The reality of a paper-free lifestyle… Check out last year’s photo of Tom at the Cu Chi Tunnel in Vietnam…

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Our new Brother color scanner we purchased to replace the five-year-old Doxie model we used in the past.

When we first began traveling the world, we’d already been working toward becoming as paperless as possible in our old lives. As a result, no spot in our house had stacks of papers waiting to be handled.

In part, I suppose becoming paperless was due to my somewhat compulsive desire to avoid clutter in our surroundings. But, as it turned out, this bit of obsessiveness proved helpful when it became pertinent for us to avoid carrying papers in our luggage, adding to the weight.

Long ago, we’d chosen to receive everything we could online.  Once we decided to travel the world, we excited the process by ridding ourselves of all junk snail mail and spent weeks scanning photos, important documents, certificates, and anything else we may need along the way.

Subsequently, we don’t receive more than a dozen or so pieces of snail mail each year at our mailing service in Las Vegas and only receive packages for items we need to refill our supplies inventory.

As a result of this decision, we needed to carry a portable scanner with us. In this process, we also decided not to print cruise documents, boarding passes, and other travel-related confirmations when we so easily can present them on our phones after we’ve extracted them from our travel sites and those arriving by email.

This bag is filled with receipts we need to scan in the next few days.

When we first began our travels, we’d purchased a portable printer.  But, within a few years, it quit working. We decided we could live without a printer if we became more diligent about keeping all necessary documents on our phones to display appropriately. In addition, carrying the difficult-to-handle rolled paper was weighty and inconvenient.

Since we keep copies of all potentially tax-deductible receipts, having a scanner proved to be a must. Some may use their phones or cameras to take photos of receipts, but we’ve found the image clearer and more manageable when we can slip it through a paper feeder in a scanner. For example, if the receipt is wrinkled, we slip it inside a clear plastic sheet and then feed it into the scanner.

When our most recent Doxie portable scanner died while we were n Minnesota, we ordered a  Brother DS-620 Mobile Color Page Scanner for $85.99 with free Prime shipping.  For some odd reason, Amazon notified us that it had been lost in the mail, gave us a refund, and ordered it again.  It arrived two days later.

When I looked up the scanner this morning for the above link, I discovered the price had gone up to $10 since we purchased it about 10 days ago. I suppose it pays to keep an eye on such items for a few days to check for price changes. In our case, we needed it right away.

For those less than savvy computer folks out there, setting up a scanner to work with a computer can be tricky. It took me about 20 minutes of monkeying around to install the software and get it working. When Tom tried to do the same on his laptop, I helped. It was very tricky.

Also, an important note for iPad, Apple, Kindle, and other product users; A USB plug-in on your device is a must to use such a device.  There may be some Bluetooth scanners out there, but we never have a shortage of USB outlets as PC users. 

Box of photos we’re scanning today.

Plus, the necessary software is on a CD. We hadn’t used a CD on our laptops in so long; I’d forgotten we had the drive. Sure, the necessary software could be downloaded online, but this also may be cumbersome for less adept users.

Once I downloaded the software and got the scanner working properly, I immediately followed the instructions to “register the product” for the one-year warranty. 

Much to my shock, Brother tried to “get me” to sign up for a monthly $3.95 fee to store my scanned items on their cloud or, if I preferred, they had a one-time $9.95 fee to download a storage file on my device. Of course, I didn’t fall prey to such “trickery” in trying to get me to “buy more” since we each have our own cloud storage. 

Also, all the files are automatically stored in the “Pictures” file and can be moved to the desktop on any named file if one prefers. We each did both… I made a file in the cloud and kept a local copy for easy access at any time.

Beginning today, since I visited Susan yesterday, and we’re staying in today until our Meet & Greet tonight at 5:00 pm at The Elephant Bar in The District in Green Valley Ranch, I’ll begin scanning the massive bag of receipts, documents, and photos we found in the bins we’d left in Richard’s garage. 

Once we’ve scanned everything, we can toss it all, and when we leave Henderson in 11 days, we’ll do so with nary a personal item of ours left behind in Richard’s garage.

The scanner weighs less than one pound, and although we didn’t bother to purchase the carrying case (more weight), we’ll wrap it in clothing for safe traveling.

A scanner isn’t for everyone, based on our above comments. But, should you be in a situation similar to ours or don’t like paper clutter in your home and surroundings, you may find it valuable and worth the few minutes required to figure it all out. Again, free tech service is readily available by phone for those needing assistance.

With lower temperatures today, with a high of only 104F (40C), we plan to spend some time outdoors and in the pool. With such high heat since we arrived two weeks ago today, it will feel good to be outside today.

Have a great day, and we’ll be back with you soon!

Photo from one year ago today, July 21, 2016:

It’s hard to believe that Tom managed to climb out of the tiny opening at Cu Chi Tunnel in Vietnam. I was scared he’d be stuck after all the carbs he ate on the two-week cruise. But, instead, everyone in our group cheered when he made it out! For more photos of our visit to the Cu Chi Tunnel, please click here.

An amazing find for low carb enthusiasts!!! …Heavenly addition to the menu…

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These homemade hamburger buns (recipe is shown below) are huge enough to hold a 6 to 8-ounce patty with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onion or other items added.  They’re delicious!

It’s been a long time since we’ve posted a new recipe. To keep the discussion on cooking and food to a minimum, I purposely avoided posting many recipes over the past few years when Tom suggested it may be tedious for those who don’t cook much or enjoy spending time in the kitchen.

As we’ve discovered over these past years of world travel, many don’t often cook or, in many cases, may reheat time-saving prepared foods they may purchase at markets or restaurants to bring home for the evening’s meal. There are viable options in this area in most cities.

In more remote areas, cooking becomes necessary with fewer options in the markets and less availability of already prepared meals, unless frozen. In some parts of the world, frozen meats and vegetables are a staple for those acquiring their foods from the small local markets.

It’s essential to place the buns far enough apart before baking to ensure they don’t stick together.  We used a huge pan lined with parchment paper.  But a few buns ended up sticking together, which we separated with a sharp knife after baking.

For example, when we lived in the remote area of Placencia in Belize, the three or four-aisle markets had no fresh meats and few vegetables other than potatoes, onions, and garlic. At that time, we had no choice other than to buy the frozen meats or eat in restaurants. 

In Belize, purchasing frozen chicken was no issue for us, but the beef and pork appeared to have “freezer burn,” and we avoided it entirely.  During that period, almost five years ago, we ate lots of canned tuna and home-roasted chicken parts. At times, we had no choice but to purchase canned vegetables.

As time passed along with the many countries in which we lived and cooked, we could easily find the ingredients we needed to make many of our favorite dishes. 

Before taking this photo, we’d separated the buns that stuck together with a sharp knife, as mentioned in another photo.

However, even in the most populated areas with more traditional large grocery stores, at times, we’ve had difficulty finding specialty items such as Italian sausage, seasonings, coconut flour, Himalayan salt, and others. 

Now that we’re in Nevada, cooking many of our favorites for us and Richard most nights, perhaps dining out a few times each week, there’s is nothing I can’t find either at Smith’s or Whole Foods in Henderson, a short distance from Richard’s home.

Yesterday, we planned to make organic turkey burgers and grass-fed meat burgers without buns, using lettuce to wrap the burgers with bacon, tomatoes, purple onion, guacamole, and low carb ketchup, easy to find here.

Since Richard also consumes a low carb diet, is very slim and fit, working out six days a week after work, our low carb meals have suited him just fine. Of course, although delicious, some of the more labor intense meals don’t appeal to him as a possible choice to cook on his own once we’re gone.

According to many proponents of this product, the Apple Cider Vinegar “With the Mother” I used in the recipe (the full unstrained texture of the cider) is a very healthful product and may be used for many health conditions.

To make the burgers more appealing, yesterday I searched the Internet for a new hamburger bun recipe. I’d yet to find the perfect homemade hamburger bun in the past six years of my low carb, grain, starch, and sugar-free diet.

Alas, my research paid off, and I found a recipe from this site from one of the most world-renowned low carb doctors, Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt MD, who has the largest low carb site in the world, which may be found here. I’ve followed his site for years and have seen many valuable suggestions and recipes that have helped us maintain a ketogenic diet explained here.

When I typed into a search box, “low carb hamburger buns,” many of the others I unsuccessfully tried in the past popped up.  But, when I discovered an entry at Dr. Eenfeldt’s site, it sounded as if it was worth a try. Thus, I give all the credit to his years of hard work to send the low carb message out to the world, working with some of the top low carb experts and recipe designers worldwide.

One of the ingredients listed here baffled me, and while at Smith’s, I was unable to find it. As a result, I headed to Whole Foods and found it with ease. Here’s a photo of the item:

This fiber-rich powder is vital to creating the proper density and structure of the buns. It may also be used for gastrointestinal regularity, should that be an issue. Eating the buns made with this product didn’t cause any gastro distress or response.

When I returned to Smiths this morning, when we all wanted a repeat of last night’s meal, I found the above-pictured item in the pharmacy section of Smith’s near the items listed for gastrointestinal health. 

I bought two bottles, one to leave for Richard to whom I’ve sent the recipe and one more to take with us. It may be impossible to find this item in most countries. 

The hamburgers buns are absolutely the best we’ve ever tried. It was amazing to have a burger in a sturdy enough bun to hold it all together!  Others we’d tried would fall apart when handling. 

Although some don’t mind eating a giant burger with a fork and knife, we prefer to eat it in our hands. These delicious buns made the burger easy to handle, and the only difficulty I had was the fact that I’d added a few dollops of guacamole that made the lid slide around when I took a bite.  Next time I’ll slice avocado, which should make it easier to handle.

How hard is this recipe to make?  It’s a one-bowl recipe, adding all the dry ingredients first, pouring in the wet items, and stirring very well by hand until well blended. It was easy to make the equal-sized round balls using moist hands, which I slightly flatted on the parchment paper I placed in a big tin foil pan. 

In all, the prep time was about 6 minutes, with the baking time at 350F (177C) around 65 minutes. The cooking time varies based on your oven. Make sure the dough is no longer moist to stop cooking the buns. It was easy.

Let the buns cool before slicing with a serrated edge knife and slice evenly. If there’s any moisture from under baking it in the center of the bun, pop the bun into a toaster for 30 seconds (not the microwave) or into a toaster oven with the inside face up. Ours were done perfectly, with no need for this additional step.

Here’s the recipe and our photos:

Low carb hamburger buns – 2 carb grams each bun
The recipe makes 8 buns
  • 2 1/2 cups (300 ml) almond flour (found in most markets and health food stores)
  • 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon ground psyllium husk powder.  (maybe found at Whole Foods in vitamin/supplement area, in some markets, and at most health food stores)
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (see photo for what I used)
  • 2 ½  cups (300 ml) boiling water
  • 6  egg whiteegg whitesegg whites, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Instructions
Instructions are for 4 servings. Pleas
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).  Line a pan with parchment paper.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  3. Bring the water to a boil and add the vinegar and egg whites to the bowl while whisking by hand with a fork for about 1 minute. Don’t overmix the dough; the consistency of the dough should resemble Play-Doh.
  4. Form with moist hands into 8 pieces of bread into a somewhat flattened ball but not too flat.  Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Make sure to leave enough room between the buns on the baking sheet for them to double in size.
  5. Bake on the lower rack of the oven for 75 minutes, The buns are done when you hear a hollow sound when tapping the bottom of the buns.  If the cooked dough on the edges is still uncooked, put it back into the oven for 5 more minutes. Let cool before slicing. It may be frozen in a sealed zipper bag. It will only take 10 minutes to defrost.

Have a fabulous day and dine well!

Photo from one year ago today, July 20, 2016:

Lighted front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh while we sailed on the Mekong River in Vietnam.  It was quite an experience. For more photos, please click here.

An accomplished day… Getting it all together… Stormy weather in the desert…

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The yellow Costco bag was filled with the remainder of the packages we handled yesterday, including the new portable scanner we ordered when our old unit broke in Minneapolis.

Lately, we’re reminded of those last two months we spent in the US going back and forth between Scottsdale, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, after we’d left Minnesota on October 31, 2012. But then, we had so much to do.

Now, as we wind down our last less than two weeks in the US, we find ourselves making phone calls, straightening out several pesky issues and concerns that were difficult to handle on Skype with an often poor signal. 

Yesterday, I spent 52 minutes on a phone call with a financial institution in correcting an excess of security/password access issues that we were never able to restore from afar. As much as we’d like to believe that “everything” can be conducted online, it’s not always the case. A phone call may provide a better solution.

Yesterday, we drove to Stephanie Street to take a few photos before the storms rolled in.  Sunset Station.

With our current SIM cards through US provider T-Mobile expiring shortly after we leave the US, the luxury of picking up the smartphone to make a call will be gone. In addition, as we purchase SIM cards in each country, they don’t include making international calls at reasonable rates. 

Calling internationally is often as high as $2 to $3 a minute, making no sense for any calls we may need to make. So instead, we use our Nevada Skype phone number ($5 a month), from which we can call anywhere in the world for approximately $1.20 per hour.

Making these Skype calls requires a decent Wi-Fi connection, uses considerable data, and may or may not have a clear connection. Unfortunately, at this time, until cellular service is international, this is what we have to work with. 

“Sunset Station opened on June 10, 1997. While Station Casinos had successful openings with Boulder Station and Texas Station in the mid-1990s, Sunset Station was considered a demonstration of the company’s ability to develop and market a locals casino that was upscale. Following the success of Sunset Station, Station Casinos continued to open locals casinos that were more upscale, such as Green Valley Ranch (2001) and Red Rock Resort (2006).”

Some have suggested we use a SAT (satellite) phone, but these phones are heavy, costly, and impractical for our use. However, once we install a SIM card in our unlocked phones upon arriving in any country, we have local and emergency cell service. 

As for phone data, we usually purchase an amount of data for those times we’re out and about and need “Map” services or other online access. Then, once we’re inside our vacation/holiday home, the whole house WiFi allows us to use data on our phones. Generally, this works OK.

As an avid listener to podcasts when unable to sleep, which seems to lull me back to sleep, having data on my phone becomes an important feature. We both read news and books on our phones while in bed. 

It wasn’t hectic in the parking lot, enabling us to take photos of the massive casino located on 98 acres in Henderson.

Yea, we know about all the warnings staring at any screens at bedtime may inhibit sleep, but we’ve both found doing so seems to aid us in getting to sleep. We don’t necessarily pay a lot of attention to what “they” say when so much “they’ve” said is proving to be inaccurate and misleading through more current and comprehensive research. So, no, I won’t get off of my soapbox on this topic.

Yesterday was a highly productive day. First, we went through all the mail we’d collected the previous day from the mailing service, which included several pieces of snail mail and no less than 20 boxes, mostly small items we’d purchased for the next few years of travel.

Included in the boxes were my Africa boots which I’ll be wearing again in seven months. To keep my total number of pairs of shoes down to five, I’m going to leave my tennis shoes in our oversized mailbox at the mailing service for future use. Once we were done in Africa in 2019, I’ll send the boots to the store until I need them again.

Inside this massive structure is “Sunset Station’s Strike Zone Bowling Center, opened in April 2005. At the time of its opening, the 77,000-square-foot (7,200 m2) 72-lane bowling alley was the largest in Las Vegas and, at the cost of $26 million, was also the most expensive in the country. In 2007, the alley hosted the PBA Tour‘s Motel 6 Classic.”

Today, I was hoping to visit Susan if the weather improved. But, unfortunately, there’s what’s considered “monsoons” transpiring right now, including flash floods in areas of the freeway I’d be using to drive the long distance to her home. 

After speaking with Susan, we decided it made no sense for me to come today with the flash floods on the freeway and traffic slowing accidents. But, so far, I haven’t missed visiting her every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So instead, I’ll see her tomorrow.

Last night, we had a great dinner with Richard at an old favorite, Cheesecake Factory. None of us ordered desserts, but we enjoyed our meals; spaghetti and meatballs for Tom, Cobb Salad for me, and a chicken dish for Richard. The portions were huge, more than we needed, but it was hard to resist “cleaning our plates.” 

Since we chose not to gamble while traveling the world, fearful of losing money and impacting our strict budget, we don’t bother to go into casinos. Although sometimes, while here, we plan to tour a few of the new casinos of the strip if time allows.

After a long hiatus from bread and gluten, Tom ate his share of the complimentary bread along with the massive plate of pasta. Later, back at Richard’s home, he suffered from awful indigestion from the carb-laden gluten-rich meal. I guess that says it all. I didn’t comment. He knows what’s good and not so good for him.

Tonight, we’ll dine in making bun-less grass-fed beef burgers and turkey burgers (Richard doesn’t eat beef) with lots of vegetable sides and salad. We’ll be back tomorrow with more!

Again, thanks to our readers for hanging in there with us during this less-than-eventful period in the US. In 13 days, we’ll be returning to our world travels!

Photo from one year ago today, July 19, 2016:
There was no post one year ago today due to a continuing poor Wi-Fi signal aboard the Viking Mekong. 

A final letting go of “stuff”…15 days and we’re off again…

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Most likely, playgrounds aren’t used in the summer when it’s just too hot for kids to play outdoors.

As the days wind down toward our leaving the USA again on August 1st, we find ourselves beginning to switch mental gears. This past almost two months in the US catapulted us both into a state of mind far removed from our now familiar reality, nearly five years since its inception.

The time has been well spent with family and friends, rekindling relationships in entirely new ways as we’ve all matured and changed as the years have rolled on. 

Landscaping in housing development.

Our grandchildren have grown and,  our children have settled into their lives as they’ve worked their way into “middle age” with grace and dignity. It’s hard enough to believe how old we are, but then, even more so when we consider the ages of our children ranging from 42 to 50 years old. 

Gosh, it only seemed like yesterday that we were 50 years old. And now, as I’m fast approaching 70 (seven months) and Tom 65 (five months), we continue to strive to maintain a youthful persona, vibrancy, and outlook along with the optimum of good health commensurate with younger years.

Empty basketball and tennis courts in the heat of summer in Las Vegas/Henderson.

We’ve come to accept the reality that for us, good health is by far the most critical aspect to feeling young while providing the stamina and endurance to continuing in our world travels.

In some ways, this past year was challenging for me. With the spinal injury in June in the pool in Bali followed by the effects of contracting h. pylori, along with its frustrating and lingering effects, was a long year. 

The upkeep on this green grass must be outrageous in this heat.

Now, with a pain-free spine once again and the aftereffects of the gastrointestinal condition wafting away day by day, I’m returning to my optimistic, if not “overly bubbly” self. In the process, I find myself all the more enthusiastic about returning to our nomadic lives of world travel.

Tom, on the other hand, never faltered in his determination and mindset as a world traveler. He’d continued with research for the future, searching for new locations, cruises, and points of interest.  Also, as always, in snippets of spare time while in the US, he continues with his never-ending hobby, ancestry.com.

Today, we’re both heading to North Las Vegas to visit my sister Susan who’s looking forward to seeing the updates Tom has discovered these past years in our family’s history. 

Surprisingly, there are some birds in the desert.

We’re bringing our HDMI cord, and Tom will hook up his laptop to her TV so she can easily see the updates on the TV, rather than trying to peek at the screen on his laptop. 

As mentioned in the past, my dear sister has been lying in bed for the past 12 years suffering from the same hereditary spinal condition I’ve also been plagued with for most of my adult life. Had it not been for my strict anti-inflammation diet over these past six years, most likely, I’d have suffered the same fate.   

Zooming in for a close-up of this bird as it quickly flew away, I cut off the top of her/his head. 

On our way back from Susan’s home, we’ll stop at our mailing service located about halfway between Henderson and North Las Vegas and collect our awaiting mail and mail the bins of Christmas decorations to Greg and Camille that I’d left at Richard’s home five years ago. 

When we stored the Christmas memorabilia, I had no idea we’d never have our own home again and subsequently never decorate a Christmas tree again. 

As time has passed, we’ve come to accept that we’ll never need those decorations again. They’re better in the hands of Greg’s family with our three grandchildren, who many appreciate them in years to come, perhaps for their own families someday.

This entrance to a housing development with a waterfall.  With the dry heat, the amount of evaporation must result in a massive loss of water.  Isn’t water at a premium in this valley?

By the time we leave Henderson to fly to Costa Rica in 16 days, we leave behind not a single bin of “stuff.” Thanks, Richard, for storing them for us while we decided our future lives and returned to Nevada to dispose of these totes. 

With no basements in homes in this part of the US, every bit of garage space is needed, and he’ll now have more room for his own “stuff,” although he’s not much of a packrat and keeps his home as tidy as it could be. Even we’ve had to be mindful of not cluttering his meticulous space while we’re here.

May your life and minds be free of clutter, allowing you the space you need to fulfill your desires.

Photo from one year ago today, July 17, 2016:

Tom, me, Captain Han, and new friend Bob in the wheelhouse. We thoroughly enjoyed the Viking Mekong River Cruise.  For more photos, please click here.

Is this life easy?…Not so much…Figuring out visas for Costa Rica…

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Mountain views from every highway in Las Vegas and Henderson.

If anyone reading our site gets the impression that is traveling the world results in a life of leisure and the sensation of “always being on vacation/holiday,” we need to do a better job of describing our reality.

There’s nothing easy about it except for those special days we’re by the sea, aboard a ship, or lounging poolside in a tropical location.  And, even those days aren’t what one might construe as always easy.

Just like you, we shop, we cook, we wash dishes, we clean up after ourselves, we make the bed, do the laundry (more days of the year than not) and take care of banking and financial matters.

When one might imagine life on a desert island with the shore lapping at their toes, drinking blue cocktails with tiny umbrellas neatly situated on the rim of the tall iced glass, a local citizen fanning them with palm leaves, one may be dreaming.

Rolling hills and mountains surround the Las Vegas Valley.

Sure, from time to time, we’ve had such experiences, and even for us, they were fun and fleeting and unrealistic over the long haul.  But, that type of lifestyle was never our intent when we began this adventure so long ago. 

We longed for culture, nature, wildlife, and rich experiences that would shape who we are and the remainder of our years. For us, that wasn’t to be found in a blue drink or locals attending to our every need. 

Oh, we’ve enjoyed the meals cooked for us, the bed is made, the laundry is washed, hung to dry, and neatly folded. But, that type of lifestyle leaves us feeling immobile, inactive, and essentially bored with our lack of activity.

Performing daily household tasks adds a certain degree of focus upon which we both seem to thrive. Here in Henderson, Nevada, after months of not shopping for groceries, cooking meals, and cleaning, we’ve begun to meld back into the reality that both of us seem to need to thrive.

Golden Barrell Cactus, shared in this part of the US.

This morning at 8:00 am, I was out the door, driving to Smith’s Market for enough groceries to last for the next few days. Deciding on what to prepare for meals seems to provide me with a sense of purpose and connection to the “everyday” aspects of life that ultimately add to our universal experiences, even while here in the USA, in the land of abundance.

One need only conceive of an idea for a meal, peruse a recipe or conjure up a special meal to quickly find every possible required ingredient readily available at the local market. Even grass-fed meat and organic produce are at a finger’s reach.

In many countries, we had no choice but to alter recipes or decide on quick and easy meat and veg meals based on the available ingredients in local markets. 

In many cases, the small markets had only one aisle of possible options with no fresh meat (frozen only), questionable vegetables, and a mishmash of dairy items. Somehow, in each case, we never went hungry, always utilizing that which was available.

Beavertail Cactus is also ubiquitous in US deserts.

As our readers are well aware, we always figure out household tasks regardless of where we may be at any given time. Of course, there’s all the rest besides managing our day-to-day lives, including figuring out such items as visa requirements, currently on our minds, as we near the time to leave for Costa Rica in 16 days.

Costa Rica may provide a 90-day visa at the airport for US citizens if asked. We won’t forget to ask, I assure you. However, it’s of utmost concern to provide proof of a booked flight out of the country by the 90th day. 

Since we’re staying an additional 24 days while we await an upcoming cruise, once again, we have to figure out how we’ll get approved for the extra days. When calling the Costa Rica Embassy in Washington DC, we got the runaround. They said we need to apply at a local immigration office while in their country.

They won’t accept a booked flight as adequate at the airport if it’s scheduled for over 90 days out if the applicant doesn’t already have an extension. We can’t get an extension until we’re there. Do you see the dilemma?

Segura Cactus.

When inquiring to the property managers for the property we’re renting, they suggested we book a flight out of Costa Rica within 90 days and figure out the rest after we arrive. 

Yesterday, we did this. We booked a one-way flight to Managua, Nicaragua, for the 89th day. If we find we can stay out of the country for two or three days and come back to Costa Rica without incident, we’ll spend a few nights at a hotel in Managua and return to Costa Rica after that. 

Besides, this might be a fun side trip, especially when we may be there during our fifth anniversary of traveling the world, which is on October 31st. We’ll see how it all rolls out once we arrive. 

If we discover we can stay longer by applying at the local immigration office, we’re OK with losing the cost of the non-refundable one-way flight for both of us, which was $128.70. That’s considerably less than we’ll spend if we stay three or four nights in a hotel. We’ve already been to Nicaragua in the early days of our travel.

San Pedro Cactus…please correct me if wrong.

That’s it for today, folks.  It’s Sunday, already 100F (38C) with an expected high of only 108F (42C) with a cooling trend for the upcoming week with high temperatures expected to range from 98F (37C) to 106F (41C). Nice, eh?

Have a pleasant day!

Photo from one year ago today, July 16, 2016:

Tom, situated in his rickshaw as we meandered down the busy streets of Phnom Penh. It was a hot, humid, and a very bumpy ride. For more details, please click here.

Scorching heat… Scenes in Henderson, Nevada… Sweet photo from one year ago in Cambodia…

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Massive homes overlooking Las Vegas, located in Henderson, may easily be valued in the $10,000,000 or more range.

By the time I took my sister’s dog Owen for a walk in the 108F (42C) heat, plastic baggie in hand, I was sweating up a storm. However, the ultra-dry heat evaporated the sweat on my clothes in a matter of seconds. 

Many homes are nestled into the man-made terraces to offer good views of the Las Vegas Strip from afar.

A few days ago, I laid out a nightdress I’d laundered to dry on a chaise lounge by the pool, and within 15 minutes, it was scorched. Other than the time we spent in the Middle East in Egypt, Dubai, Jordan, Morocco, and the United Arabic Emirates, we haven’t experienced much dry heat in our travels.

Climate data for Henderson, Nevada
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 75
(24)		 86
(30)		 91
(33)		 97
(36)		 111
(44)		 114
(46)		 117
(47)		 112
(44)		 110
(43)		 100
(38)		 90
(32)		 78
(26)		 117
(47)
Average high °F (°C) 54
(12)		 59
(15)		 67
(19)		 75
(24)		 85
(29)		 95
(35)		 101
(38)		 99
(37)		 91
(33)		 78
(26)		 64
(18)		 54
(12)		 76.8
(24.8)
Average low °F (°C) 41
(5)		 44
(7)		 49
(9)		 56
(13)		 65
(18)		 74
(23)		 79
(26)		 78
(26)		 71
(22)		 60
(16)		 48
(9)		 40
(4)		 58.8
(14.8)
Record low °F (°C) 11
(−12)		 12
(−11)		 25
(−4)		 31
(−1)		 37
(3)		 41
(5)		 56
(13)		 59
(15)		 43
(6)		 30
(−1)		 4
(−16)		 9
(−13)		 4
(−16)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.70
(17.8)		 0.96
(24.4)		 0.57
(14.5)		 0.23
(5.8)		 0.11
(2.8)		 0.11
(2.8)		 0.46
(11.7)		 0.72
(18.3)		 0.42
(10.7)		 0.36
(9.1)		 0.49
(12.4)		 0.60
(15.2)		 5.73
(145.5)

As we’ve often mentioned, humidity is the toughest to endure of all non-storm-related weather conditions. It wears out everything we own from the zippers on our luggage, leather products and wreaks havoc with our digital equipment, especially cameras and smartphones. It’s no wonder we often need to replace these items.

Sure, we chose to seek out warmer climates, and in doing so, one can hardly avoid humidity which often goes hand and hand. Without a doubt, humidity is the most difficult to physically endure, especially in locations where we’ve had either no AC or limited AC, for example, only in the bedrooms.

We were surprised to see some grassy areas, which required a lot of watering.

In many hot and humid locations, we’ve had only a fan over the bed, in which most cases seem to move too slowly to be of many benefits. Also, when there’s mosquito netting encasing the bed, the fan benefits are limited, seeming unable to penetrate the fabric of the net actually to provide any relief.

Here in Henderson, Nevada, the heat is constant and relentless during the long summer months. At 7:00 am this morning, the temperature was already well in the 90F’s (32C). Now, as I write, at 8:50 am, it’s already 97F (36C) with an expected high today of 111F (44C).

The entrance to many high-end developments incorporates the utmost of landscaping to attract new buyers and maintain a level of appeal for the existing homeowners.

Yesterday, when I returned from visiting Susan and after a stop at Smith’s market for a few grocery items, I almost burned my finger pressing the keys on the metal keypad when entering the code to access the gated neighborhood.

Terracing under construction in Henderson.

On the short drive from Smith’s to Richard’s home, I thought about my groceries in the trunk. I remember grocery shopping in Minnesota in the cold of winter, wondering if my food would make it home in the -20F (or lower) without freezing.  

Many new homes back up to the hills and mountains.

In our days of eating bread, I easily recall a loaf of bread being nearly frozen when I reached home. Yesterday, I wondered if anything would spoil in the 15 minutes it took me to get back to Richard’s house. 

Foolish me; nothing would spoil in that short a trip. However, a shopper should be mindful of not making any extra stops on the way home after grocery shopping in these hot climates. Bacteria could easily manifest on a package of chicken or ground beef if one stopped at Walgreens pharmacy and got distracted for a few minutes.

Most homes are built with stucco exteriors and tile roofs that appear to withstand extreme heat.

As we drive around the area exploring our surroundings, we’re amazed how so many manage to live in such a climate in the summer. In the winters, it’s often cool enough here to wear a warm jacket. Obviously, as we’ve shown here over this past almost five years, we decided against it in 2012.

As we continue on our many year’s long world journey in only 16 days, heading to the tropical climate of Costa Rica, where the average high is 85F (29C) with humidity around 70%, it will feel normal to us and most likely, even with the moist air, certainly feel cooler than here in the middle of summer in the Nevada desert.

Las Vegas/Handerson doesn’t have a historic building since it didn’t begin to attract a population of any significance until the 1950s.

Today, we plan to try out Richard’s pool for the first time, now that we’re a little acclimated to being outdoors. Perhaps, we’ll even get a little dose of Vitamin D!

Wherever you may be this season, enjoy your days and nights to the fullest.

Photo from one year ago today, July 15, 2016:

When we visited an orphanage in Cambodia, this young girl’s smile took our breath away. For more photos, please click here.

Reminded of stresses in our old lives…Am I complaining?

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Susan’s chubby and very funny Chihuahua, Owen, poses like this several times a day, totally unprovoked.

On occasion, people may ask, “Did you run away?” We always answer with the fact that my health returned and I was pain-free which inspired us to travel “while we can.” It could change on a dime, and we’d be forced to modify our lifestyle seriously.

From time to time, the question still lingers in the minds of family, friends, and readers, “Did we run away?” In part, we may have. But, being back in the US for the past seven weeks, we’ve begun to feel the stresses of the fast-paced life while in Minnesota and now, here in Nevada.

It’s not only the traffic, the people, and the waiting in lines for various services. It’s the self-induced process of a strong sense of responsibility that drives us while in this environment. One can’t erase a lifetime of living even when spending almost five years away from it all.

Now that I’m cooking again, which I don’t mind, I find myself busy grocery shopping, chopping, and dicing and spending each morning until 11:00 or 12:00 am preparing a post and laboring over which photos I can add.

Then, with more clothes to launder in the hot weather and the sorting and with the repacking of the boxes of photos and documents we left in Richard’s garage in plastic totes and, the every other day visits to my beloved sister Susan with two total hours of driving each trip, I must admit I’m feeling a little pushed.

I pulled over while driving to Susan’s distant location while is relatively unpopulated along the way.

Surprisingly, I’m not tired. I’ve slept better here in Richard’s home than anywhere in the past year, getting as much as seven hours a night, mostly without waking midway through the night. 

Undoubtedly, the home-cooked meals with less likelihood of contamination have been instrumental in assisting in my feeling better physically. In addition, my chronic and the annoying gastrointestinal condition continues to improve daily. I never expected it to go away quickly, but the continuing improvement has left me hopeful that it will completely resolve in time.

So why do I feel pressured? Perhaps, being in the US is merely a reminder of our old lives and the constant sense of responsibility. Undoubtedly, many of our readers can see themselves burdened with many more tasks than we have at present. 

I don’t mean to whinge (Aussie word). But, I‘m observing how the fast-paced life “in the big city” (and it could be any city in the world) is not necessarily for us. But, place us in a remote area surrounded by vegetation, mountains, sea, gorgeous scenery, and of course, an abundance of wildlife, and we’re calm and at peace, free of all stress and worries.

Also, we should probably stop watching the news. That in itself reminds us of the troubles in our country, which seem to escalate by the moment. I won’t get into that here, but no doubt, it affects us. 

In many countries, we don’t have a TV, and if we do, we don’t have access to US news other than that which may be from international outlets. So here again, it may be biased based on their media sources’ point of view. Who knows how accurate that may be?

Also, with our upcoming departure to Costa Rica on August 1st, we still have to figure out the added supplies we’ll need to bring for our three-and-a-half-month stay and purchase them before we depart the US. No doubt, many items we use regularly won’t be readily available in local shops.

There are some homes, condos, and apartments in the distant location, but not Henderson and Las Vegas.

On top of that, we’re working on how we’ll extend our visa beyond the 90 allowable days Costa Rica provides for US citizens entering the country. We’ll be contacting the Costa Rica Embassy today with our list of questions. which includes:

1.  Do we have to have proof of an exiting flight upon entering Costa Rica?
2.  Can we visit an immigration office while in Costa Rica to apply for the 23-day extension?
3.  What is the minimum number of days we can leave and then return with another country’s stamp on our passports?  At what point during our stay should we do this?

Why we’re behind on a few of these tasks has been predicated by the pace. After almost a week in Nevada, we still haven’t tackled everything we’d planned to do. So now, with only 18 days until we depart the US, we have to “pick up the pace!”

In any case, it has been wonderful spending time with Richard and my sister.  Tomorrow, Tom will join me in visiting Susan, and we’ll make a stop at our mailing service to pick up many items awaiting us there. After that, it is more stuff to sort and figure out how to pack.

OK, enough of that. In our continuing desire to “tell it like it is,” sometimes, it’s not pretty, it’s not exciting, and it’s not relaxing. But, once we get settled in Costa Rica, we can look forward to “downtime” except, of course, figuring out the visa extension. We don’t want to be “illegal aliens” again as we were in Australia in March!

May you have a happy day, free of stress!

Photo from one year ago today, July 13, 2016:

Local danger and musicians greeted us with a ceremonial dance as we entered the hotel in Cambodia. For more photos, please click here.

Updating Meet & Greet for Henderson/Las Vegas, Nevada…

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The Choctaw Casino and Resort is located in The District in Henderson, Nevada.

Hello, fellow Nevadans! After we’ve finally settled in and working our way into a comfortable routine, we decided it was time to mention our intended Meet & Greet in Henderson, Nevada, on Friday, July 21st at 5:00 pm.

With the awful heat since we arrived this week, we plan to get out and check on a few possible locations and will post a choice by the end of this week.  So far, we only have a handful of confirmations. Any suggestions for the area of a right bar near Green Valley Ranch are appreciated.

Currently, we’re staying in the desirable Green Valley Ranch area, where there are many major shopping areas, restaurants, business centers, and a few casinos.

If you would like to attend, please email me by using the email link on our homepage located above our main photo (in Petra, Jordan) and below, where it states “Select Language” for the translation. 

Please let us know if coming to meet us in Henderson on July 21st works for you! We had a good-sized turnout in Minneapolis in June and looked forward to meeting some of our readers in the Las Vegas area. 

Our newspaper article will be coming out this week. Once we have the link and videos, we’ll post them here.  We’re looking forward to sharing this article with all of our readers throughout the world.

There are plenty of excellent dining establishments in this area, but after dining on cruise ships and in restaurants over the past almost three months, we’re enjoying some home-cooked meals.

As for Las Vegas, our days and evenings have been complete, although we certainly don’t have many family members and friends in Nevada. We’ve had several “business” related items to attend to, online shopping to complete, and a job we didn’t look forward to tackling.

Almost five years ago, we left several large plastic totes in Richard’s garage that we needed to address. Since plenty of time has passed, we needed to dispose of several bins with old tax records and others we’d forgotten we’d left, including several bins containing old photos.

It wasn’t easy to maneuver the little white car in perfect spots for taking photos.  Tom did the best he could.

We’d distributed all of the paper photos to our four adult children and scanned those of significance to a cloud.  Now, we find this box in Richard’s garage with even more photos. Good grief. We had no idea these photos were there collecting dust and bugs. 

Now, at least, we’ll be able to clear all this out to leave Richard more space for storing his stuff in his garage. Homes in Nevada don’t have basements leaving garages as the only possible spots for storage.

In the next few days, we’ll go through all of the photos, and once we pick up the new scanner waiting for us at our mailing service, one we purchased to replace the Doxie scanner that bit the dust last week, we’ll begin scanning the photos and dispose of the paper copies.

The like the Southwest architecture so typical in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and other states in this region of the US.

Yesterday, Tom spent half of the day going through the boxes. He found several boxes of Christmas decorations from the years of my son’s growing up in the process. We’ve always stated we don’t have any storage and certainly didn’t save any personal effects other than a few plastic bins with tax records and memorabilia.

We’ve gone through each tote and will send them to Greg, Camille, and three grandchildren in Minnesota, who hopefully will appreciate the memorabilia. We didn’t give these bins to them when we distributed memorabilia to our kids baffles me.

We drove around the District’s parking lots, a popular shopping, dining, and entertainment conglomerate.

Perhaps at the time, we weren’t confident we’d enjoy traveling the world and didn’t want to let go of the special Christmas items in these totes. At the time, letting go wasn’t easy. Now that we’re certain we have no intention of “settling down” anytime soon, it’s easy to send them to Greg and family.

It’s a bit cooler today with the 1:30 pm temperature at a cool 99F (37C); we’ll head out to the pool for a little “fun and sun,” which had been impossible over these past days with our busy schedule and with temperatures ranging from 110F (43C) and up.

Even the parking ramps, office buildings, and apartments maintain the popular and familiar Southwest design.

Sorry for the late posting today. With it a bit cooler today, we took off to the grocery shop and to take a few photos to share here today and over the next few days. Have a wonderful day!

Photo from one year ago today, July 11, 2016:

Hỏa Lò Prison, aka Mason Centrale (meaning the main house in French), was nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton” during the war in Vietnam. “Hỏa Lò Prison was a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for U.S. Prisoners of War during the Vietnam War. During this latter period, it was sarcastically known to American POWs as the Hanoi Hilton. The prison was demolished in part during the 1990s, though the gatehouse remains as a museum.”  For more photos of our tour of the Hanoi Hilton, please click here.

Interesting technology in USA these days….All new to us!…

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Lighted cupholder in the sofa in the event one can’t find where to set their drink in the darkened room while watching a movie. 

It’s been so hot, neither of us has felt like going out for a drive to look for photo opportunities. It’s hardly outdoor weather with temperatures ranging from 110F (43C) to 118F (48C). 

Last night after we dined on a tasty homemade low-carb dinner, we watched the sweet movie “A Dog’s Purpose,” in Richard’s sophisticated “viewing centric” audio/video setup in his living room, typical in many homes US today.

Between shows, we took a break while I made a low-carb cheese plate, and then we watched the recent Amelia Earhart documentary bringing up excellent fodder for conversation. With the two-hour time difference from the six weeks in Minnesota, I started nodding off by about 10:30 pm.

Tom did his usual, waving his hand over my face to see if I’d respond and when I admitted I’d dozed off for a minute or two, I knew it was time to head to bed. We’ve both slept reasonably well these past three nights since our arrival, although we both tend to wake up a few times during the night.  

A panel drops down in the sofa where there are numerous plug-ins for electronics.

Awakening during the night seems to be an ordinary course of action for us as we’ve aged. Luckily, we’re both able to fall back asleep fairly quickly. Overall, we tend to get no more than about six hours of sleep each night.  It doesn’t help that we aren’t very active right now staying indoors in air-conditioned comfort.

It felt good to cook a meal after an almost three-month hiatus finally. Richard doesn’t have the utmost in cooking accouterments in his kitchen, but his appliances and Keurig coffee maker are over-the-top in quality, design, and digital function. In no time at all, we had it all figured out.

His shortage of bowls and variety of cooking utensils leaves a little to be desired. For us, living this life of world travel, that’s nothing new. As always, we improvised and made a nice meal with great leftovers for tonight.

This type of plant is typical in the desert, which can withstand a long hot, dry summer season.

Today, Tom is going through a few boxes of tax records we’d left in Richard’s garage, and since enough time has passed, we’ll have them shredded. Our forms are now kept in a cloud with no necessity of maintaining paper documents and receipts.

While Tom works on the totes of papers in the garage, I’ll drive north to visit my sister Susan, whom I also hadn’t seen since 2012.  Like Richard, we’ve stayed in close touch over these years thanks to the magic of the Internet, but there’s nothing like seeing those we love face-to-face. 

We’re still reeling from the beautiful time we had with family and friends in Minnesota and look forward to continuing similar levels of enjoyment while here in Nevada.

We hope all is going well with all of our readers throughout the world and that your lives are filled with love and “purpose.”

Photo from one year ago today, July 10, 2016:

Entrance to the Temple of Literature in Vietnam. For more photos, please click here.

Settled into the cool and comfort indoors…Easy living, although outrageously hot hot hot weather!….

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The white lattice pergola provides shelter from the scorching sun.

We prefer not to stay at anyone’s home. We have our unique routine, which may be annoying and frustrating for those who might invite us along the way in our world travels.

With the utmost of kindness and generosity, many people we’ve met have invited us to stay with them when we travel to their country, but, in each case, we’ve graciously declined.

Chaise lounges we hope to use if the temperature cools down a bit.  Right now, it’s too hot to sit in the sun for our usual short stint.

Whether it’s our constant need for reliable WiFi and the necessity of being online, my restrictive way of eating, or our mutual inability to avoid feeling “in the way,” we continue to decline such invitations.

In the recent case in Minnesota, our three adult children didn’t have room in their homes for us to occupy a bedroom and bath, nor did we feel it would have been prudent to spend six weeks in anyone’s home, regardless of the availability of space.

Comfortable seating with fire pit for cool winter nights in the desert.

The single exception to that is staying with son Richard in Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, Nevada, a bachelor with a charming newly remodeled home with a private guest area, pool, and the latest and greatest home technology is doable for us.

When we arrived on Friday, after unpacking and getting settled, we headed to Smith’s Market for some groceries. The idea of cooking was appealing when I hadn’t cooked a meal since April when we were still living in Fairlight, near Sydney, Australia.

Most lots in gated communities in Las Vegas/Henderson are small.  Landscapers and pool designers are creative in making the most of the limited space.

I was shocked by the reasonable prices, which were much lower than in Minnesota based on the few trips I’d made for a few items while we spent the six weeks in Plymouth at the hotel. It was exceptionally reasonable for organic produce, eggs, and dairy.

Here again, in upscale Henderson, we continue in a state of culture shock considering the abundance of literally everything; products in stores, numbers of restaurants, shopping centers, specialty shops, movie theaters, freeways, and gated neighborhoods. 

Outdoor kitchen by the pool.

One need only to conceive of an item they’d like to purchase and can readily look online to find it.  How easily we recall being unable to find shredded cheese, lettuce, celery, mushrooms, parchment paper, coconut oil, and an endless array of non-food items. 

We’ll continue to purchase some necessary items that we’ll collect from our mailing service before we leave in 23 days. Also, while there, I’ll be picking up my “Africa” boots which I’ve kept stored in an oversized mailbox at the mailing service. I’d shipped the boots there a few years ago, hoping we’d return to Africa someday. 

Hot! Hot! Hot!  This photo was taken yesterday of a TV monitor during the weather report.

Now, with only seven months until we return to Africa, I’ll be thrilled to wear once again my ideal-for-the-bush boots I had specially altered before we left the US to ensure a tight fit on the calves and thus avoid insects slipping down into the boot. I still can’t believe how our South African friends walk about in the bush wearing flip flops!

That’s it for today, folks! We’ll be back at you soon!

Photo from one year ago today, July 9, 2016:

The bright red color of this Hoa or ethnic Chinese wedding dress is intended to bring happiness, good luck, and a prosperous future. The Hoa in Vietnam continues to maintain customs from their provinces of origin, mainly in Southern Chine. Many Hoa is involved in trade in urban areas, primarily in Ho Chi Minh City, where we were headed the next day. For more details, please click here.