Empire, Dexter and Homeland and, being able to record shows for later viewing.
3. Finding my way around: I have no sense of direction. Unable to get a signal on Maps on my smart phone, anywhere in Scottsdale, I ended up driving around for 40 minutes looking for LA Fitness, my new temporary health club. Logical solution: Have Tom go out with me (love this!) or, send directions from my new Windows 8 laptop to my email on my phone. Tom doesn’t seem to have trouble finding his way around. What’s the deal??
4. Lack of gas stations: Apparently, Scottsdale doesn’t like the look of gas stations in its pristine neighborhoods. Tom misses his Super America “double coupon Tuesdays,” let alone being able to find a gas station. Prices are an average of $3.59 a gallon here as opposed to $3.29 a gallon we paid on our road trip.
5. Our comfy chairs: Nary a comfy chair in this condo, we both are nearly doubled over with aching backs. Add the “hard as nails bed” and we are definitely reminded that we’re senior citizens. (Ha! Living in Arizona to boot!)
6. Mail: When we rented this condo, it was explained that we would not be able to access the mailbox or receive packages. Prepared for the eventuality of this outside the US, we are dependent upon making any purchases in retail stores and by receiving our snail mail at our mailing service, located in Las Vegas, MailLink. In checking with the Scottsdale post office, they have a waiting list for PO boxes, another dilemma for retirees. It wasn’t worth the time or the money to set up a nearby mailing service for the short time we’re here. Expecting some checks in the mail, we are sending deposit slips and envelopes for the our Nevada mailing service to mail checks directly to our bank (our national bank provided us with deposit slips and pre-printed envelopes).

Here’s what we do like at this point:
1. Both retired at the same time: If we thought we were “glued at the hip” before Tom’s retirement, oh my. Look at us now. Retirement, no matter how much it’s filled with pleasant activities, is an adjustment for any couple. Luckily, our even tempers and relatively cheerful dispositions have made this transition fairly easy for us. Surely, from time to time, we’ll need to take a break from one another and we’ll manage to take it.
2. The weather: The past three days have been over 90 degrees. Much to our amazement its not uncomfortable. Dry heat. Nice. AC helps at night.
3. Close to everything: Five minutes to Costco. (It was a half hour drive in Minnesota). We’ve shopped there twice already, once to buy our two new Acer Windows 8 touch screen laptops and secondly, yesterday to purchase our two terabyte My Passport external hard drive (more on that later).
4. Restaurants: There are several dozen restaurants within a mile. In our old area, we’d have to drive for at least 25 minutes to get close to a dozen restaurants.
5. No mail: How nice it is to avoid rifling through stacks of garbage mail each day, mostly unsolicited advertising.
6. Less cleaning and laundry: Our prior home required an enormous amount of cleaning each day. This small one bedroom condo takes just minutes to clean. Sweeping the floor yesterday, I chuckled. It took a total of 60 seconds. Without Tom working on the railroad, our laundry is more than cut in half. Although I love doing laundry, this different has been instrumental in giving my bad shoulder a break, especially with Tom helping.

This morning, we walked to the Staples store (yes, Tom walked!) to return the external hard drive we purchased on Sunday after deciding it was too heavy for travel, replacing it with the lightweight, My Passport. (The price at Amazon.com was $179. At Costco we paid, $159.99 plus 9.5% Arizona Tax for a total of $175.19, still slightly less than any prices we saw online with tax, if applicable and shipping.

Yesterday morning at 8:30 am, we attended a Microsoft class for Windows 8 at the Microsoft store. Class, free. Beverages, free. Cost of 450 page instruction manual, free. Distance, two miles. Nice perk.

So, we’re settling in. We’re enjoying our busy days, time spent together and the ongoing challenge of our technological needs going forward. Next post, we’ll share what we accomplished thus far.

Thanks for “listening.”

Today’s the day! Happy Halloween…Off we go!

Posted by worldwide-admin on October 31, 2012 with 1 Comment

Tom went to work at 5:40 this morning for the last time after 42 years, to sign his final papers and get the traditional frosting laden train decorated cake.

In minute he’ll walk in the door of friend Karen’s home to begin the process of packing “way too much stuff” into his SUV and head to Scottsdale, Arizona to begin the first leg of our year’s long journey.

Most likely it will take an hour or two and we’ll be off. One third of the stuff we’re bringing on the road trip will be ditched when we leave the US in two months. Mostly, its includes some snacks, a few remnants we couldn’t part with for now, my tea pot, my Genius chopper, sugar free peanut butter, and four bottles of Courviosier he received as gifts at his party.

Tom just walked in the door, frustrated and angry that his last day on the BNSF railroad, after 42 years of hard work, was dismissed in a few ways. One, the usual jacket retirees receive on their last day was no where to be found and two, his departing cake had “Marty” written on it. One would think after all these years, they could get his name right! Marty! Good grief! (Poor Marty. He must have “Tom” on his cake!)

Ah, let it go my love. Your name “Tom,” was on your cake last Saturday night at your retirement party with over one hundred railroad guys and gals in attendance to celebrate YOU!

Now, its close to 1:00 PM. After nearly two hours, the car is loaded, the Kryptonite bike locks are entwined in the handles of the six suitcases, the over-sized black tablecloth covers it all and we’re just about ready to go.

Surprisingly everything fits, except for the cooler which I’ll keep on the floor near my feet. Whew! My bad shoulder is killing me but maybe, just maybe, the manual labor will be at a minimum over the next four days as we waft our way across half of our beautiful USA.

Goodbye, family. Goodbye, friends. Goodbye, Minnesota.

Hello, New Life… the life of two traditional baby boomers, aches and pains in tow, wrinkles and gray hair escalating by the minute, hearts filled with love, hope and anticipation, embarking on the journey of our lives. Stay tuned.

Car sold!…Seamless transaction…

Posted by worldwide-admin on October 7, 2012 with 0 Comment

In a 24 hour period from Thursday to Friday, I drove over 150 miles around town, meeting prospective buyers to finally sell my car. Slightly nervous about meeting strangers, I chose public parking lots, close to busy roads.

Tom suggested I turn over the keys to any prospective buyers to test drive it on their own rather than join them, better to have a stolen car than to be kidnapped! I agreed.

Listed on Craigslist for free, CarSoup for $9.95 for one month and Auto Trader for $20 for one month, I was delighted to notice an increase in activity when I placed the last online ad on Auto Trader, resulting in a sale only a day later. Had I known Auto Trader reached such a wide audience, I would have listed it there in the first place. Who knew?

The last car I’d sold several years ago was the result of an ad in CarSoup. This time, I didn’t have much time to be overly creative or frugal. With our high level of motivation I was determined to get the car sold as quickly as possible, leaving one more crucial task out of the way.

Oddly, it sold to a dealer, Patrick O’Conner/owner/dealer of a finance company, First Source Financial. Patrick had a potential customer on hand. My instincts told me that his buyer may have required “special financing” allowing him to resell it at a higher price than he paid me, a price with which I was satisfied. Win, win for everyone.

Treated with kid gloves, not only did I feel at ease throughout the transaction working with Patrick but also with his delightful assistant Jennifer, who was kind enough to drive me the long way home after I’d dropped off the car at his dealership on Friday.

It was an odd sensation when Jennifer left me at home. Looking out the window, I realized that for the first time in my adult life, I didn’t have a car of my own. For a moment I felt trapped, even lost. Tom’s long work days left me at home certainly with plenty to occupy my time over the next 17 days when we move to our friend’s home as the estate sale begins.

Suddenly, everything is moving quickly. While grocery shopping early in the morning before turning over the car, I carefully calculated each item that I purchased to ensure that it was “just the right amount” to last through our remaining days. I started saying goodbye to the staff of many years at our local grocery store, knowing that I may only be back one or two more times. How odd.

I’ve lived in this general area of the western suburbs of Minneapolis for the past 40 years, seemingly far away yet only 30 minutes to downtown. For years we used the same bank, the same library, the same State Farm office, the same drugstore, the same Target store, and the same post office.

On Tuesday, I sadly said goodbye to the staff at the post office while dropping off a package. Over the years I’ve come to know and appreciate each one of them for their kindness, their great service and for remembering me each time I entered their door.

We won’t be able to say goodbye to everyone. The time is flying by so quickly that I am now left wondering how everything will get done in time, let alone having time to see everyone to say goodbye. Now, with no car, I am dependent upon friends and loved ones coming here to say goodbye. Some will come, others will not. I accept this.

That which seems so huge and meaningful to each one of us is often, but a blip to others, as we all get caught up the whirlwind of our daily lives seeking a sense of achievement, of fulfillment and of responsibility.

I have no expectations other than to embark upon this adventure with an open heart and eager mind, to learn, to grow, to experience and of course, to share.

Not only will we share this life changing experience with one another, but with all of our readers who may in some small way find their own sense of discovery in the never-ending details, the not so professional looking photos, from the heartfelt perspective of two determined retirees as they travel about the world.