Part 1…Road trip…Many new photos on a perfect day!

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The sign outside the Fonterra Cheese Factory and retail store in Eltham, New Zealand.

With many cloudy days over these past few months, getting out to explore on a sunny day has been limited.  When any particular day started sunny, we’d plan to head out as soon as we finished posting. Invariably, by the time we’ve completed the post around 11:00 am, the clouds would start rolling in and we’d change our plans, hoping for another day.

As I’ve mentioned on many occasions, I don’t like taking photos on cloudy days. I’m just not that good of a photographer to do a great job, nor do I have an interest in spending hours editing dark photos, as more talented photographers may choose to tackle.

There are several refrigerated cases with a wide array of New Zealand made and Fonterra Cheese Factory made cheeses. We only purchased cheese made at the factory when we can easily purchase the others at the local grocery stores.

Based on the fact that we take over 10,000 photos a year, spending time editing photos could take a few more hours each day. When we don’t usually finish posting until around 11:00 am seven days a week, adding a few more hours editing photos each day would definitely cut into the time we prefer to spend doing other things.

Yesterday morning, awakening to a totally clear sky without a single cloud in sight, we knew it was a good day to get out. I hurried through the post using all new photos (most often all of our photos are new unless referencing a past experience), hung a load of laundry on the line and we were out the door before 11:00 am.

We’d never seen these “fruit pastes” which most likely are jam type items.

Over the past few months, we’ve had a few places in mind, we hoped to visit; the Fonterra Cheese Factory in Eltham and also the town of Stratford, fashioned with a Shakespearean theme. As it turned out we saw much more which we’ll share over these next several days.

Small jars of a variety of locally made chutneys, mustards and sauces.  In reviewing the ingredient’ list on these items, most contained sugar or starches.

Actually, over a month ago, we headed out with the same two towns in mind getting sidetracked, which resulted in a visit to Mount Taranaki which took most of the day. We decided we’d visit Eltham and Stratford another time, but only on a sunny day.

It’s a good thing we chose yesterday for the visit to these two towns since this morning, it was again cloudy as shown in this morning’s photo below. We weren’t disappointed when it stayed clear and cool all day, a perfect day for an outing.

We were happy we decided to go on yesterday’s road trip when this morning, it was cloudy and now raining.

The furthest of the two towns is Eltham where the well known cheese factory is located. Keeping in mind that cheese is one of the few treats I can eat, a plan to visit a factory with a wide array of locally made cheeses has been of particular interest in our worldwide travels.

This was only the third such occasion when we visited a cheese factory/specialty store; one in Belize as shown in this post and on another occasion when we visited Rusty’s Market, a huge farmers market and tourist attraction in Cairns, Australia, to find an extensive cheese vendor on site which prompted us to purchase a huge amount of exotic cheeses as shown in this post.

If we had more time before leaving New Plymouth, we’d surely have purchased one of these avocado oils.

Its not as if we can make an outing for food items other travelers may find worth a long drive; a special restaurant, a popular ice cream parlor or a bakery known for its sweets and bread. 

For our way of eating only these specialty venues work for us including a farmer’s market for fresh produce; a grass fed meat market; a fish wholesaler open to the public; a cheese factory or distributor; and a health food store.

Locally made oils.

When there’s an opportunity to visit any of these types of shops we’re as excited to do so as others may be when there’s “food on a stick” at a state fair or visiting a special restaurant known for foods that don’t work for us.

Yesterday, was no exception when we entered the Fonterra Cheese Factory. Although many of their options in the refrigerated displays were New Zealand made cheeses one may find at the local grocery stores, we asked the staff person to point out the cheeses that were made exclusively at their factory. No tours are offered or we’d definitely have participated.

Old newspaper articles about the cheese factory in Eltham.

After spending NZ $41, US $28, we were surprised how much we actually purchased. We didn’t go overboard in our purchase considering we’ll be leaving New Plymouth two weeks from tomorrow. 

Our day consisted of many more surprises delightful experiences as we continued on our day long tour of the exquisite countryside. We even encountered some funny animals during our fun filled day. More on that yet to come.

We purchased five packages of cheese including that huge round of Brie. I ate part of the smoked Havarti in the car while Tom ate this mint ice cream bar.  We were “out and about” when there are no “rules”  or comments from me on what he chooses to eat. He said it wasn’t that good after all.

May you share experiences with others, whether big or small, with enthusiasm and joy in your heart.

Photo from one year ago today, March 31, 2015:

A lazy day sitting under a tree with a cold beverage and good book is all many visitors to Kauai require for a glorious vacation. Not everyone is into adventure hikes and sightseeing. Many tourists come to the islands to get away from a “must do” lifestyle preferring to relax and unwind. Lounging on the beach, dining in a popular restaurants and drinking Mai Tai’s is all some travelers need for the perfect vacation. For more details, please click here.

Moving right along…Can’t believe the number of posts…Errors along the way…

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There’s never a shortage of beautiful scenery here in New Zealand.

Today’s post is #1339, not necessarily a milestone number, but nonetheless a huge number in our minds. It’s hard to believe that on 1339 mornings, we’ve worked together, coffee in hand, to get yet another post uploaded.

Tom, busy “fact-checking” and answering the endless questions that pop into my head as I write, my fingers fly across the keyboard, making many typos along the way which both of us review and correct.

Tom can’t proofread the post until I upload it online so those of our readers who read it immediately upon upload may notice errors we attempt to quickly correct as Tom reviews each and every word. 

With recent rains, the hills are lush green.

As soon as he spots a typo, fact inaccuracy, or the exclusion of an important fact, immediately I return to “editing” mode and make the required corrections accordingly. 

We seldom disagree over any potential adjustments nor do I get defensive over Tom’s suggestions and corrections. It’s a flow that’s become natural for us. At times, I feel as if we’re in a conference room at an office working together harmoniously attempting to do a job done well. 

However, as hard as we may try we still leave myriad errors in our wake, some as innocuous as a missing apostrophe, comma or misspelled word. At times, we’ll read and reread the post and still miss the potentiality of a correction.

We tried to find out what this building once held to no avail.

In a way, it reminds me of those identical side-by-side pictures that ask one to find the differences between the two photos.  My lack of patience prevents me from finding any interest in these. Tom, on the other hand, can easily and quickly spot the differences in the same manner in which he discovers errors in movies and TV shows. 

It’s all in a matter of how differently our brains work, whether it’s a female or male thing or a difference in who we are as people, as thinkers. Most likely it’s a combination of both. These distinct differences serve us well in many areas of our lives.

Had we chosen to live in one or two locations, taking a trip from time to time, as is the case for many retired people, we may never have had the opportunity to clearly define these innate differences in how we process facts and events in our daily lives, especially those in our daily posts that appeal to our worldwide reader population.

We often show only attractive buildings but now and then we find old dilapidated buildings as interesting as well.

Whether it’s in the planning for the future, managing our posts and photos, or deciding how we’ll spend the day, it always seems to revolve around our lives of world travel along with our desire to share it with readers.

Had we lived a more traditional life, we’d have looked at life in an entirely different manner which, if we didn’t know what we know now, we wouldn’t have questioned. 

The problem, if it is a “problem” is how we can ever “go back” to a life that isn’t on the move, doesn’t present the challenges, doesn’t offer the opportunities to push us beyond our “comfort zone” to research and to explore the world around us.

A huge part of this tree must have fallen during a wind storm.

There’s no doubt that someday we’ll have no choice…we’ll have to stop due to health constraints presented as we age. As much as we try to prolong this inevitability by managing our health to the best of our ability, it lies before us “down the road.”

In the interim, with our continuing goals of happiness and a sense of wellbeing, we live in the moment as much as possible. We leave a space deep in our hearts that when the time comes, we’ll hopefully carry our love of life and love of one another with us into the inevitable aspects and subsequent life of aging and possibly less-than-ideal health.

An old barn or house in ill repair.

For now, we can only hope that our errors, typos, and impossible-to-edit line spacing issues are of less importance to our readers than their personal sense of traveling with us.

As we “move right along” from country to country we never feel as if we’re “searching for something.” Instead, we always feel as if we’re “finding something” which ultimately we carry with us in our hearts and minds on to the next leg of our journey.

May you “find something” wonderful in your day!

Photo from one year ago today, March 30, 2015:

“Chicks in a Coconut,” a professional photo taken by a native Kauai artist, Alia DeVille, whom we highlighted with her photos one year ago today. For more of her beautiful photos, please click here.

Shopping and haircut at the mall…How to roll-up shirt sleeves with ease…

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Tom’s hair had grown unruly since his last haircut in Savusavu, Fiji in early November, almost five months ago.

After uploading yesterday’s post we headed to the Centre City Mall in downtown New Plymouth for clothes shopping for me and a haircut for Tom. 

The thought of shopping while Tom waited outside the stores I perused was a little concerning when I knew I’d want to hurry (by my own design, not his) with him waiting on a bench outside.

I’d suggested he drop me off at the mall, picking me back up a few hours later.  Since he needed a haircut and the “Just Cuts Salon” was located in the mall it made sense for us to do both on this same occasion. 

Often, when we rent cars for two or three months at a time, we avoid adding me as a driver when there are additional fees.  I don’t do so well driving on the opposite side of the road, as is the case in some countries.  As a result, I can’t shop without Tom with me during these periods.  As much as he doesn’t care to shop, he doesn’t complain or seem to mind waiting for me.

When we arrived hair salon at 11:30 am, he was told to return at noon for his haircut.  Several other customers were ahead of him.  He waited on chairs outside the shop while I quickly darted from store to store searching for a few shops that appealed to my taste and needs.

The stylist was concerned about cutting his hair the correct length at the Just Cuts salon in the mall.

I wanted to purchase wrinkle free shirts/tops for the upcoming cruises over the next 15 months.  Deciding against any dressy items for cruise formal nights for practicality reasons, buying wash and wear items such as dressy tee shirts and button shirts was all I wanted to purchase.

At first, I panicked when all the shops were offering warm winter inventory including sweaters, jackets and layered clothing.  Hoping for a touch of color in my otherwise drab wardrobe, my hopes were dashed as I went from rack to rack only finding navy blue, varying shades of grey, black and brown. 

Rather than bring sweaters and cover-ups for the cool air conditioned evenings aboard ship I decided on all long sleeved items with sleeves that could be rolled or pushed up.  

A while ago I found this J. Crew website with instructions for the easiest way to roll shirts which can be implemented for men’s or women’s long sleeve buttoned shirts.  This way, I could toss my stretched out cover-ups I’ve been wearing for warmth at night in the air conditioned spaces.

Always considering the weight of items in our luggage, this is a good remedy to reduce the number of items in my singular clothing suitcase subsequently having an effect on the total weight. 

It all seemed to be going well with little coaching from me on how to cut the sides and back.

Joining Tom when it was time for his haircut, I showed the stylist a photo of him with his hair at his preferred length. (As it turned out she was from Texas, USA with a cute southern US and Kiwi accent after living here 18 years).  I decided to hang around to ensure the sides and back were trimmed properly finding it wise to do so.

Tom had brought along a NZ $5 coupon to use but when it was time to pay (oddly they didn’t accept credit cards) he didn’t need to use the coupon when she discounted the price to NZ $18, US $12, a certainly reasonable price. 

He was happy with the cut, commenting to the stylist how all his life he didn’t need me to accompany him on haircut appointments.  I explained that I didn’t have to look at him 24/7 at that time either.  We all giggled.

By the time his haircut was done at 12:30 I’d yet to purchase the first item on my list. However, while he waited on the chairs reading a book on his phone, I’d perused a few stores with items that may work for me. All I’d have to do was try on a few items to ensure a proper fit.

In an one hour period, I purchased three button up long sleeve shirts, five dressy tee shirts, six pairs of earrings and eight pairs of cotton panties, all in three separate stores.  An hour later, we were leaving the mall with my bags in tow. I was content with my haul.

We were both happy with the finished product.

Once back home as I busily removed  the tags I folded the items neatly for packing in the next few weeks. After totaling all the receipts, I was surprised I’d only spent a total of NZ $242, US $163 for the entire haul, all of which appeared to be good quality.

With a recent purchase of a pair of somewhat pricey black pants, I was set with clothing until we’ll arrive in the US in summer of 2017.  I teased Tom as I totaled the receipts as to how odd it was that for under NZ $446, US $300 (including the black pants) I’d purchased all the clothes I’d need for a year or more here in New Zealand.

He laughed, saying, “That’s $300 more than I spend in a year.”  Pausing while making eye contact with me, “Just kidding, Sweetie!” 

Yea, well.  He has no interest in clothing (although he does need a few items) and has decided to wait to make any purchases until we arrive in the US.

On the way home, we made a few detours for photos happy to be out on a sunny day, a rarity most recently.  It was a good day.  We’re anticipating today should be equally good.

We hope you have a good day as well.

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Photo from one year ago today, March 29, 2015:

This spot at Hanalei Beach in Kauai looks out to a sleeping dragon shaped mountain that inspired Peter, Paul and Mary to interpret the song written by a friend, “Puff the Magic Dragon, lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Hanalei.”  There’s considerable speculation that the words to the song were mainly centered around smoking marijuana which grew prolifically in Hanalei.  Here’s a video that further explains the shape of the dragon.  For more details on this year-ago post, please click here.
 

Happy Easter! A movie made in New Zealand…More to my liking than Tom’s…

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Our favorite cow, a neighbor, whom we visit regularly on our “neighborhood” walks.  She’s always happy to see us.  This was the closest we could get to an Easter photo.

Happy Easter to all of our family, friend/readers who celebrate throughout the world.  May you have many blessings and a very fulfilling day!

As we travel we attempt to watch a movie that is either about and/or filmed in the country in which we’re living at any given time.  In reviewing all the movies filmed in New Zealand, we were in a quandary as to which movie we’d select.

Its not that New Zealand is short on options.  Nor are they lacking in producing many good movies and TV series, a few of which we’ve watched, particularly on Nat Geo, Discovery and the History Channel. 

What particularly caught my eye as I did the research were Peter Jackson’s movies.  He’s from Wellington on this North Island which we visited on a past cruise and plan to visit again on a future cruise in November.  Its a beautiful area.



Promo photo for King Kong 2005 remake.

Of course, many would suggest The Hobbit series of movies.  However, knowing Tom’s taste in movies, he’s hardly be interested in the subject matter, preferring reality to fantasy.  He also isn’t interested in science fiction or horror which are favorites of mine. 

We compromise. If I want to watch such a movie, he’ll stay busy on his laptop while I watch.  On occasion, he’ll suffer it out with me as he did last night when we watched Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake of King Kong.

He was totally into the movie until it got to the part on “Skull Island” when the dinosaurs started fighting.  This was beyond his scope of “reality” and I could see he was rapidly losing interest. 

I stayed glued to the flat screen TV to which we’d plugged in the HDMI cord (a gift from daughter Tammy at Christmas 2014 which we use almost every evening.  Thanks, Tammy!). 

When giant octopus and dinosaurs appeared in the movie, Tom quickly lost interest.  He’s not into “monster” movies.

At a few points I found myself smiling non-stop as I reveled in the 11 year old technology and the quality remake of the classic movie originally made in 1933 (click here for video clip for the original movie). 

Tom’s eyes were glazed over.  I knew at any moment, he’d either doze off or pick up his laptop.  Once the dinosaurs started fighting he chose the later while I remained entranced until the end.

Of course, a highlight of the movie was the scenery which was filmed in New Zealand which had the flavor of this beautiful country especially close to the shore for the ocean scenes.  We weren’t readily able to identify certain locations but imagined many Kiwis would easily do so.

In any case, I enjoyed it immensely having never seen the remake in its entirety. Tom, not so much.

Here are a few mentions from this website on the filming locations:

Wellington locations

  • Skull Island / Shelly Bay and Lyall Bay: Filming for Skull Island took place at Lyall Bay. A second large-scale version, including the giant wall which separated Kong from the rest of the island, was built above the Massey Memorial near Shelly Bay. Skull Island was a key location in the original 1933 movie, and Jackson”s film follows the 1933 version faithfully, with a large portion of the film set on ”the island”.
  • New York / Seaview, Lower Hutt: 1930s New York came alive in New Zealand at Seaview in Wellington”s Hutt Valley as Jackson created a depression-era version of the Big Apple complete with Broadway, Times Square and Macy”s department store, as well as vintage cars and extras clad in period costume.
  • Venture ocean scenes / Kapiti Island and Cook Strait: Ocean scenes aboard the steamer Venture were filmed around Kapiti Island, a protected bird sanctuary off Wellington”s Kapiti Coast. Incidentally, Jackson and his crew made an unscheduled visit to Kapiti Island in March 2005 when they had to abandon the Venture because the boat began to take on water during filming, flooding the engine room.
  • Further ocean-going scenes were also shot on the Cook Strait, a stretch of water linking Wellington to Picton, at the tip of the South Island. The Strait is renowned for its rugged scenic beauty.
  • Venture pier scenes were shot at Miramar Wharf in Cobham Drive, Wellington.
Tom checked out when this guy appeared in the movie while I was excitedly reminded of the “Aliens” movies, one of my favorites.

Over the next five months we’ll be off to many other countries where we shouldn’t have any trouble finding appropriate movies to watch:  Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Viet Nam and Thailand.  Whether we’ll have a good enough wifi connection will determine our ability to download such movies along the way or thereafter.

Today, Monday, we’re heading to the mall to shop and for Tom’s first New Zealand haircut.  Of course, we’ll be back with photos tomorrow!

Carpe diem!

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

This Red Cardinal stopped by our condo in Kauai several times each day with his less similar female (smaller) partner, looking for a hand out which we generously provided several times each day. After only a few occasions, he’d sing a special song to get me to bring out the nuts.  Click here for more photos from that date.

Worried about Mont Blanc…Delilah…Watching over the alpacas this week…

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Little Mont Blanc, dirty from days of rain, still small and fragile.

With Trish and Neil gone for Easter until next Wednesday, we’re keeping an eye out on the alpacas. Their friend Barb is stopping by each day to give them their daily vitamin feed which is placed in dozens of colorful bowls at the edges of the various paddocks.

Mont Blanc’s mom, Giselle’s half-hearted grin.

We don’t have much to do other than to check on pregnant mom, Delilah, who’s due to deliver at any time. Her photo is shown below.

Much to our heavy hearts young Mont Blanc isn’t doing well. He’s now in a separate paddock with his mom and another mom that is also not doing well. Her cria, Latle is also in the paddock.

Latle, the healthy fast-growing youngster with Giselle, Mont Blanc’s mom, in the background.

On Wednesday the vet came to examine Mont Blanc and determined he’s having some type of digestive disorder preventing him from growing and thriving. 

A few weeks ago when we alerted Trish and Neil that Mont Blanc didn’t seem to be nursing or pecking at the grass and appeared tiny and skinny compared to the other fast-growing cria of similar age, they separated him and his mother to another paddock. 

Mont Blanc is much smaller than one month older Latle.

During that period, we’d spotted another cria nursing from Mont Blanc’s mom, leaving less for him. We sent Trish a photo showing the two babies attempting to nurse simultaneously, which proved to be an oddity. Less than a week ago we posted the story with photos as shown here.

Latle is 29 days older than Mont Blanc and is growing well.

At first, once separated from the others, he gained weight and was seeming to improve. Then, a few days ago he began to take a turn for the worse, losing the weight he’d gained, prompting Trish and Neil to call the vet to determine what was wrong. The diagnosis of a digestive disorder left them uncertain as to his fate.

As for Delilah, the only remaining pregnant mom due to give birth this year, she’s yet to deliver her cria.  We’ve been watching her progress daily but see no signs of impending birth. In Trish and Neil’s absence we’ll keep a close watch to ensure all goes well should she soon deliver. She seems fine, is eating well. 

Mont Blanc does appear to munch on a bit of vegetation.

Delilah, pregnant and soon due to deliver, is one of the largest alpacas.  She is a less common rich dark brown. Delilah appears to be the leader of her herd, always at the peak of alertness for any possible intruders.  She’s become used to us visiting the paddock and expresses no concern when we come by.

Yesterday, we walked the distance to the paddock close to their house where Mont Blanc and his mom are located. We made our way over the fence to get inside the paddock and gingerly approached. They didn’t move away as they were unconcerned by our presence having been around us for over two months. Their means of communication, a tender little hum, was escalated by our presence.

Delilah, the last of the pregnant moms yet to deliver this season.

The other youngster in the paddock with his ailing mom is four weeks older than Mont Blanc but was easily triple his size. This is worrisome. We can only hope that somehow Mont Blanc survives this condition and soon begins to grow. He seems alert and active.

After checking on Delilah with no obvious evidence of impending birth we headed back home, planning to stay home over the next few rainy days checking on them several times each day.

Happy day to all!


Photo from one year ago today, March 26, 2015:

One year ago, we met with Curly, owner of the Princeville Ranch, at the entrance that adventure seekers use for the myriad activities offered on the ranch.  He took us on a tour of the vast property in his 4X4 vehicle which was quite an adventure in itself. For more details, please click here.

Easter on the horizon…A frenzy in town…Food in our old days…More new photos…

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The rocky cliffs and sprawling shoreline in New Plymouth.

Heading to town on Thursdays to grocery shop has worked well for us. We leave within minutes after the house cleaner’s arrival allowing them to do their work with us out of the way.

In all previous instances, arriving in town around 11:00 am has been ideal with little traffic and low numbers of shoppers in the markets. Tom reads a book on his phone while waiting in the car while I do the shopping.

We stopped at Paritutu Centennial Park for a walk and to check out the scenery. 

When visiting the Costco/Sam’s Club-like PAK n Save every few weeks he joins me to push the cart. Yesterday, we a trip to New World was all that was necessary. This particular week we had enough meat on hand and didn’t make a stop at Kiwi Meats. 

Much to my surprise upon entering New World market almost every cart was taken while the aisles were jammed with busy shoppers. I’d forgotten Easter was fast approaching until I noticed all the Easter baskets, candy, and people. I hadn’t seen crowds such as this since a holiday weekend in the US a long time ago.

With no big plans for Easter dinner, which among other holidays, over which we no longer make a big fuss or a special meal, it was grocery shopping as usual. With our way of eating, it makes no sense to spend days cooking in an attempt to adapt old recipes to work for our diet. 

Paritutu Rock is located along the shore. Some ambitious hikers climb to the top. That didn’t include us.

Sure, we occasionally discuss old Easter and other holiday favorites; green bean casserole, cheesy potatoes, honey-baked ham, fluffy white buns, fruit whippy, and of course,  our usual coconut and seven-minute frosting covered chocolate bunny rabbit cake. 

It’s easy to recall eating a big chunk of that delicious homemade cake, which we usually saved for well after dinner to savor on a less full tummy. Tom may have included a big glass of 2% milk. Those days are long gone.  We make no exceptions, other than Tom’s occasional indulgences on cruises and dining out.

These steps leading down to the beach are used by surfers who frequent this area.

People often ask us if willpower keeps us from savoring these former treats and once considered hearty and healthy meals. It is not about willpower. It’s about choice. As Tom always says, “If you put your hand on a hot stove and get burned, it doesn’t take willpower to avoid putting your hand on the stove again.”

In essence, it’s a conscious decision to maintain and continue to improve our health. Since we began this way of eating almost five years ago, Tom was able to stop all medications, including seven pills a day for conditions that have long ago disappeared. Now, he takes no prescription medication

Signs such as this are often posted to remind visitors to be respectful of marine life.

As for me, I am down from four medications daily to two tiny pills taken in the morning both for moderate hormonal issues neither of which I’ve been able to control with lifestyle changes. Most likely, I’ll take these two pills a day for the remainder of my life.

We reduced our intake of vitamins due to the problems of hauling long-term supplies. Tom takes three 50 mg Vitamin B6 to keep kidney stones at bay which are apparently working for him. 

This area led to a picnic spot as shown in the below photo.

Prior to him taking this supplement, he had three kidney stone surgeries in three years (in Minnesota). Since taking the B6 and eventually changing his diet, he’s had no recurrence. We both take a daily probiotic supplement. After many blood tests while in Trinity Beach last August neither of us had any deficiencies.

Of course, our wellness regime doesn’t guarantee long-term good health. Nothing can guaranty that. One never knows what lies on the horizon. And on occasion, we fall prey to viruses, colds, coughs, and flu, especially when exposed to the germs on cruises. 

From this website: “The Sugar Loaf Islands, off the coast of New Plymouth, are the eroded stumps of an ancient volcanic crater. Above the water, you can see seven islands and several reefs. Below the surface, there are spectacular cliffs, canyons, boulder reefs, and sand expanses. Captain Cook named the islands, taking inspiration from the lumps of sugarloaf he put in his tea. The “sugar” is actually bird guano.”

We don’t suggest you try any or all of this without first checking with your physician as to what lifestyle changes may work for you. We have no intention or desire to suggest what we may do, which may be suitable for you.

Thus, this way of life, like touching the hot stove, is a no-brainer for us. Instead of exercising willpower, we tap into the innate motivation that results from the lifestyle changes that have proved to be successful for us.

Hard to see in this photo, there were a few surfers in the water.

As I made my way through the overly crowded grocery store, I loaded my cart with our usual foods; fresh organic veggies and avocados, coconut oil, full-fat dairy products including no-sugar-added locally made yogurt, kefir, and delicious New Zealand “grass-fed” butter. 

With plenty of grass-fed meat products remaining in the freezer, all we needed in the way of protein sources was the two organic, no chemicals added, roasted chickens we purchase each week. Most weeks, we’ve purchased these at New World but yesterday, there wasn’t a single such chicken to be found.

It was sunny when we started out, clouding over shortly after we were on the road.

After wading through the crowded aisles, finally, I made my way to the car with a relatively small haul at NZ $154, US $103. Without chickens, we decided to stop at Countdown, another market along the highway on the way home hoping to find the right chickens.

They too didn’t have a single cooked organic free-range chicken and their other non-organic roasted chickens had a list of 30 ingredients used in their preparation including sugar, wheat, and a variety of starches and chemicals. Not an option.

Mount Taranaki covered in fast-moving clouds.

Perusing the refrigerated meat case I located fresh uncooked organic free-range chickens, no chemicals added…plain whole chickens. I was shocked over the great prices for the good-sized chickens, NZ $12.95, US $8.68 each, and quickly grabbed two as the supply was dwindling rapidly.

Yesterday afternoon, I roasted both chickens, delighted with the end results. Lately, as a further attempt at enhancing health, we’ve been eating our main meal midday with a small healthy snack in the evening. We’ve both noticed a difference in feeling better going to bed without feeling full.

In seconds the peak of Mount Taranaki was no longer visible due to cloud cover.

Eating the main meal midday won’t work on cruises when one of the biggest highlights of each day is the fun “shared” dining experience each evening in the main dining room but for now, it’s suiting us both well.

In two days, it will be Easter here. We won’t miss a thing other than our family whom we look forward to seeing again in months to come. The significance of this day remains in our hearts and minds and we wish the same for you, should you celebrate this particular religious holiday along with us.

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

The “wet” tunnel at Tunnels Beach in Kauai is not open for swimming due to the stagnant water causing illness. For more photos of Kauai, please click here.

Continue reading “Easter on the horizon…A frenzy in town…Food in our old days…More new photos…” →

Stormy sleepless night…Musings of life…What does homemade toothpaste have to do with anything?…

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Ingredients for making the toothpaste recipe (see below).

Sleep was elusive last night as we both tossed and turned most of the night. I’d be surprised if I’d slept three hours, Tom a little more. Nothing, in particular, was on our minds as we both commented on several occasions how we were still awake.

Famous words to a loved one during a fitful night, “Are you awake?”

Wait 10 seconds, ask again, “Are you awake?”

“Yes,” they reply after the second inquiry after which you realize you may have awoken them with the question, “Did I wake you?”

“Oh, no,” we say, “I’ve been awake for hours.”

This type of dialogue is not uncommon when receiving a phone call during the night. Why do we always say, “No, you didn’t wake me.  I’ve been awake for hours.”

When following a recipe I place my laptop on the counter to easily follow the instructions.

Funny, we are, we humans. Regardless of our country of origin, or languages spoken, our learned behaviors, we often respond similarly all over the world.

Finally, this morning after reading a book on my phone for over two hours I dragged myself out of bed feeling exhausted in body, alert in mind. What’s that about? 

In part, I believe a sense of joy over the gift of another day of life triggers my brain into full-on mode as I begin another day the moment my feet hit the floor. 

That’s not to say each morning we awake with an over-the-top cheery disposition although neither of us is grumpy in the morning, or at most other times of the day. 

We attempt to live by these principles, although unspoken in their exactness, exercised in our daily lives:

Gratefulness.  A natural segue to happiness.

Appreciation.  A natural segue to a great relationship.

Organization.  A natural segue to maintaining a sense of responsibility.

Faith, humility, and reverence. A natural segue to maintaining a sense of peace and acceptance of the immense impact of a higher power in our lives.

Perfection? Not on the menu. We are subject to the flaws and foibles we continually allow to flow from our beings, in essence, that which makes us unique and vulnerable. 

Combining all the dry and wet ingredients separately, made the final mixing easier.

We love that vulnerability and in this life, we make an effort to find humor in our flaws, our peculiarities, and at times our insane rituals.  We each, in our own way, possess a series of things we say, things we do, and ways in which we respond to one another. 

For us, this uniqueness makes our 24/7 existence not only tolerable but highly entertaining and meaningful. The fact that we travel the world living in one country after another, is almost incidental. It’s the day-to-day that shapes our lives and contributes to our personal growth and well-being.

What does making toothpaste have to do with all of this? I suppose one could say it falls into the category of “organization” in taking responsibility for our health in yet one more simple way.

Finally, I put the liquid ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and mixed them thoroughly.  I didn’t need to use a blender or food processor.

Today, we share yesterday’s photos of that quick and easy process of making toothpaste which we’re happy to report proved to be more effective, better tasting, and better feeling in the mouth than we’d expected. 

Here’s the recipe from Dr. Josh Axe, a renowned and highly acclaimed natural medicine doctor. More on Dr. Axe is located here. 

We prefer not to pack glass containers. This BPA-free contained we had on hand was perfect.
Dr. Axe Homemade
Mineralizing Toothpaste
Total
Time:
2 minutes
Serves: 30
Ingredients:
·
4 tbsp coconut oil
·
2 tbsp baking soda
·
1 tbsp xylitol powder
·
20 drops Cinnamon or
Clove essential oil
·
20 drops Peppermint
essential oil
·
30 drops Trace Minerals
·
Toothpaste
Tube
Directions:
1.     Put all ingredients into bowl and mix well
together. (You can also use a food processor for this)
2.
Remove homemade
toothpaste and store in glass jar with a lid. If it starts to dry out, add a
bit of water
To keep the packing weight at a minimum, I only packed the items we may have more difficulty getting in Bali, the next vacation home in our journey.  I left out the baking soda which is easy to find in any country.

Its delicious tasting and forms a solid paste easy to scoop from the container with a small spoon.

May you have a day filled with gratefulness, appreciation, organization, and faith.

Photo from one year ago today, March 24, 2015:

A year ago, we attended the Princeville Artisan Fair in Kauai and thoroughly enjoying the experience as we met and later highlighted one of the talented vendors.  For more photos, please click here.

Stumbling across a hidden treat!…

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As we drove past this sign, Tom quickly turned around so we could check it out.

Yesterday, headed to local health food store for a few ingredients to make homemade toothpaste. After reading considerable information about the less than ideal ingredients in most toothpastes, we decided the time had come again to make our own. On a few occasions, we made a few attempts with little success.

Over these years we’ve attempted to buy more healthy toothpastes from pharmacies and health food stores around the globe but even they contain less than desirable ingredients for our liking.

We purchased the fresh smoked salmon instead of the frozen offered on this sign.

Today, we’ll make a new recipe for the toothpaste we found from a highly regarded physician, trying it today, tonight, and again tomorrow morning. If we find it palatable, tomorrow we’ll post the recipe, photos of ingredients, and how to make it along with our assessment of the taste and efficacy. 

Anything we can do to aid in our continuing good health is certainly worth a try. We continue to research in these areas on a regular basis, only from reliable professional resources incorporating those which may work for us.

When seeing these fish prices they are quite reasonable.  For example, one of TV guru Gordon Ramsey’s favorites is the John Dorey and red snapper (which we purchased). At the NZ price of $37.50, US $25.33 for a kilo which is 2.2 pounds!  What a great price!

After we left the health food store, Tom took a detour along the ocean close to the industrial port. As we drove past a business area, at the exact same moment, we spotted a sign for a wholesale fish market, open to the public. “Did you see that?” he asked.

“I did! It looks like a fish market!” I enthusiastically replied as he quickly and safely made a U-turn, pulling up in front of the building.  We’d made a few inquiries about fish markets, but no locals had mentioned this location. 

Sole is a wonderfully mild fish suitable for sauces.  But without a good knife, it would be impossible to filet.

The local grocery stores in New Plymouth have substantial fresh fish sections which I often shy away from when often, the fish is imported from other countries, not caught locally. 

On a few occasions, I’ve inquired as to the origins of their fresh fish only to discover they’re imported which is a big turnoff when we have no idea if it originates from a “farm” which we’re opposed to eating. I realize that when cruising any fish we order is imported and may be farmed. 

Although mackerel is a healthy fish rich in nutrients and fish oil, I’m not a big fan.  We would have purchased the fresh salmon, but all that was remaining was tail sections with bones.

While on a cruise for only a few weeks and we’re less concerned over the short period as opposed to three months in a specific location where we’re in control of food purchases.

For example, in Fiji, we discovered that the locally sold fish was mostly caught close to the shore where toxicity is high. As a result, we never purchased fish in Fiji to cook “at home.”

From left to right, yellowfin tuna, snapper, a bag of mixed local clams, shrimp, and calamari, and fresh, not frozen smoked salmon.  Total cost for all items: NZ $40.31, US $27.21.  I cut the snapper into two portions, the bag of shellfish will provide three portions and one portion for the tuna for a total of six portions at an average of NZ $6.72, US $4.53 per serving. We use the smoked salmon as an appetizer with cream cheese and celery.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that purchasing fish from this wholesale fish market would be different, but the odds were improved when I inquired as to the origins of the fish they offered for sale. 

When they explained it was all locally caught with the exception of a few frozen items, none of which we purchased, my mind was at ease, especially we weren’t buying many items with our short time remaining in New Zealand.

Tom doesn’t care for fresh fish. He’ll eat lobster, Barramundi in Australia, and in our old lives, fried walleye in Minnesota. Everything we purchased yesterday will be exclusively for me with the exception of the smoked salmon which he’ll try.

The doorway to enter and exit the fish market is a series of chain links.

The tiny shop, Egmont Seafoods, Ltd, was jammed with other shoppers but we didn’t have to wait long. In no time at all we were out the door, having spent less than expected as shown in the included photo’s caption.

After we left the fish market, with our fish triple wrapped on a cool day, we continued on our detour, able to stop at some sites we’d yet to see while taking several photos as the clouds rolled in.

Today, it’s pouring and after two days out and about, we’re staying in. Back at you tomorrow with more new photos! We hope your day is bright and sunny!

Our prayers and thoughts are with the families and friends of lost loved ones in the devastating bombing in Brussels. Is there any place safe left in our world?

Photo from one year ago today, March 23, 2015:

A Laysan Albatross chick growing quickly while we visited every few days  Oftentimes, the chicks are left alone for many days while the parents head out to sea for food returning to regurgitate a huge portion for the chicks. As the chicks get fatter and fatter, they are easily able to survive off their fat for water and sustenance until their mom and dad return. For more details, please click here.

A drive in the country when the sun peeked out…New photos…

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Cattle are found everywhere in the New Zealand countryside.

Living on an island such as New Zealand the weather is constantly in flux. What may start as a cool cloudy morning easily evolves into a few sunny hours, then clouding over later in the day. It’s during these sunny times we tend to run out for a drive for an hour or two to further investigate our surroundings.

We spotted this sign in the motorcycle park and got out of the car to check it out.

As many of our readers have heard from us over and again, I just don’t enjoy heading out on cloudy days.  Sorry about that. I can’t tell you how often we make plans to go explore and change those plans when the clouds roll in and raindrops begin to fall.

Although no racing was in action, it was fun to stumble upon this raceway in the countryside.

The fact that we’re always “somewhere,” where taking photos and exploring may be of great interest to us and our readers, we always feel we have plenty of time.

As time flies quickly, suddenly we have to move on and we often wonder if we shared enough photos during our stay. In many cases, we’re confident we’ve done so and can easily state an emphatic “yes.”

Lounging longhorn cattle with swishing tail.

At other times, we look back and think we could have gone out on more of those cloudy days to explore and take photos anyway. For now, here on the farm, we’re comfortable with the photos we’ve taken thus far. 

We chose to come to New Zealand to live on an alpaca farm. For the first time in either of our lives experiencing life on a farm surrounded by these and other amazing animals has been a real treasure. 

Another lounging longhorn sitting near his water supply in an old bathtub.

There’s no doubt in our minds that many other parts of New Zealand, including the South Island, have considerable scenery that we’d most certainly find appealing.

Yesterday, as we drove through the countryside, I asked Tom if he feels we should take four or five days and drive to the South Island, staying in hotels along the way.

A pretty farmhouse at the end of a long driveway.

Its almost a day’s drive and a ferry ride to the South Island, thus it a two day trip just getting there and back.  With more to see than we could possibly do in two or three more days, plus the expense we hadn’t budgeted for such a trip,

Tom reminded me with our upcoming five cruises in the South Pacific, one of which will sail to New Zealand’s South Island it makes more sense for us to wait and to see that area when our ship arrives at a few significant ports.

An usually shaped forest of evergreens.

I totally agreed. Neither of us has felt like going on a road trip, especially in the older rental car we rented when we arrived. Most rental car agencies don’t offer their newer cars for our online-booked lower priced long term rentals. 

These less costly cars have worked well for us. We have no complaints. When most travelers rent a car for a week or two the fees don’t seem too bad. When we book and pay for a three-month car rental contract plus often huge “holding fees” locked on our credit cards, it proves to be a relatively large layout in funds.

Often, when we walk out the door for a drive, the sky is totally clear.  Within a short period, everything changes.  By the end of yesterday’s drive, it was dark and cloudy.

Let’s face it, our lives are predicated by the budget.  We have no choice but to carefully monitor our spending.  After all, we’ve been on a “vacation/holiday” for 41 months. It costs a lot of money, which we must diligently monitor to ensure it never gets out of control. This could happen easily in a moment of weakness.

We rarely, if ever, say “Oh, let’s go for it,” when an expensive or an “out of budget” situation occurs. We pay off all of our credit cards at least as often as every two months, if not every month. By the first of April, we won’t owe a penny on any of our cards.  But, that won’t last for long.

With recent rains the hills and valleys are bright green again.

Then, we start booking and paying for vacation homes, cruises and flights, big chunks all at once, all on credit cards, the best and easiest way to pay.  At any given point, we know exactly where we are financial. For each expenditure whether it’s for a cruise, a night in a hotel between flights, or a trip to the farmers market, we log every penny. 

Luckily, I’m in the habit of entering all expenses within 24 hours of the time they incur while Tom’s great at getting receipts for everything since he pays when we’re out shopping. 

When we return ‘home” I place the receipts next to my laptop, converting the amounts paid from foreign monies to US dollars, writing the amounts on the receipts, and then, one by one, entering the expenditures into our spreadsheet in each of its many tabs (worksheets in Excel).

Flowers along the way.  Summer has ended here when yesterday was the first day of fall.

Its the close familiarity with “where we are” financially that definitely has a bearing on “where we’ll go” and “what we’ll spend.” Its only through this detailed diligence that we can continue on with peace of mind and…adequate funds to fully enjoy life in the process. 

As a result, we curtail some of our activities with expense in mind as I’m sure many of you do in managing your daily lives. The challenge is finding the best way to fill our days with activities we love and can easily afford, living life to the fullest.

We wish the same for each and every one of YOU!


Photo from one year ago today, March 22, 2015:

The final vestiges of the sunset over Kauai on Julie’s last night of her visit. We had a wonderful time together as she fell totally in love with Kauai. For more sunset photos, please click here.

Are we slacking off in planning for the future???

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Narrow road along an area of tucked away homes and farms.

By the time we left Minnesota in 2012, we had bookings for the upcoming two years. At this time, we’re booked our for 589 days which is one year, seven months and 10 days from today.

Is there a reason we haven’t stuck to our goal of staying booked two years in advance? Are we uncertain as to how we’ll spend those “missing” five months from our itinerary?

An intentional fire at the mill not far from us.

Not necessarily. Once we leave from the booked three-month stint at the fabulous Costa Rica villa (click here to see) on October 31, 2017 (our five-year travel anniversary) we’ve decided to leave Central America to head to South America where we hope to spend 18 to 24 months.

While in South America, there are many points of interest we’d like to see, but one stands out the most; a cruise to Antarctica. Whether we book this in the later part of 2017 or 2018 is up for grabs at this point. 

None of the cruises in December, January, and February for either of these particular years have been posted yet. We have a specific cruise line, we’d like to choose from and will share details once they’re available. 

Paddock fences at the nearby farm

There are several price ranges for Antarctica cruises on relatively small ships with under 200 passengers, one for as short as 10 days at a much lower price and the more expensive option for 15 or 16 days. 

The vast difference in cost for these two options is the less expensive “cruising by” some of the most interesting islands or actually getting on Zodiac boats from the ship to the islands to get “up close and personal” with the wildlife. 

A place to stop and enjoy the views.

Our regular readers can easily surmise, the “up close and personal” option is our only choice. “Cruising by” would be torture for us. Taking photos from a mile away is not something that appeals to either of us.

By far, this option will be the most expensive of any of our plans to date. We’re preparing for this eventuality in attempting to book affordable locations in the interim which we’ve been able to accomplish so far and hope to continue into the future.

With that in mind, we still have a gap in our schedule we failed to address in our last few posts…how we’ll spend the two weeks between getting off the ship after the Alaskan cruise on May 26, 2017, to June 8, 2017, when we plan to arrive in Minnesota to visit family, later heading to Nevada to visit more family members.

Gate to a long driveway to another farm.

We picked June 8th in hopes of the grandchildren being out of school for the summer holiday. With a plan to rent a caravan/RV during our stay in Minnesota and with the high daily rate of doing so, we decided not to arrive any earlier than this date, hoping to find a less costly way of spending the two-week gap along the way.

After carefully reviewing the outrageous costs of staying in a hotel or vacation home in Minnesota, arriving two weeks earlier than planned would severely cut into the budget, especially when we’d be dining out for all meals and renting a car. 

The rolling hills and mountain views are lovely even on a cloud covered day.

With an RV we can prepare our meals (especially considering our way of eating) not leaving it up to family members to cook for us or putting us up for the extended stay, get around town easily and have a place to sleep, all in one.  It makes the most sense to us both financially and practically.

Arriving in Seattle after the Alaskan cruise, heading across the northern part of the US to Minnesota, leaves us many options. In the next several months, we’ll reserve the RV in Minnesota and figure out how we’ll spend the two-week gap.

Planning beyond the time in Costa Rica, after we’ll have left the US is totally predicated at this point on the cruise we choose to Antarctica which hopefully soon we’ll be able to pin down. That’s our entire motivation for waiting to book other locations.

Many farmhouses have ocean views.

This booking process can be complicated and time-consuming. The thought of “not having a place to live” for a period of time could be frightening and unsettling for some. 

For us, after all this time, its simply one more item on our “to do” list over which neither of us stresses or worries. There’s always a solution, one way or another.

May your day bring you solutions and peace of mind.

Photo from one year ago today, March 21, 2015:

This photo, taking from our lanai in Kauai after a night of rain, displayed this waterfall on the mountains. What a beautiful sight! For more details on this date one year ago, please click here.