We landed a vacation home in Sydney!…Itinerary almost completely filled until October 31, 2017…

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Chaise lounges, gas grills and dining table outdoors overlooking the bay.

When we went back and forth via email for a vacation home in Sydney for the 40 days we discussed in yesterday’s post, we were relieved and excited to have wrapped up this time frame later in the day.

Of course, dealing with Aussies is always delightful based on our past experiences. Oh, dear…am I stereotyping Australians as outrageously warm and friendly? 

 View of the North Harbour and Manly Cove, from the property. A view, WiFi, a clean and updated property is all we need. No screens? We’re used to it by now.

I suppose in a way it may be a stereotype of a nation of people but it’s utterly irresistible to avoid doing so when they, like Kiwis, are some of the most friendly people on the planet.

No doubt there are exceptions, but we’ve yet to experience anything other than pleasant and memorable interactions after spending approximately six months in their presence after arriving in the South Pacific on June 11, 2015. 

Walk out from the kitchen to the beautiful yards and gardens.

We spent three months in Trinity Beach, Australia, a month on two Australian cruises, and now over two months here in New Zealand, giving us ample time to make such a general assessment, albeit it is biased after having such great encounters.

And yesterday was no exception when we pinned down the lovely apartment in an oversized bed and breakfast type house overlooking the bay with a private fully equipped apartment. 

Additionally, there are two separate bed and breakfast bedrooms with baths, common areas, and daily continental breakfast. 

Modern kitchen with everything we’ll need.  No dryer.  No dishwasher.  No big deal to us!

Overall, prices for vacation rentals are high in Australia especially close to Sydney, as is the case for this property.  At AU $200, US $152, NZ $224 per night, this is the highest price we’ll have paid in our travels to date with the exception of hotels and short-term rentals of less than two weeks.

We perused hotels with kitchen amenities such as a small fridge, microwave, and coffee pot but prices were even higher.  Adding the cost of dining out if we stayed in a hotel, we’d easily have spent over AU $394, US $300, NZ $441 per day, well over our budget.

Based on the fact that this property we chose in Sydney, actually Manly Beach, has not only excellent public transportation but there’s also a free shuttle close to the property that travels to the local shopping areas, beaches, and restaurants which we certainly use frequently.

Master bedroom in apartment.

As a result, we won’t need a rental car which once we made all the calculations we discovered this property makes it possible to stay within our budgetary guidelines. Having made this determination, we proceeded to confirm the 40-day reservation with peace of mind and enthusiasm.

With a wide selection of walking trails and paths close to the property, we’ll be able to get out for exercise and to absorb the many beautiful surrounding areas and attractions. 

An easy bus ride will take us to downtown Sydney, the Harbour Bridge, and the Opera House where hopefully we’ll be able to see a performance, a must-do in this city. 

The lounge where guests mingle might be a fun spot to meet other travelers.

The performances for the Opera House aren’t yet posted for 2017. I made a notation on our online calendar to book something as soon as the upcoming performance becomes available.

Sydney has a wealth of tourist attractions we’ll surely visit. We’ll put on our “tourist” persona and go with the flow, seeing everything that appeals to us while living in this amazing city, sharing photos and details here each day.

We’ll arrive in Sydney on a cruise on that particular occasion on March 13, 2017 (more Sydney layovers will follow for many upcoming cruises) departing on April 22, 2017, a little more than a year from now.

From there, on April 22, we’ll take a 24-day cruise from Sydney, Australia to Seattle, Washington, USA for another cruise to Alaska and then off to Minnesota and later Nevada to visit family. 

Whew! We’ll be busy. We love it all!

May all of you stay busy and entertained doing some of those things you also love!

Photo from one year ago today, March 20, 2015:

A year ago today, we posted this photo of Tom and our dear friend Richard who recently passed away. We’ll always miss him and the amazing times we had together during our four months in Kauai. For more photos, please click here.

Filling the last gap in our itinerary…

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Sun streaming through a dense cloud cover at sunset.

We prefer to have all gaps filled within a year of traveling to any specific location. With a gap between two Australian cruises from March 13, 2017 to April 22, 2017,  we’ve been chomping at the bit to find where we’ll stay while in Sydney, Australia.

Unfortunately, if we waited for sunny days, we’d have a few photos of the scenery surrounding us.

Sydney is a magical city with much to see and do. Having been to Sydney three times since June 2015, staying overnight in hotels twice, we easily fell in love with the city, the people, and the vast array of interesting things to see and do.

View of lake at Pukekura Park.

On many occasions, we’ve mentioned that we aren’t “city people” but from time to time a big city holds a certain amount of appeal that piques our curiosity and interest. Sydney is just that type of city.

The very fact of Sydney’s desirability to many tourists worldwide has contributed to the high cost of rentals both in the city and the surrounding areas, making it fall into the category of some of the most expensive vacation homes we’ve researched to date.

The beach in Opunake.

The only way we can justify the higher rents that will surely prove to be the highest we’ll have paid to date is to use public transportation during this 40 day period to avoid the high cost of a rental car, fuel, and parking. Plus, it appears to be easy to get around the city with considerable low-cost transportation options.

It was a cool, cloudy evening when we shot these photos of the sea.

Staying in a hotel is not a practical solution, although if we can’t pin down a reasonable scenario we may decide to stay in a hotel that has a kitchenette with a coffee maker and microwave. This worked for us when we stayed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in September 2014 for six days, giving us a feel for how we’d do without a full kitchen.

There are many cliffs along the shores in New Zealand.

There’s a big difference between six days and forty days but if we purchase roasted chicken two nights a week as we do now, pick up some healthy “to go” food another few nights a week, we’d eat out for the remainder.  It’s definitely doable, not unlike how we managed for another 11 days when we were in Honolulu, Hawaii in October 2014.

Of course, we’d prefer a vacation home, able to do laundry, cook our meals and overall keep the costs down.  Finding a vacation home that works is the challenge in Sydney as we’re now on a mission to wrap something up in the next few weeks before leaving New Zealand.

Visitors walking along the beach on a cool evening.

It’s a never-ending process, luckily one that we each continue to enjoy although more so when there are more options that stay within our budget. As we often mention, staying within our monthly/annual budget enables us to continue on as long as our health continues to be good.

The challenge always revolves around matching location, our particular needs, and desires, transportation options, availability of WiFi, and making the financial aspect work within the constraints we’ve established to continue this way of life with the least amount of stress.

As the sun peeked out, we stopped for another view of Mount Taranaki with cows on the hill.

In essence, limited the amount of stress in our lives is not only vital to our long-term health and well being but it greatly affects the level of enjoyment and enrichment of each and every experience.

We hope you have a low-stress day! 

Photo from one year ago today, March 19, 2015:

A year ago, a visitor was killed at this beach at the end of Anini Beach, a desirable beach only 15 minutes from Princeville. This was sad to see.  For more beach photos in Kauai, please click here.

A heartwarming story of a little life…

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Only a few days ago, Mont Blanc approached the fence welcoming us.  Perhaps somehow he knows how much we care. See his story below

When we first arrived on the Watson Alpaca Farm on January 19, 2016, we had an experience with one of the cria, Mont Blanc, son of Giselle that we’ll never forget as shown in this post from January 26th. 

Mont Blanc was born on January 10th with blue eyes considered an anomaly, which Trish explained could indicate possible future health problems often observed in rare blue-eyed alpacas.

It’s been hard to get a good photo of Mont Blanc’s blue eyes with his long lashes. 

Somehow the tiny alpaca had maneuvered his way under the wire fence and was separated from his mother when they were in the paddock next to our house. 

We were inside when this occurred, but with the doors wide open we couldn’t help but hear his cries, his mother’s cries, and the cries of the others as they all worried about the fate of the separated cria at this point only a few weeks old.

Mont Blanc, the day he was reunited with his mom after escaping the fence.

Inexperienced as we were, we feared lifting Mont Blanc over the fence would be stressful for him or risky for us if Giselle was upset if we’d picked him up. Now we know better. We could have lifted him over the fence, returning him to his distressed mom.

Contacting Trish by phone she explained that she and Neil were on their way home from work to check on the alpacas as they do each day at lunchtime. In no time at all, they arrived, lifted Mont Blanc over the fence as we watched the joyful reunion of mother and son. 

Mont Blanc, on the left wearing his green collar sitting on the patch of dirt with the other much larger, younger cria only a few weeks ago.

We watched Mont Blanc and Giselle for days noticing how he never left her side, remembering all too well the distress of being separated for almost an hour. It was during this period we developed a special attachment to Mont Blanc and his quiet shy demeanor, less playful than the other cria who romped about the paddock in the evenings as the sun began to fade.

Since the alpacas are moved to “greener pastures” every week to allow grass to regrow from their constant grazing and to restore the area from parasites as a natural part of the animal’s defecation contributes to the growth of a variety of parasites that can ultimately affect the health of the alpacas.

Mont Blanc, a few days after he and his mom were moved out of the paddock with a few new moms and cria as opposed to the larger herd. 

Trish and Neil are diligent in managing control over the general health of the alpacas including management of the parasites both in the paddocks and the alpacas to ensure their continuing well-being. We’re continually amazed by the alpaca’s great health as a direct result of their diligent love and care.

When the alpaca group we’ve been observing these past two months spent time in the paddocks nearest the house, we couldn’t help but notice Mont Blanc’s small stature and over time, how he didn’t seem to thrive. 

Mont Blanc, a few days ago, bigger and healthier, nursing without sharing.

The many other younger cria surpassed him in height and weight. He seemed to struggle to get up and down when he hunkered down on the patch of dirt outside our living room door where the babies often cuddle together. Over time, we noticed his rib cage showing. 

When I mentioned our concerns to Trish, she mentioned they’d tried to bottle feed him but with the alpacas at a distance from their house, they weren’t able to see him as easily each day as we were at such close proximity.

About 10 days ago, as I sat on the deck lost in watching the adorable behavior of these precious beings, I observed this unusual scenario, another larger cria nursing off Mont Blanc’s mom. 

Mont Blanc, the smaller of the two in this photo, was being pushed out from nursing by this other youngster. Alpacas only have one cria each year and rarely nurse another baby.

Immediately, I sent Trish the photos, and that evening after work, Trish and Neil came and moved Mont Blanc and Giselle to another paddock where he wouldn’t have to compete for food from his mom. We’d rarely seen him nursing or even grazing that all the younger cria had begun doing regularly.

Each day after they were moved we walked to the distant paddock to see how he was doing and much to our delight, he was often nursing and munching on grass.  In only a matter of a few days, he began to fill out. His ribs were no longer showing. Now, he’s thriving and quickly growing.

Mom growled a little at the other cria when she noticed what was going on.

Yesterday, Trish stopped by to drop off our insurance documents that had arrived in the mail from the UK and to tell us that Mont Blanc has gain 2 kilos, 4.4 pounds since they were moved. 

When she said to us, “You may have saved his life,” our heart flipped in our chests. How much better could this experience have been for both of us? 

The pinkness of his nose and mouth is changing as he matures and grows healthy.

To be instrumental in the birth of a two cria while we “babysat” in Trish and Neil’s absence and then to play a small role in alerting them to the critical situation with Mont Blanc, our experience on the farm is complete. 

Although we haven’t had to “do the work” that Trish and Neil do each day and the work and responsibility of our ancestors living on farms, we’ll be eternally grateful for a new understanding and appreciation for life on a farm.

Mont Blanc with a blade of grass in his mouth is looking great!  His name tag says, “Mt. Blanc” like the name of the pricey pen.

Soon, our journey continues on with more life-changing opportunities to expand our personal growth and embrace the scope of the world around us.

Be well, dear friends…

Photo from one year ago today, March 18, 2015:
One year ago, the food in the Oasis restaurant at the resort was delicious according to my sister Julie who was visiting us in Kauai. Her lunch of fish taco was prepared perfectly. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one item on the menu that worked for me and I wasn’t hungry enough to ask for special modifications. I ordered an iced tea and was content to be with my sister as we looked out at the sea. For more photos please click here.

Drinking wine after all these years…What’s the deal?…Does drinking wine increase inflammation?

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The two bottles of New Zealand wine we purchased and savored over this past week, yet to finish both bottles.

It’s hard to say what prompted me to want to try drinking wine after almost a two-decade hiatus. Many years ago I was told by the medical profession that any form of alcoholic beverages could increase inflammation. 

In hearing this bad news at the time, I totally lost my taste for drinking wine. Why consume anything that was destructive to my health when almost five years ago I changed my way of eating to exclude all grains, starches, and sugars? 

Since that fateful day in August 2011, I haven’t had as much of a taste of any foods included in these food groups and have been relatively pain-free from a chronic inflammatory spinal condition that has plagued me for almost 30 years. 

My dear elder sister has laid in bed for over 10 years with this same condition with severe muscle wasting and nerve damage from the same hereditary condition that will prevent her from ever walking or being mobile again.

Medical science is not exact. All I know is that by living in this narrow food bubble, I am pain-free and able to travel the world.  For fear of changing that scenario, I’ve also stayed away from wine, fearing that an occasional glass could send me into a tailspin, reversing all the good benefit from this way of eating.

A pretty flower on a walk.

Scientific data changes. Over the years with the online assistance of Dr. William Davis, who wrote the book, Wheat Belly and many other successful books since that time, he had taught me in personal email communication to test my blood sugar using a glucometer when trying new food, at one hour and again at two hours. 

If my blood sugar didn’t escalate to any degree after ingesting the single item on an empty stomach, then, most likely that particular food wouldn’t be increasing my levels of inflammation. 

In the beginning of this way of eating I tested 100’s of foods narrowing my options to a relatively short list; grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and eggs, wild-caught fish, full fat dairy (in moderation), nitrate-free bacon, and organic non starchy vegetables. 

In the interim, I’ve completely avoided any processed foods, foods containing chemicals, soy, beans, rice, and fruit, all of which can exacerbate inflammation. For me, this way of eating has worked. 

For Tom, this way of eating has completely eliminated GERD and IBS, chronic conditions from which he suffered for years, now completely gone…gone…gone.

Flowers blooming on the farm.

As a side benefit, weight control is easy as we continue to enjoy delicious meals, neither of us ever gaining weight. It’s only when we’re on a cruise or out to dinner that Tom indulges in his favorites; bread, fries, and sweets, often gaining as much as seven or eight pounds on a cruise. Otherwise, we never have any such items in our temporary homes.

Frequently reading medical studies, (many of which are often skewed by money-grubbing sponsors), I’d noticed that drinking wine in moderation, no more than two small glasses a day, may actually be instrumental in reducing inflammation and blood sugar.

Overall, with heredity against me, I’d have full-blown type 2 diabetes if I didn’t follow this restrictive low carb way of eating, another inflammatory disease. My glucose levels escalate on days I may eat too much or too many of the foods I can eat. 

Excess low carbs foods and protein in themselves can exacerbate the production of glucose in the blood along with poor insulin management. This isn’t an “eat all you want” way of eating as many assume. 

Its high fat, low carb, moderate protein way of eating creates homeostasis (definition: “the tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function.)”

Lemon tree growing on the farm.  We have a tree outside the front door from which we’ve been picking and using lemons since our arrival.

No doubt, I could go on for hours on this topic but prefer not to be repetitive from many past posts. If you’d like more information, please email me and I’ll send you a list of easy to read books with information from reliable medical professionals and scientific studies that more clearly define this lifestyle in more detail.  (We don’t sponsor or receive any remuneration from these authors or publishers).

Curious to see if I could drink an occasional glass of wine, two at most on any given day, I recently purchased a new glucometer, test strips, and lancets at a local pharmacy. (My older glucometer had quit working and the test strips had expired).

I began testing my blood after drinking both red and white wines on an empty stomach on separate days (New Zealand brands, of course) to see what would transpire.

As it turned out, my blood sugar went down after drinking two small glasses. This phenomenon, not new, is based on the liver being too busy processing the alcohol to pump out more glucose, keeping the blood sugar relatively low when drinking in moderation. 

This response is different for everyone. Most diabetics cannot drink at all and are advised to completely avoid alcohol. Please check with your medical professional as to what may be acceptable for you. 

We continue to visit the pink cockatoo pair on the farm.  They make lots of noise when they see us.

In any case, when Tom and I shared a glass of wine at “happy hour” a first for us in many years, we couldn’t help but giggle over the enjoyable experience. (Tom rarely drinks at home).

I must admit, I got quite a “buzz” after drinking two 3 ounces (85 gr.) glasses of wine as we languished in the chaise lounges on the deck. Not surprisingly the red wine affected my ability to sleep well that night when the white had no effect at all. Both were very dry wines, a Cabernet and a Pinot Grigio.

I’ve missed an occasional glass of wine. Now that I see no deleterious effect, I feel comfortable trying an occasional glass of white wine with dinner while on cruises and out to dinner. I’ll avoid the red, which taste I’ve always preferred, for the sake of a good night’s sleep, a common side effect experienced by many red wine drinkers.

There are carbs in wine, approximately 3 grams in a five-ounce glass which I’ll factor into my diet on the days I choose to have a glass or two which won’t be that often.

An adorable baby goat tied up at the side of the road in the neighborhood.

Gee…now that I know this I think back to all the wine tasting I’ve missed in our travels. Obviously, there’s no way to make up “for lost time” nor do I want to. However, going forward it may be a delightful adjunct to social events and dining in our future travels.

As we toasted each other at our few “happy hours” over this past week, we made eye contact as we were reminded by our friend Sue in Minnesota who always explained we should make eye contact with the person with whom you’re making a “toast.” Most certainly, this adds to the festive occasion.

Next time you have a glass of wine (if you so choose and it’s appropriate for your health) look into the eyes of the person your toasting, saying “Here’s to you!” We’ll be toasting to all of YOU!

Also, happy St. Patrick’s Day to those who celebrate in the South Pacific!

Photo from one year ago today, March 17, 2015:

A year ago today, while my sister was visiting us in Kauai, we found the elusive Hawaiian Monk Seal, lying on the beach at the Napali Coast.  We were so excited to see this amazing creature. For more photos, please click here.

No cooking, no laundry, no making the bed…Itinerary until December…

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Our new itinerary…

 Sydney Hotel 1  4/15/2016 – 4/16/2016 
 Cruise – Sydney to Singapore  14  RC Voyager of Seas   4/16/2016 – 4/30/2016 
 Bali House  59  4/30/2016 – 6/28/2016 
 Hotel Singapore 7  6/28/2016 – 7/5/2016 
 Hanoi Hotel 3  7/5/2016 – 7/8/2016 
 Cruise – Hanoi to Ho Chi Min City  15  Viking Mekong    7/8/2016 –
7/22/2016 
 Phuket House  41  7/22/2016 –
9/1/2016 
 Bali House w 59  9/1/2016 –
10/30/2016 
 Sydney Hotel  1  10/30/2016 –
10/31/2016 
 Cruise – Sydney to Perth  16  RC Radiance of the Seas   10/31/2016 – 11/16/2016 
 Cruise – Perth to Sydney  17  RC Radiance of the Seas   11/16/2016 – 12/3/2016 

Late yesterday afternoon, as we lounged on the deck overlooking this vast farmland and the sea, each of us sipping on a glass of wine (more on why I may be occasionally drinking wine in tomorrow’s post), it dawned on me that we won’t have to do much housework up until December 3, 2016 when we arrive in Tasmania.

These unusual mushrooms appear translucent.

Mentioning to Tom that we hadn’t been able to do laundry for days due to rain which finally stopped around 4:00 pm, it dawned on me that over the next many months, hanging laundry won’t be on our radar.

Once we leave New Zealand in less than a month, we won’t have to wash a dish, make a bed or do our laundry with the exception of the 41 days we’ll live on the island of Phuket, Thailand where we won’t have household help other than a weekly cleaner.

We started recalling our itinerary, as Tom easily recalls from memory long into the future. A month from today, we’ll board Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas after spending one night in the Sydney Hotel. Then the lazy days begin.

An unusual “mushroom” in our yard fell over from its weight.

Upcoming in Bali on both occasions as shown in the itinerary, staying at the same property, we’ll have a full staff. There, if we choose we won’t have to cook if we’d prefer not to do so.

Although I need to have a close handle on how food is being prepared, the owners explained we can shop, if we’d prefer and the cook will chop, dice and prep food while I put it together seasoning and finishing. 

The staff in Bali will serve our needs throughout the day handling all household tasks, later setting the table, preparing the meal and cleaning up after dinner, later departing for the evening.  

We never stop noticing a pretty flower.

What will I do with myself when I spend the better part of most days running about the house engaged in various household tasks most of which I don’t mind? Also, preparing our meals requires a little time each day.

We easily recall this similar scenario when living in Marrakesh, Morocco for almost three months beginning in March, 2014; never washing a dish, cooking a meal, making the bed, cleaning or doing laundry. It took some getting used to.

We discovered that we easily navigate being around people all day never failing to treat them kindly, respectfully and often with a degree of warmth and affection when appropriate. 

We think these are Rhododendron.  They have a velvety texture.

We generously provide tips when its time for us to go as will be the case going forward with hotel staff, cruise cabin steward and other cruise staff and various household staff members.

A lot of daily walking and swimming in the pool in Bali will be in order during these many months when we could easily become lazy with this lifestyle over these many months. 

Fortunately, during the 62 days of cruising, using the health club (me, only) and lots of walking are great options to keep us active and moving about along with the many tours we’ll be on during these periods. 

Roses continue to bloom in the cooler weather.

Regardless of the situations we encounter as we continue to travel the world, we make every effort to not only adapt to our surroundings at any given time but to also find ways to stay active and busy whether we have household help or are on our own.

We hope your day is filled with that which you find appealing, that which works for YOU, whether its reading a book, watching a favorite TV show, taking a leisurely walk or pounding it out at the health club.

Photo from one year ago today, March 16, 2015:

The beaks of the Albatross are used for preening and for signs of greeting. Or, they may be used in aggression if an intruder threatens them or the nest.  One year ago, we spent considerable time at their nesting site.  For more details, please click here.

Today is our 4th anniversary of posting…

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These beautiful tree clusters create a nice foreground for our photos at sunset.

Yesterday, as I was uploading the post, the date dawned on us as the upcoming anniversary of our first post.  As it turns out, it was four years ago today, on March 15, 2012, that we posted this site for the first time.

Here is the link to our first post on March 15, 2012.

At the time we began posting, we weren’t leaving Minnesota for over seven months until our departure date of October 31, 2012 with much to plan and handle in attempting to undo a lifetime in Minnesota and 26 years in our home.

Each room in our house was decorated and appointed with mementos, treasured and decorator items, all with a story and special meaning only to us. The two walk-in closets in the master bedroom, three upstairs guest room closets, and a large attic were filled to the brim with years of collection and accumulation. 

There’s a sliver of moon in this photo.

Certainly not, “hoarders” we still had our fair share of stuff. The thought of disposing of it all much of which our kids had no interest with their own house filled with their “stuff”, we made up bins of memorabilia for the each of the grandkids.

We arranged a professional estate sale for the rest, donating the items which didn’t sell. It was a daunting task I’ll never forget, along with the sale of the house and both cars.

In addition, we had to research and plan insurance, medical, immunizations, financial matters, digital equipment needs and of course, enough upcoming travel arrangements to give us peace of mind in knowing where we’d be traveling for the first few years.

Taking photos of sunsets is always tricky when the sky changes by the seconds, not minutes.

Tom was still working up until departure date. Being able to document the process was both therapeutic and rewarding, especially when people from all over the world began reading our posts, much to our surprise and delight. How did they find us? 

At the time, we did little promotion to acquire more readers. Magically, they appeared and continue to do so through “word of mouth” and our occasional promotion on other websites. 

When readers started writing to us about enjoying their “armchair experience,” reading our story on their ride on the train or bus ride to work, during a coffee break or at the kitchen table, our enthusiasm escalated to hopefully provide a worthwhile experience.

It was almost completely dark when we took this shot.

Many changes have occurred over these past four years.  Early on we hired a web designer, Brooke Woodall with http://www.smittenblogdesigns.com/ to help with the nuances since I have little time or interest in web development. 

Eventually, we added advertisers although we earn little revenue from the links but never did so with the intent in making enough to support us in any manner. Most likely, that will never occur. 

As time passed, around February, 2013, we found ourselves posting every day and attempting to perfect the quality of our photos. Since we began posting daily, we’ve hardly missed a single day, only due to internet connectivity or on travel days. 

With the mountains blocking our view of the actual sun setting we’re able to see the beauty in the sky at sunset on clear nights.

Over these past few years we’ve made an attempt to prepare the final day’s post to be scheduled to upload on travel day. That process seems to be working well preventing us from missing any days.

We realize that some days our stories are “thin” and not as content rich as others.  Its the “nature of the beast.” If someone told me I’d write a several page “essay” with photos every single day, I’d have said it wasn’t possible due to lack of content and/or motivation.

Nothing stop us, not lack of content, motivation, illness or planned activities. On cruises, we often go our on tours early in the morning. We either prepare a post the prior day or post upon return with new photos. 

Moments later it was pitch dark.

Our dedication and commitment has never wavered mainly due to our loyal readers commitment to continuing to stop by to see “what’s happening.” We are eternally grateful for our readers. 

It’s all of YOU who drive us to get out, see more, have more experiences, create more stories to write and take more photos to share. This, dear readers, even after four years never and I mean never, leaves us feeling pressured or stressed to prepare the next day’s morsel.

We enthusiastically continue to share our lives of two somewhat daring, somewhat crazy, sometimes boring seniors citizens of the world dedicated to living life to the fullest for as long as we are given the gift of good health.

Thank you for these past amazing four years.  Thank you to our readers who’ve stepped in along the way.  Thank you to our new readers who may be here for the first time today.  Each of you inspires us to continue on…

Photo from one year ago today, March 15, 2015:

We didn’t post a photo one year ago today when instead we wrote about our original post on March 15, 2012.  Please click here for details.

Busy sports weekend in the countryside…Sports and interests…

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We never figured out the source of smoke in these photos when the road was closed for a bike race.

We’re not much in the way of sports enthusiasts. Tom’s only sports passion is for the Minnesota Vikings football with no interest in other teams or sporting events. I’ll watch a few Vikings games when we can hook the HDMI into a flat-screen TV, but not when he has no choice but to watch it on his laptop.

We’ve attempted to get into watching golf, tennis, soccer, and other sporting events. But, during half of our time spent living in vacation homes, we have no TV, nor could we depend upon being able to watch any potential favorites when they may not be on in any given location.

Watching sports and finding great pleasure in doing so seems to revolve around having a favorite team to cheer on. That’s difficult to embrace when we’re always on the move.

To the left, there’s was a distant freighter. There’s a relatively inaccessible sandy beach in this area.

Tom’s allegiance to the Minnesota Vikings surely is predicated by having been born and living in Minnesota all of his life except for the past 41 months. He’s a staunch fan, preferring not to watch the game with others fearing distracting conversations. I’ve learned not to distract him when he’s watching a game.

As it turns out, being able to watch the Vikings is a costly undertaking when games aren’t available in most parts of the world requiring he pay an annual fee for the online NFL Game Pass service in order to watch the games, plus the cost of data to stream it online.

In total, the cost of NFL Game Pass (only viewable outside the US) has been NZ $251, US $169 per season not including playoff games. With 16 games, that’s an average of NZ $15.55, US $10.56 per game plus another approximate NZ $14.83, US $10 for data.

Driving along the ocean, we spotted these cyclists, participants in a local race on Saturday.

When watching totals NZ $30.38, US $20.56 per game, one thinks twice about adding any other video streaming sporting events. It all adds up. Luckily, with our lack of interest in other sports, we’ve avoided incurring such additional costs.

With each of us with distinct interests in different areas, we find ourselves easily entertained on the days such as today when it’s raining and we have no interest in heading out to explore. 

Although I read most of the downloaded books on my phone when in bed, I can easily spend the better part of the day researching my favorite topics; wildlife, nature, health, food, science, space, technology, and travel, while Tom wraps his brain around communicating with friends and family on Facebook, future travel/cruises, investments, history, and ancestry.

Outside a refinery, the bikers stopped to converse during the race.  Mount Taranaki is in the background.

Of course, I’m very interested in seeing how family and friends are doing on Facebook, but spend only a short time doing so each day. As a fast reader, I breeze through the recent posts in no time at all.

The most amazing part of our diverse interests is the fact that we can easily share interesting tidbits with one another, expressing genuine interest in what one another discovers. We’ll watch the US and UK TV series “Who Do You Think You Are” (as one of Tom’s interests) as readily as we’ll watch a health-related documentary.

It appeared a number of teams were participating in the bike race. There was also a motocross race occurring at the same time, although we couldn’t get close enough to see anything.

On other occasions, we may watch an old episode of Stephen Hawking’s theories on science and space which on his own, Tom may not be interested in watching. Living together 24/7 we automatically gravitate toward sharing our interests while reveling in one another’s passion.

Sure, he’d rather not visit a botanical garden, nor do I have a great interest in visiting a military armory. We do both of these and many more never feeling as if we’ve had to compromise.  Its this innate willingness to bring joy to our peculiar lives of travel that we easily participate in each other’s interests.

While I was inside the health food store, Tom took a photo of this passing decorated truck, most likely with a connection to the local sports events.

May someone special present you with an opportunity to share in their interests, whether it be a sporting event, a science fiction movie, or an episode of World War II on the history channel.

Photo from one year ago today, March 14, 2015:
No photo was posted one year ago today.  Tomorrow, on March 15th (here in the South Pacific), we’ll elaborate.  Click here for that post without photos.

Unusual sighting on a drive…Who knew?…New photos!

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Later, upon arriving home we laughed over this photo that appears to be what??? A six-legged cow? No. The photo is a fluke which one cow standing behind the other.  We didn’t stay long for better photos when they began showing a few signs of aggression.

After days of bad weather, yesterday as the winds diminished we took off for a drive anxious to get out. The sun was shining and we couldn’t have been more thrilled to be on our way. 

It was Saturday and the roads were busy with outdoor activities including a motocross event and a bike race requiring we make a few detours to get around the road that runs along the ocean.

We were able to take many photos often getting out of the car when possible to walk down country roads for better shots when parking wasn’t readily available at the most scenic locations.

The air was cool, but we’d dressed accordingly. This area is an amazing wealth of unique sights to see, unlike many countries we’ve visited in the past inspiring us to take advantage of sunny days.

This sign is posted at the entrance to the Belted Galloway farm.

Many sightings, unique to New Zealand, only add to the excitement as we wander onto road after road, making an effort to avoid repeats.  I almost hold my breath as we drive anticipating something special at the next turn. 

It’s no wonder we haven’t wanted to drive far away, incurring hotel bills, costs of meals, and expensive fuel when everything that appeals to us is within a two-hour drive.

This morning, prior to preparing today’s post we headed to town again to purchase eggs at the Farmers Market Taranaki, a trip we make every other Sunday morning. Open only in the mornings and having taken my time getting up this morning after a fitful night, we decided to head out as soon as we were up, showered, and dressed, even waiting for our usual morning coffee.

The egg farmer from whom we purchase usually purchase six dozen free-range, organic eggs, asked if we’ve traveled much throughout the country. We explained how much we’ve loved this general area and he laughed saying, “Many locals never visit all that you two have in their entire lifetime in this area!”

The line of demarcation of the white and black hide is fairly defined in these unusual cattle.

We certainly understand this often typical scenario. Who goes sightseeing in their own town unless they’re taking out-of-town visitors to see a specific venue or visiting a few popular sites with their children and/or grandchildren?

By the time we leave the Taranaki Region, we feel we’ll know it quite well as opposed to knowing a little of “this and that” from frequent travel outside the area. 

Perhaps, this is a rationalization for our lack of interest in making long road trips at this time. As we explained to the egg rancher, we do what we love to do which ultimately brings us the most joy and meaning and, hopefully, provides a modicum of entertainment for our worldwide readers.

Taking dozens of photos which we’ll share over the next many days, we were able to see a “story” in many of our camera subjects, especially the photos we’re sharing today, that of the unique (to us anyway) Belted Galloway Cattle. 

We’d never seen this breed of cattle in all of our world travels where over and over we’ve seen a wide variety of the more common breeds.

What a sight to see…these belted cattle!

This website is a good resource for information about the Belted Galloway who originated in Scotland in the 1700s.  Here’s a little about these special looking cattle from the online source:

“Belted Galloway cattle originated from western Scotland, a region whose weather is strikingly similar to Ireland’s own damp climate! This makes Belted Galloways perfectly suitable for the wet, cold winters and the boggy soft terrain of Irish farms. Their long, curly outer coat is ideal for rainy weather, as its coarseness deflects moisture from the animal’s skin. They also have a soft undercoat to keep them warm in colder temperatures. The head of the Belted Galloway has long hair around its ears, preventing frostbite in a case of an extreme Irish freeze.”

These unique animals are often referred to as the “Oreo” cattle. We “borrowed” the below photo from the website to illustrate that point which once seen clearly makes sense of such a nickname:

Yep, kind of similar to an “Oreo.”  Tom misses those for sure but looking at these cows didn’t make his mouth water as much as eyeballing a package of Oreos at the grocery store.

Standing on the side of the road, having parked on the narrow weedy road’s edge we proceeded with caution. (Few local roads in New Zealand have a “shoulder” for any necessary or desired stopping).

Wading through the tall grass and weeds we were able to get close enough for today’s photos. This breed of cattle may be aggressive as noted in these comments from the website:

“The dams also have strong mothering instincts, which is a plus for farmers who worry about the safety of vulnerable calves. Any nearby predators can be warned off by protective Belted Galloway dams; however, as with every breed, this kind of aggression should be treated with caution, and extra care should be taken around a volatile dam and her offspring. In the case of bulls, visitors should always be wary of the danger! Have a look at our article on Bull Safety to remind yourself of the right practices.”

It’s the females that are more aggressive in this breed as may be the case with this mom who may have a calf nearby.

As we stood and watched the cattle we could sense a bit of possible aggression as we noticed the double electric fence. As we’ve seen most recently cattle have certain movements such as kicking up a leg at a time and snorting indicating agitation.

Preferring not to upset their daily routine, we took these few photos and were happily on our way to see more treasures in this special area. We’ll be back with lots more over the next several days.

May you have a day of new discoveries!

Photo from one year ago today, March 13, 2015:

In Kauai, Tom spotted these two chickens. “Must have been a double yolker,” Tom clucked as I laughed. Kauai has one of the largest feral chicken populations in the world. For more photos, please click here.

Windy days and night…Coldest we’ve been in awhile…

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Only a few pregnant moms remain in the paddock that will give birth this season. Many more are pregnant for next season. This most recent birth occurred in this past week. In this photo, the cria is less than one day old.

This is unusual for us…being cold. My hands are frozen. With no warm clothing with us, this morning I’m wearing spandex Capri-length workout pants, a tee-shirt, socks, and Tom’s zippered hoodie.

The temperature this morning is 10C, 51F. With the wind blowing fiercely for the past 36 hours, we’ve wondered how the alpacas are staying out of the wind since we can’t see them easily from our house especially with them huddled in a low spot in a distant paddock.

We haven’t wanted to venture out in this wind especially after one of the clothesline broke after I hung a few towels yesterday morning, leaving an entire row of fresh laundry on the grass. Foolish me. We brought everything inside hanging them over the glass shower stalls in each of the two bathrooms.

We giggled when we thought we saw the name of the newest cria. Look at the photo below for the name! 

We’d hope to go out sightseeing yesterday or today, but the high winds make it less enjoyable, especially when getting out and back into the car to take photos.  Surely, there will be better days down the road. The cool air is tolerable, but the wind is annoying.

There’s no doubt, many of our readers who live in frigid climates are laughing at our intolerance for the coolness. But, we’ve been in mostly tropical and arid climates over the past 41 months, only wearing our jackets on rainy days, rarely feeling cool enough to “bundle up.”

Our goals have been to “follow the sun” as much as possible. The last time we felt this cold was in Iceland in September 2014 when we went out on a cool, very rainy day for a 4 x 4 rough road tour in this vehicle below.

This was the 4 X 4 vehicle we used on the off-road tour of Iceland. Excuse the black lines on the edges of the photo.  It was raining so hard the automatic lens cover got wet and wouldn’t fully open.

It wasn’t the experience we’d hoped for due to the rain, although, overall, we got the gist of life in Iceland. Click here for the link to Part 1 of that adventure. It’s no wonder we go through cameras in no time at all!

There’s a gas fireplace in this house here in NZ but we try to be considerate as to the cost of utilities when we’re renting homes. We’ll only use it if the temps continue to drop during our upcoming remaining days.

Although generally, it doesn’t snow in New Plymouth, it can be cold during the winter months, as shown on the two charts below, one each for Celsius and Fahrenheit:
Average min and max temperatures in New Plymouth, New Zealand Copyright © 2015 www.weather-and-climate.com
Average min and max temperatures in New Plymouth, New Zealand Copyright © 2015 www.weather-and-climate.com
Luckily, we planned to be here mostly in the summer, arriving during the warmest period of the summer, in January. When we first arrived almost two months ago, it was warm enough to warrant the use of fans during the day and again at night. Now, we use neither, huddled under the warm comforter at night, exposed skins chilled to the touch.

Yesterday and last night, the house was literally shaking in the wind, startling us at times. It’s a solid, sturdy, well-built house. We had no fear of any damage occurring, but at times, it reminded us of the horrible spring and summer storms in Minnesota when we’d had considerable damage on several occasions.

Once we’re done here today we’ll head out hoping to find a few photo ops on a drive into town to head to the health food store. I’m chomping at the bit to get out to take more photos, but with recent heavy rains and now the heavy winds, we’ve decided to wait. We still have plenty of time.

For Tom…The cria’s name is “Minnesota!”  We couldn’t stop smiling!

It’s hard to believe that we’ll be on yet another cruise in only 34 days. As much as we love cruising, we’re easily embracing every last day here on the farm looking forward to the alpacas moving back closer to us sometime in the next few weeks. 

I’ve missed them during these inclement weather days and most certainly, we’ll be walking down to their current paddock to see them as soon as the winds abate to a degree.

Our new camera is able to zoom in to these cows on the neighboring farm.

As winter rolls into spring in the US we expect most of our family and friends in frigid Minnesota are looking forward to better weather in the near future. We recall only too well, the slush and mush in March and April as we all anticipated the short spring and summer. 

Now, all of that is behind us. In 15 months we’ll be in Minnesota to visit family and it will almost be summer when we arrive in early June, just in time for the grandchildren to be out of school for the season.

May all of our readers have a beautiful day wherever you may be with lots of warmth and sunshine in your lives!

Photo from one year ago today, March 12, 2015:

We were excited to see many more flowers blooming in Kauai as spring approached. For more details as we approached sister Julie’s visit, please click here.

Handling business matters from afar…Not always easy…

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A single beautiful lily in the lily pad pot in the yard.

Today, we had to make several business calls and had set aside our early morning, during which we can only reach some of the companies due to time differences between the US and New Zealand.

Thank goodness for Skype. Otherwise, such calls would incur monstrous charges. With our Skype phone account any call we make to the US is only NZ $.03, US $.023 per minute plus data charges which add up quickly.

We’ve discovered using Skype with video for an approximate 30 minutes results in a cost of one gig. Of course, when we’re calling a phone number without the recipient using Skype on their end, there’s no possibility of video.

Beach on a cloudy evening.

A few of our readers and Facebook friends have suggested we use “What’s App” for making face-time calls.  Doing so requires a phone with a capacity for making calls and using data. Using only Skype for phone calls with no data connection on our phones, using such an app isn’t possible.

If we needed to use the phone, we could swap out the SIM card, we have on the Spark hot spot from which both calls and data could be used. However, using that NZ SIM card would incur expensive charges when calling anywhere outside of New Zealand.

One of our business accounts requires a few signed documents in order to make changes requiring an original ink signed document. In today’s day and age, this concept of signing in ink is becoming obsolete with the availability of documents easily be signed online. 

Lots of seagulls at the beach in New Plymouth on the Coastal Walkway.

When we have to send a signed document we run into the problem that we no longer have a portable printer when ours quit working over a year ago. It wasn’t worth replacing it when we seldom need to print anything. 

We still have our portable Doxie scanner which continues to work quite well when we use it for saving tax-deductible receipts. Scanning the receipts prevents us from hauling paper receipts all over the world.

We’ve been unable to access one of our business accounts online since we arrived in New Zealand, one we easily accessed in Fiji and all other countries in the past. We’ve contacted the company by Skype and apparently, there’s nothing wrong on their end. 

Similar to Australia, many of the beaches are uneven and rocky.

We can only assume there’s an issue with the Internet here in NZ blocking our ability to access that account for some reason or another. This is a unique situation we’ve never experienced in other countries.

With our good knowledge of the use of the Internet, we can’t find any other reason that particular account is blocked. We’ve spent considerable time working on a solution only to discover after calling, there’s nothing we can do.

These types of scenarios are a part of traveling the world over which on occasion, we have no control in creating a solution. But, we’ve found a “workaround” as is always the case…today’s phone call on Skype answered all of our questions.

We often stop at this favorite spot for photos of Mount Taranaki.

Another issue we had today, is regarding a new credit card we received over six months ago. It’s a card that provides “extra perks” for grocery shopping and fuel, a great adjunct to the cards we already use. 

When the card arrived in one of our “mailed-from-the-US” shipments, we immediately attempted to use it only to discover it was declined. How embarrassing! Immediately upon returning home (we’d just arrived in Fiji and had picked up the shipment from customs at a local post office) we called the credit card company asking, “What’s the deal?”

They explained that the US-generated card had to be used in the US for six months before it would be released for use in other countries due to fraud guidelines when many credit card thefts transpire outside the US.

Frustrated by the inconvenience, I marked my online calendar to remind us to call in six months to “request that the card be made available for use outside the US” per their requirements. The only way to do this was to make the call as required this morning. In 24 hours, the card will be available for use outside the US. 

These noisy pesky birds are magpies, which tend to keep other birds away.

We’re required to call back to list the countries in which we’ll be using the card again in another six months, after listing today each country where we may use it in the upcoming six months. 

This company requires a phone call whereby our other cards are available by entering “travel notifications” online which we’ll be updating today, again noting on the calendar to do these again in another 60 days as required.

Often, many assume that handling one’s personal business can be relatively easy while traveling the world.  For short periods, that may be the case. For us, traveling for the “long haul” we must stay in touch and in tune with changes, updates, and processes required for banking, investments, and other “paperwork” related transactions.

View of cattle from the highway.

At this time, we’re also working with our accountant in Nevada, US, to complete our 2015 tax filing, due by April 15th. We had all the necessary paperwork sent directly to her from our mailing service in Nevada. Once she received the docs she scanned everything sending us (by email) copies for our records.  We’ve already sent her all of our calculations. Filing taxes is another one of those tasks that must be done from afar.

With both of us sharing in these tasks; Tom the investments; me the banking, payments, and taxes, we manage to get it all done in a timely fashion. Once we have these types of responsibilities behind us, we can return to our relatively carefree lifestyle of enjoying our world travels.

Today it’s very windy here in the Taranaki Region, not uncommon this time of year. After I’d hung one load of laundry this morning, I went outside to find that one of the clotheslines had broke in the wind and our laundry was lying on the ground. We brought everything inside to finish drying. With all these other tasks behind us today, that’s the extent of today’s concern. We love that!

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, March 11, 2015:

One year ago, we attending a senior event in Princeville, Kauai for food, fun, and bingo. We actually had a great time. For more details, please click here.