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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May you have a happy day, free of stress!

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

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

Visiting my sister in North Las Vegas…A meaningful and yet sorrowful experience…

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The extreme heat creates a cloudy appearance in the desert, fog, blowing sand,  clouds, and/or smog in the valley.

Visiting my sister Susan (four years my senior) was one of our two reasons for coming to Las Vegas during this time in the US, spending time with my son Richard as the other. We have a few friends and a nephew of Tom’s we’ll also see while here.

My dear sister has been lying in bed, unable to walk for the past 12 years, suffering from the same spinal condition I have for which I have no pain after changing my diet in August 2011, almost six years ago.

Once I became pain-free (after three months on the “diet”), and Tom faced retirement, we decided to travel the world “while we can.” At any given time, I could awaken one morning and be faced with the return of the excruciating pain affecting what felt like every nerve in my body. 

We hope to dine at this restaurant when they have several options that work well for my way of eating, based on their menu found online.

That is the reason I so diligently follow this low inflammation diet excluding all sugar, fruit, grains, and starches, limiting my daily carb allotment to 15 grams, fat to 100 grams, and protein to around 65 grams. 

These restrictions leave me eating only grass-fed meat (when available), organic free-range chicken and eggs, organic non-starchy vegetables, and a small amount of full-fat dairy. 

Tom follows suit with me in this manner of eating when I’m cooking most of our meals, as we’re doing now during this three-week stay in Nevada. When we dine out, he prefers to indulge in some starches to supplement his meals, such as a bun on a burger, fries, and rice included with some dishes. 

In years past, when we visited Henderson, we dined at this popular restaurant and meeting spot, Elephant Bar.

I don’t have the liberty even to take a bite of such “luxuries,” and because I’m pain-free, I have no desire to taste any items not included in my plan. I haven’t had so much as a tiny bite of a cookie, cake, or fruit in these past six years. Why take the risk? 

Unfortunately, my sister has chosen to continue to find pleasure in food and, in reality, cannot prepare the sometimes more elaborate dishes that may require time standing in the kitchen chopping and dicing to put together an occasional interesting dish. She has health care helpers preparing her meals, not professional cooks, and they prepare only basic meals.
 
I understand how food can be such an important aspect of one’s life. As a long-time “foodie,” I may appreciate that fact all the more. As a former avid and enthusiastic cook with an attitude (at the time), “healthy whole grains,” fruits, and starches were good to incorporate into one’s meals.

Years ago, we frequented this popular chain restaurant.  But, with many choices of local establishments, we doubt we’ll return during this visit.

These days, I cringe over how I continued to literally “poison” myself with foods that ultimately caused a rise in blood sugar resulting in an inflammatory response.

This may not be true for everyone. Our bodies are unique in our response to a variety of foods. We see healthy individuals able to eat whatever they want, or a diet comparable to that in my “old life” who continue to thrive on a lower fat, high carb, and high sugar diet. 

There’s no benefit in my “preaching” to my sister on how she may be able to find substantial pain relief over the long haul in following this way of eating. She already knows, having tried it for a year to find her pain too, dissipated considerably, if not entirely. 

A stone marker designating the entrance to the Green Valley Ranch area in Henderson, where we’re located at this time.

Yet, with severe damage to her legs and feet from diabetic neuropathy, she was still unable to walk. This fact would hardly motivate a person to restrict their diet to such a huge extent. A short time later, she returned to the typical American diet (SAD, standard American diet) of high carbs and many sugary foods, starches, and grains. In no time at all, the pain returned. 

Of course, it’s difficult for me to see this lovely woman, a former highly successful businesswoman of the world, who traveled extensively and played a hand in many exciting business transactions, now lying in bed, basically helpless and in pain.

Her beautiful spirit and upbeat demeanor make being with her purely delightful. Few individuals could maintain such a positive attitude with her current situation. Somehow, she revels in the experiences of her long-ago past and seems to live vicariously through the joy and excitement of our world travels. 

One of the roads in The District in Green Valley Ranch where there are unique shops and restaurants.

There’s not one iota of sadness or jealousy in her demeanor when she asks many questions about our world travels. Having owned a major travel agency in her past, she too had an opportunity to travel the world and loves sharing stories of places we’ve mutually visited, only at different times.

On Monday, I visited her for three hours and will head out soon to see her again. The drive to her home is over 30 miles away and takes approximately 45 minutes, considering some traffic on the freeway. 

Driving all the way on Highway 215 seems to be the best route but is a boring drive through the barren desert with not much in the way of interesting scenery. But, once I walk in the door to her apartment and see her smiling face, the boring drive is long forgotten, and all is right with the world.

May your day be filled with events that make your day feel “right” for YOU!

Photo from one year ago today, July 12, 2016:

It was scorching and uncomfortable on the long walk to and around this site, The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. For more photos, please click here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We made it to Las Vegas after a frustrating experience at the McCarren Airport…Glad to be getting settled…

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Tom’s taco salad at Lindo Michoacan in Henderson, where we all dined last night.
After my flight booking error, we were hoping for a seamless experience in getting to Las Vegas on the early flight I’d booked on Thursday night when I realized I had booked the original flight for the wrong date, August 1st, as opposed to July 7th.

My error cost us $719 since the flight I’d booked in June for July 7th was entirely non-refundable. Human error.  Plain and simple. By the time we arrive at Terminal 2 in Minneapolis, I’d decided to stop beating myself up.  After all, we hadn’t made a booking error in almost five years. It was inevitable that eventually, that would happen. 

With sheer will and determination, I plugged away online to find an alternative flight. I couldn’t believe the high prices for last-minute flights to Las Vegas. I’d always assumed that last-minute flights to Las Vegas would be a bargain. Not the case.

Awakening at 4:30 am, I bolted out of bed and showered and dressed as quickly as I could to allow Tom plenty of time to do the same. By 5:30, after packing the last of the toiletries and digital equipment, we were out the door and on our way, hoping to arrive at the airport two hours before the domestic flight.

Recently, we’ve discovered that getting to the airport one hour before a domestic flight isn’t possible anymore.  With beefed-up security, long lines, and passengers paying for their baggage, the wait can be longer than anticipated.

Richard, at dinner last night.

Tom dropped me at the terminal, leaving the three checked bags and two carry-on bags with me while he returned the red SUV.  In no time at all, he returned, and we headed to the ticket counter to check our bags. We willing paid $5 for a cart to hold the bags since we were both a little sluggish and didn’t feel like wheeling the five pieces. 

In other countries, there’s no charge to use luggage carts. Why do they charge so much for these in the US, we wondered? When our bags were overweight by a total of seven pounds (based on the allowable 50-pound max per checked bag), the ticket agent suggested we unload the seven pounds. 

There was no way either of us felt like digging through the tightly packed bags when we had no room for seven pounds in the checked bags. On many international flights, the checked bags can weigh up to 70 pounds each. 

Had our bags not been overweight, our cost for baggage would have been $85, $25 for each of two allowed bags, and $35 for the third checked bag. Instead, we agreed to pay the $135. With the last-minute booking, we hadn’t been able to choose our seats or prepay the bags. The agent gave us good seats in row 4 at the bulkhead, which worked well for us with the extra legroom.

From there, we found our gate and settled in while I prepared yesterday’s short, photo-less post. Sorry about that. I hope to do better going forward, but I must admit this 115F, 46C weather in Las Vegas hardly motivates either of us to get out sightseeing.  We’ll see how it goes.  It’s in the ’80s every day in Costa Rica, our next stop in our journey.

Tom, last night at dinner in Henderson, Nevada.
“Las Vegas Temperature Yesterday, July 7, 2017”

Maximum temperature yesterday: 115 °F (at 4:56 pm)
The minimum temperature yesterday: 90 °F (at 4:56 am)
Average temperature yesterday: 104 °F”

The flight was pleasant and uneventful. I sat next to a lovely woman from Minnesota, living in Las Vegas for 30 years. The time flew by as we chatted endlessly on a variety of topics.

Getting off the plane was also uneventful. We carefully followed the signs to “baggage claim,” taking a tram to the baggage pickup area. The flight attendant announced our bags would be arriving at Carousel #25. When we arrived at the baggage claim, there was no Carousel #25. 

Searching for an information desk, we were told by the rep that we were in the wrong terminal, and based on having left the secured area; we’d have to make our way to Terminal #3, very far away. The only means of getting to Terminal#3 was by taking a bus. 

Then, we had to make our way (another long-distance) to the waiting area for the bus to take us to Terminal #3.   After a 15 minute wait outdoors in the heat, the bus finally arrived. We boarded the bus, which took no more than 10 minutes to arrive at Terminal #3.

There were many other travelers on the bus who’d done the same thing we’d done, following the signs that said “baggage claim” upon exiting the plane. They, too, were baffled that their checked bags ended up in another terminal.

I had my usual shredded beef salad with lots of sliced avocado.

We entered Terminal #3, easily finding Carousel #25 to discover there were no bags on the carousel.  Apparently, so much time had passed since we got off the plane that the bags were moved to an office within the terminal, where we were relieved to find our three bags. 

Since we couldn’t take the cart with us, we finally had to pay for a third cart, another $5, which we eventually ditched when we had to board another bus to the car rental area.  Oh, good grief. This was by far the most confusing airport we’d ever seen. 

We’re hardly inexperienced travelers. We’ve never encountered such a mishmash of “where to go and how to find it” at any airport in our past years of world travel. 

Finally, we made it to the rental car area, found Avis, and picked up the little white car into which we managed to fit all of our bags. Thank goodness we hadn’t booked through Budget, where there was at least an hour-long line.

We were first up at the Avis counter, and twenty minutes later, we arrived at Richard’s lovely home in Green Valley Ranch, which he’d remodeled and also added a gorgeous pool and landscaping since we were last here in 2012.

We’re unpacked and settled. We grocery shopped yesterday, purchasing enough food to last a few days when I was determined to make a few home-cooked meals for all of us. Last night we dined out with Richard at yet another Mexican restaurant and had a very nice evening. It was so much fun catching up with him!

We are as comfortable as we could be at Richard’s home, anticipating the next three weeks will also fly by in a blur. On Monday, I’ll drive 45 minutes to see my sister Susan.

Have a great weekend!


Photo from one year ago today, July 8, 2016:

While at a museum in Vietnam, we learned the following; In the countryside, when an elder reaches 60 years of age, a coffin is made for them and kept under the house until they pass away. Once they’re buried, three meals a day are delivered to the burial site to support the deceased in their journey to heaven. After three years, a special celebration is held, and the soul is released to heaven. For more photos, please click here.

Final Expenses for six weeks in Minnesota…Tomorrow, we’re off to Las Vegas!…Busy day!…

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Tom, Tammy, and Vincent last night when we all said goodbye.

Here we are, posting late again today. This morning we had our hands full packing, running out to Goodwill, and making a stop at Target for a few last-minute items. 

While preparing today’s post and our final expenses, we decided to include our living costs during these six weeks and how much we spent on replacing our wardrobes in their entirety.

Vincent’s teeth were hurting a little after the morning’s visit to the orthodontist. But, he enjoyed his meal (I forgot to take a photo), his chocolate milk, and time afternoon and evening with us.

Over these past years of world travel, we’ve found it impossible to find proper sizes and clothing suitable for us when we felt a need to replace certain items along the way. I’m not an easy fit with my above-average height, long legs and arms, and clothes for Tom are equally challenging to find for various reasons.

We’ve found clothing purchased in many countries to be less durable at the prices we’re prepared to pay. Even in Australia, with their modern stores, the cost of many items was two to three times higher than a similar product in the US.

Tammy and Vincent at Avenida with us last night for dinner.

As a result of this visit, we’ve decided we’ll stick to buying clothes in the US, especially when we’re hoping to return for a visit every two years. With our recent purchases, we have no doubt our items will last until 2019.

When considering that we’ve spent $2,062.79 for both of us for all of our new clothing and shoes, replacing almost every single item, that translates to only $1031.40 for each of the two years at a total of $515.70 for each of us per year. That’s very reasonable.

 Expense   US Dollar 
 Hotel – 42 nights    $                  4,494.00
 Flight + Bags-Seattle to MPS  $                     478.20
 Rental Car    $                  1,758.00
 Fuel   $                     390.16
 Clothing to restock luggage   $                  2,062.79
 Restaurants   $                  1,502.29
 Grocery   $                     294.13
 Pharmacy, luggage, misc.  $                  1,983.68
 Laundry, tips for hotel staff   $                     368.94
 Total   $               13,332.19
 Avg Daily Cost    $                     317.43

Of course, everything we purchased was a bargain when Macy’s was practically “giving away” quality, name-brand items during several sales. Add a trip to the Albertville Factory Outlet Mall, and we replaced everything. 

Another expense listed on today’s final costs as shown here as “pharmacy, luggage, toiletries, misc.” included hundreds of dollars I’d spent for expensive probiotics that I will continue to take over the next six months and the replacement of expired and dwindling supplies of toiletries, cosmetics, and over-the-counter emergency medications. It all added up quickly.

These types of expenses will continue to be necessary when we return to the US. With the high cost of shipping items to us, we’ve decided to wait to make purchases if at all possible. Although, at times, we’ll have no choice but to continue to ship items we may urgently need, such as a replacement laptop and other digital equipment we unable to find outside the US that suits our needs.

Tammy’s tacos looked terrific with the blue corn taco shells in the metal holders, rice, and beans on the side.  We’ve noticed how significant portions are in the US as compared to other countries.

As an example, a few days ago, our portable Doxie scanner died while I was scanning all the receipts we’d accumulated here in Minnesota. Today, I’ll order a new scanner and have it shipped to our mailing service in Nevada for pick-up while we’re there, along with several other items included in today’s total expenses (in an attempt to keep our baggage weight under control from MSP to LAS).

This morning we completed our packing, weighed our bags, and headed out to a nearby Goodwill store to drop off our old clothes and shoes. In the afternoon, we’ll take off to say goodbye to more family members.

With all but the third checked bag already packed and weighed, tomorrow morning won’t be stressful, especially when we’ll leave the hotel two hours before our flight. Tom, the proverbial early bird, prefers to arrive long before necessary, and I go along willingly (without complaint) to avoid adding to his usual “travel day” stress.

Tom ordered his usual sweet and sour chicken without peppers.

In almost every case, once we settle at a restaurant in the airport to wait for our flight, I’m usually happy we arrived early, allowing me additional time to complete the day’s post in the event I wasn’t able to upload it before we left our accommodations.

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon with grandson Vincent. We met up with Tammy for dinner at our favorite Avenida, an Asian/Mexican fusion restaurant not far from the hotel where we dined on many occasions. The four of us had a pleasant dinner while I took today’s included photos.

I ordered my usual chopped salad minus corn, minus beans, and minus tortilla strips with a side of shredded beef and sour cream. As always, it was delicious.

We’ll be back tomorrow with our final Minnesota post, and then, on Saturday, we’ll be checking in from Henderson, Nevada. I received a weather warning on my phone in the past hour stating, “Excessive Heat Warning” for tomorrow in Las Vegas, Nevada, with highs expected at 114F, 46C, 4 degrees lower than the recent all-time high of 118F, 48C. Oh, boy! 

______________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, July 6, 2016:

This, dear readers, so much bespoke Vietnam in today’s world. For more Vietnam photos, please click here.

Two days and counting…Time to say goodbye…Tomorrow, final expenses for six weeks in Minnesota…

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Miles, Madighan, Maisie, Camille, and Greg in front of our hotel yesterday.

The 4th of July was a good day for us although we spent little time engaged in the usual activities. As we wound down our last few days before leaving Minnesota, our priorities revolve around spending quality time together.

Yesterday morning, son Greg, daughter-in-law Camille, Maisie, Miles, and Madighan arrived at our hotel in time for the complimentary buffet breakfast. When we booked this hotel, Country Inn & Suites in Plymouth, we included a total of five of us in the reservation.

The Port of Excelsior, our former downtown.

In doing so, we’d be able to have any of our six grandchildren come for breakfast at no extra charge and swim in one of the two indoor swimming pools. This idea proved to be ideal when at one point or another, any of our three families visited us; Tom’s son TJ’s family of four, Tom’s daughter Tammy’s family of three, and my son Greg’s family of five.

In checking with the kindly hotel general manager, since more mornings than not, it was just Tom and me for breakfast, there was no additional charge when any of our family members came for the breakfast and pool time. Also, based on our long-term six-week stay, this wasn’t an issue. 

 Miles, Madighan (front), with me, Maisie, Camille, and Greg.

After all, most guests check-in and back out after about three days. We have undoubtedly been the exception with this long-term stay.  We’ll be preparing a more comprehensive review on our last day, Friday, when we’ll leave to fly to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the next leg in our US visit, the first in almost five years.

This is where I took Willie for his haircuts.

The three families were with us in Hawaii at Christmas/New Year 2014/2015, but now, as we head to Nevada, we won’t have seen son Richard and my sister Susan since Christmas 2012, a very long time. 

Of course, I’m excited to get to Nevada, although we’ve stayed in close touch over these last almost five years through Skype and Facebook’s Messenger, an easy-to-use “text” type communication medium.

There are many quaint shops in Excelsior.

Now, we continue saying goodbye after yesterday’s day with Greg’s family, which ended up with us coming to dinner for a fabulous meal of grilled steaks, skewered veggies, and salad. 

Not only did we enjoy the home-cooked meal, but after the meal ended, we loved hanging outside near the bonfire with Camille, Greg, and the three kids. Before dark, we decided to head back to our hotel, knowing it was time to say goodbye. 

Upscale clothing store.

The next few days would be spent saying goodbye to all of our other family members, including Tom’s siblings, on Thursday night when we attend the usual barbecue at his sister Mary’s home. 

Today, Tom will pick up Vincent, and he’ll spend the afternoon and evening with us. At 8:00 pm we’ll meet Tammy for dinner at a restaurant and say our goodbyes. On Thursday evening. After we leave the barbecue, we’ll stop at TJ’s home to say goodbye to TJ, Sarah, Nik, and Jayden.

Many of the storefronts in downtown Excelsior had changed over the years.

Saying goodbye isn’t easy. It wasn’t when we left on Halloween 2012, and it’s not easy now. But, our hearts are filled with love that will carry us through for the next few years until we return in 2019 for another visit. In the interim, we’ll all stay in touch.

Leopold’s is an exciting hardware type of store with parts for literally all household goods.

If it weren’t for the magic of the Internet, such a long time away could be heartbreaking. Able to see their faces on Skype, their photos, and experiences on Facebook and have conversations online all make it considerably more manageable than it would have been long before technology facilitated the ease of staying in touch.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with our final expenses for the six weeks we spent in Minnesota, and on Friday, our travel day, we’ll include a post with a review of the hotel and any notes on our final goodbyes. 

Not a good photo as we whizzed past the Dock Cinema, where my sons and I often attended movies when they were young.

Thanks to all of our readers for bearing with us through this intense family time. It’s odd that I ever assumed we’d be able to “entertain” our readers with peripheral topics instead of our continual family time. What was I thinking? It all became way more important than photo-taking and sightseeing. In a mere 26 days, we’ll certainly be back to THAT! 

Photo from one year ago today, July 5, 2016:

This clawfoot tub is just what I needed for soaking when we arrived at the five-star hotel, the Sofitel Legend Metropole, located in Hanoi, where we stayed for five nights before the Mekong River Cruise. For more details and photos, please click here.

Happy 4th of July to all Americans…Dinner with more friends…Three days and counting…Saying goodbye has begun…

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With the bright sun behind us, this photo didn’t come out too well, plus our plates of food look twice as big as they were.

I believe I met Lisa in 1990 and her husband Brian (her then-boyfriend) a short time later. The three of us became fast friends. In 1991, I met Tom, and he too fell into the groove of this good friendship with this lovely couple.

They lived in Minnesota, but after a few years, they moved to Las Vegas. We stayed in touch. Over the years, with son Richard residing in Henderson, Nevada, it became an ordinary course of action to see them when we visited Richard and my sister Susan who moved to Las Vegas many years ago.

Maynard’s on Lake Minnetonka has remained a popular lakeside restaurant since we left. We had a reservation, but outdoor seating wasn’t available when we arrived at 5:30 pm. Instead, the four of us dined indoors in a comfortable booth.

For those living outside the US, Henderson is an upscale less-hurried, and less-gambling-orientated suburb of Las Vegas, although the two cities are next door to one another. We’ll include more about Henderson after we get settled upon our pending arrival in three days.

Our friends, Lisa and Brian, drove from Wisconsin to have dinner with us on Sunday night.  Thank you both for coming to hang out with us.

In 2009, a year before I retired, I went to Henderson to help my son Richard with his booming real estate business. The market had crashed the prior year but morphed into an outrageously active marketplace for buyers and investors to purchase everything they could get their hands on.

Tom ordered the Kung Pao Chicken, which he found to be too spicy for his taste.

That wasn’t the case in Minnesota, which was barely chugging along after the economy had crashed. I left my share of our real estate company in the trustworthy hands of my business partner Theresa, while I took off for five months to help Richard.

We piled my car with the “stuff” I’d need for such an extended stay, including my beloved Australian Terrier Willie, and drove from Minnesota to Nevada, staying at dog-friendly hotels along the way. Willie immediately learned that if he knocked on the car door, we’d stop the car so he could go “potty.” I loved that dog!

I ordered the usual salad that has seen me through dining out every night in Minnesota, a variation of a Cobb Salad; chicken, bacon, hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, onions, olives with a side of sour cream. The blue cheese was missing, but I didn’t squeal.

The plan was for me to live with Richard while we worked together during that extended period. Moms and adult sons don’t necessarily make the best “roommates,” but we did our best and stayed out of each other’s way. 

The interaction between Willie and Richard’s pug Monty (now in doggie heaven along with Willie) created many laugh-worthy experiences we both still treasure today. 

Lisa ordered the chicken lettuce wraps. This would most likely have worked for me, but I was hungry, and this wasn’t enough food after not eating for almost 12 hours.

After we arrived and unpacked the car, Tom flew back to Minnesota on Halloween 2009 in time to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters who flocked to our neighborhood for the generous offerings from us and our friend/neighbors for their ambitious hike to our remote private road.

Upon my arrival, I had to apply for a Nevada real estate broker’s license, attending school, and taking a test. It took an entire month for the license to come through.

During these five months, I spent considerable time with Lisa and Brian, my only friends living in Las Vegas.  Tom flew back and forth on a few occasions to see me as we stayed in close touch by phone. It was a long five months being apart from one another.

Brian ordered the plain broiled chicken breasts with a baked potato.

Tom flew out for his birthday (December 23rd) and the Christmas holiday at Christmas that year. We had dinner at Lisa and Brian’s beautiful home, helping to prepare a few dishes while thoroughly enjoying spending the holiday with them and other friends.

When the five months ended, Willie and I returned to Minnesota, happy to be back with Tom, our home, and other family and friends. Being away for so long wasn’t easy.

Before leaving to travel the world in 2012, we spent some time in Nevada, again over the Christmas holiday, while establishing our Nevada residency. We got our Nevada driver’s licenses and spent quality time with family. It was during this period and we had a few opportunities to be with Lisa and Brian again.

After we’d left to travel, they moved back to the Midwest, this time in Wisconsin, to be near family. We hadn’t seen them until they joined us at the friend/readers Meet & Greet several weeks ago and then again on Sunday night. At the end of the evening, we all hugged a warm goodbye, knowing someday in the future, we’ll all be together again.

This morning son Greg, Camille, and three grandchildren came for breakfast at our hotel. We had a fabulous breakfast together with lots of delightful chatter. Later today, at 6:00 pm, we’ll meet them for dinner at our favorite restaurant, after which we’ll all say goodbye. The process has begun…

Photo from one year ago today, July 4, 2016:

As a renowned international business center, there are many high-rise office buildings in Singapore. For more photos, please click here.

Down memory lane…How did it feel to return?…Four days and counting…

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From left to right, Doug, Jamie, Tom, Sue, Nelleke, Dave, our dear old friends, and neighbors are on the point.

Not only did we leave all the people we love behind when we left Minnesota and the US almost five years ago, but we said goodbye to all of our worldly possessions; home, cars, and all personal belongings.

My happy guy, enjoying time spent with old friends.

We gave the family the memorabilia and physical photos (all of which we scanned) and sailed away with only that which was contained in an overabundance of luggage at the time.

Now, pared-down considerably with only one large clothing suitcase each, a third smaller bag with supplies, and two carry-on bags, our worldly possessions are few.

Our former home.  Respecting the new owner’s privacy, we didn’t bother them to see it.

I won’t imply that any of that was easy. It was more difficult than we can ever express. But, somehow, we both knew that this new life was meant for us. And yes, it was a process. Freeing ourselves from “stuff” didn’t come easily.

Little did we know, as we suffered the angst of “letting go,” how meaningful and purposeful our new lives would become, providing both of us with a sense of joy, contentment, fulfillment, and happiness neither of us ever anticipated in these later years, especially after all this time has passed.

Our former home is on the opposite side of the peninsula.

We had no doubt we’d return to our old neighborhood to see our friends, and we wondered how we’d react to returning after almost five years. We knew it would be no different for us than when anyone returns to a home in their long-ago past. Doing so will always have the potential to bring up emotions many of us may have put aside for a time.

Alternate view of Jamie and Doug’s home with Nelleke and Dave’s next door.

As we stood on the road with our friends, looking toward our old house, we surprised ourselves when we each smiled, remembering the great times we shared, leaving us with memories we’ll always cherish. There was no sadness.

Jamie and Doug, two doors down from our former home. Thanks for inviting us to the “cocktail cruise.”

However, we weren’t sad in any way or even felt nostalgic to any degree. Later, when we discussed it, we equated it to how one might feel when they see an “old flame” while happily ensconced in a relationship with a “new love,” eliciting not much of a reaction, not a glimmer of sorrow…we’ve moved on.

And move on, we have, into another chapter of our lives for which we’ve adopted with grace and ease, knowing we made the right decision for us, not necessarily that which many others would care to adopt.

Doug, driving their spacious pontoon boat.

The people? We miss them and always will. Spending Saturday night with our old friends and, after spending many other days and nights with other friends and family members, our emotions regarding all of them remain in tact, filled with love and admiration for who they were when we left and who they’ve become in our absence.

Jamie and Doug’s stunning lakefront home.

Yesterday was a busy “friend” day for me when in the morning, friend Chere stopped by our hotel with gifts, Norwex cloths for our travels. Thanks, Chere, how perfect they are!  

Sue sold her house this past year, five years after our beloved Chip passed away. We shared photos and stories of her new home a few weeks ago. Click here for photos.

A short time later when TJ and grandson Jayden arrived for breakfast, they dropped me off at friend Karen’s home while they headed to Wisconsin to buy fireworks. Spending several hours with her was an unexpected treat when suddenly there was a gap in the schedule.

Tom picked me up at Karen’s home around 3:00 pm. We headed back to the hotel to change and dress for the planned dinner with friends Lisa and Brian at Maynard’s Restaurant in Excelsior, located on Lake Minnetonka, an old favorite haunt. 

Dave and Nelleke, our former next-door neighbors.

We spent hours talking, paying little attention to our food, instead of focusing on one another. It was so good to see them again as it had been to see Chere and Karen one last time and, of course, our old friends Lisa and Brian last night.

Nelleke and Dave’s gorgeous lakefront home.

During this extended stay, I even had an opportunity to see an old friend and former business partner, Theresa, a second time on a whim during a gap in the schedule last week.

Tom’s fish and chips with coleslaw.  He’ll eat healthier food once we start cooking again in Costa Rica in about 28 days.

As this final week comes to a close, knowing we’re leaving in four days, we’ll focus our time and energy, as their work schedules allow saying goodbye to our family. The busy 4th of July holiday puts a slight damper on this process, but we’ll manage just fine. 

Jamie and Doug shared this massive plate of pork chops at Hazelwood Restaurant, where we dined after our happy hour boat ride.

We arrived in Minnesota on a holiday weekend (Memorial Day) and are leaving on the 4th of July week. Soon, we’ll return to the life our Aussies friends always referred to as our “living life on a perpetual holiday (vacation).” 

My usual Cobb salad with a side of sour cream (instead of salad dressing) which I’ve ordered almost every night since we arrived in Minnesota nearly six weeks ago.

For us, it’s not a perpetual vacation. Its a nomadic life filled with adventure as we continue to explore beyond our wildest dreams, a decision that ultimately required a lot of change, sacrifice and adaptation, a decision we’ll never regret.

Thanks, dear readers, for sharing this particular time with us.

Photo from one year ago today, July 3, 2016:

Historical building in Singapore one year ago. For more photos and final expenses for the week we spent in Singapore, please click here.

We’re packing in the good times…Minnesota and Nevada law changes…Five days and counting…

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Tom and I dined here in our old lives. Dining here now doesn’t fit into the budget in this life.
It was over this past week that time began flying by at a pace we’ve only experienced in the final weeks of our favorite places in the world. With only five days remaining with the busy Fourth of July holiday in between, we continue to pack each day, spending time with family and friends.
Many buildings had changed or been added along Lake St. in Wayzata.

Shortly TJ and family are coming for breakfast, after which they’ll be dropping me at my dear friend Karen’s home in Eden Prairie, where I’ll spend part of the day on my final visit with her. 

This was formerly Sunset’s Restaurant and is now Cov.  Maybe we’ll try this for dinner one evening this final week.

Tom will drive to Wisconsin (a one-hour trip) with TJ and family, where they’ll purchase fireworks for the Fourth of July festivities. In the US (for our friends in other lands), the annual celebration of Independence Day is often commemorated with massive fireworks displays at both public venues and private backyards.

Outdoor dining at Cov Restaurant.

Minnesota is strict in many regulations, including prohibiting the sale of fireworks (beyond sparklers and ground snakes) for anything that makes noise or shoots into the air. Neighboring Wisconsin has no such laws, and many Minnesotans make the annual trip to shop at various stores close to the border.

Speaking of Minnesota laws, as of today, it will be legal to sell alcohol on Sundays, but only from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, at the discretion of liquor and wine shop owners. 

Another new building on Lake St.

Old laws on the books prevail in Minnesota, including that car dealerships must be closed on Sundays.  Oh, I won’t get into this topic any further; however, if your curiosity is piqued on “dumb laws,” click here for a few shockers.

Few boats were yet at the public docks in the cool early morning.

Now that we’re residents of the state of Nevada, we pay attention to what’s transpiring there. As of yesterday news, we discovered the following as quoted from this article:

“Sales of recreational marijuana kick off in Nevada on Saturday, July 1, and the state is expecting an onslaught of tourists coming to sample the local merchandise.”

The Lafayette Club private golf and country club is situated in Wayzata. As a popular and desirable wedding venue, I was married many moons ago (not to Tom).

Gee… many changes are occurring throughout the US and surprisingly here in Minnesota while we’re here and then in Nevada, where we’ll soon arrive in a mere five days. 

Yesterday was another busy day with the morning’s sightseeing and photo taking in Wayzata, which we’re wrapping up in today’s photos and midday shopping to round out our required purchases.

The owner of this newer 34-foot boat was busily washing the bow.  The upkeep of a boat is a constant and costly responsibility which we’re happy is no longer a part of our lives.  We both had boats before we met and for many years after that.

Last night was memorable, spending the evening with dear old friends and neighbors with whom we’ve stayed in close touch over this past almost five years. It was as if no time had passed at all when we all so quickly fell into step with warm hugs and animated conversations. 

A footbridge at the Wayzata Boatworks.

Tomorrow, we’ll post photos of our old neighborhood and Lake, including photos from our “happy hour” boat ride Jamie and Doug, who so generously hosted on their boat with fabulous food and drinks. 

After the boat ride, we all headed to a popular local restaurant where all of us had dined in years past. It was an evening we’ll never forget and look forward to repeating next time we return to Minnesota.

This was new…planter boxes with flowers at the boat docks. 

Tonight, we’re meeting more close friends, Lisa and Brian, at another restaurant frequented in our old neighborhood. Photos will follow for all of these meaningful events over the next few days.

Thanks to all our readers who’ve written to us expressing how they’ve enjoyed reading about our family-orientated visit to Minnesota. We’d expected our readership to decline during this period, but it has not. It inspires us to know that wherever we may be, whatever we may do, we always have YOU at our side.

Here is a small portion of the many expensive slips in Wayzata for Lake Minnetonka boat owners. There is an annual lottery for 100 residents only.  The remainder of boat owners must pay exorbitant fees at various locations, often priced well into the thousands of dollars.

In 30 days, the pace will kick up as we make our way to Costa Rica. I can’t wait to take photos of those colorful frogs, birds, and other wildlife indigenous to the wildlife-rich country. Back at you soon!

Photo from one year ago today, July 2, 2016:

Lots of fresh fish are reasonably priced in Singapore. For more photos, please click here.