Radically Retired

Category: Travel

  • Plan B

    Plan B

    When hubs and I entered full retirement life, we agreed on winters somewhere warm to get away from our harsh Canadian winters.

    Having explored a few options while we were still working (vacations to Mexico and Arizona, a Caribbean cruise, and a 10 Day stay on Curaçao), we agreed on trying the RGV in South Texas.

    Our first two winters there were with our motorhome and we completely lucked in to a park and community far beyond our expectations.

    During our second season, we decided to purchase a mobile home in that park.

    We have zero regrets … well, maybe just one.

    Hubs’ health no longer justifies long stretches south of the 49’th parallel, so the mobile home purchase was maybe not such a great idea. The one truly special thing about the large mobile, is that we were able to house and entertain many family visitors after we bought it. Those special memories will last forever.

    When he’s feeling up to it, we’ll make one last trip to the RGV to pack up our sentimental items to bring home, list our mobile for sale, and bid a sad farewell to the dear friends we’ve made there over the past seven years.

    I’ll post updates as things progress – for now, suffice it to say… I’m OK … Sad, but OK.

    There’s always a plan B.

  • Little Did We Know

    Little Did We Know

    New York City from the historic Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, 1997. It’s not a clear photo because it’s a picture of a small picture, but it holds significant memories, especially today.

    As I posed for the photo after touring the terminal … the twin towers of the World Trade Center behind me were just more skyscrapers. When I used my vacation tine to ride with hubs in the semi, he and I had visited many big cities, so had seen too many tall buildings to count.

    Little did we know at that time, that the devastation that would happen there just four years later would change life as we knew it in North America forever.

  • Read My Sign … A Toilet Seat for an “Open” sign?

    Read My Sign … A Toilet Seat for an “Open” sign?

    Goldfield Arizona, 2014

  • Read My Sign … On the Way By

    Read My Sign … On the Way By

    Santa Rosa, NM 2023

  • Happiness Is … A Tomato Festival

    Happiness Is … A Tomato Festival

    On the August (Saskatchewan Day) long weekend, two of my sisters (the third one was feeling unwell, so unable to join us) and I attended the third annual Tomato Festival, sponsored by the Regina Farmers Market group.

    A pit stop before the event. We wore matching shirts decorated with tomatoes

    This was the first time any of us had attended the event and we decided it won’t be the last.

    There were over seventy vendors, most selling freshly picked garden produce. There were others with everything from jewelry made from silver spoons, to honey, to baking – if it was home made or hand made, it was there.

    One of many vendors selling the stars of the show
    My sis next in age to me
    My baby sis
    Moi – The eldest and the shortest

    One vendor had some cute signs for his produce:

    They were plump and sweet
    Some of his beans were in a crock pot

    The event was held in the stunning Queen Mary II Flower Gardens, adjacent to our province’s legislative building. Although I’ve been there many times, I’ve never had a photo of myself there. Now I do.

    The day was forecast to be extremely hot, so we were there when the festival opened and finished our shopping by the end of the morning.

    I purchased all of the ingredients I needed for the borscht (beet soup) that I make every summer for our mom. It’s her favourite soup, and we arrived home early enough for me to get the borscht made in my Instant Pot.

    A healthy haul
    Everything is washed and ready
    Chopped just the right size
    Borscht, accompanied by whole wheat sourdough bread that I also bought at Tomato Fest

    It was a “perfect in every way” kind of day.

  • Read My Sign … If You Can

    Read My Sign … If You Can

    Curacao 2013

  • Read My Sign – Crazy is as Crazy Does

    Read My Sign – Crazy is as Crazy Does

    I smile every time we have an overnight stay in Mineral Wells, TX and read this sign.

  • For Charla

    For Charla

    Charla is one of the travel bloggers I follow.

    She and her husband are full-timers in their RV and once a week, through photos and fun descriptions, she recaps their journeys across the USA.

    You can find her blog here.

    In her post yesterday, Charla had a photo and information about this controversial metal sculpture at Council Bluffs Iowa. As soon as I saw the photo, I said to hubs, “We were through there last fall and I have a photo of that sculpture too!”

    Because my photo was shot through the tinted front window of our truck, the white balance was skewed. I corrected it in one move in Lightroom. Here’s a before and after:

    Today’s post seemed the easiest way to share my photo with Charla and to introduce my readers to her informative, educational, and entertaining blog.

  • Friday Freestyling … Rare and Beautiful Souls

    Friday Freestyling … Rare and Beautiful Souls

    A week ago yesterday, when my morning power walk took me through our city campgrounds, I saw a young couple, a small tent, and two bicycles at one of the campsites.

    I walked past but my mind kept nagging me to go back and say hi.

    I finally gave in and am so happy I did.

    I greeted them and then asked to take a few photos of them, their tent, their bikes, and their post-breakfast picnic table. I explained that I’d like their permission to share the photos on my blog.

    They agreed without hesitation and, as I was taking the photos, we conversed about their trip.

    They were from Quebec (a province in eastern Canada), and although they had French accents, their English was excellent. When I complimented them on their English, they explained that they had to not only study English in high school, but their courses required them to practice the language with fluent English-speaking Canadians. This approach was definitely far superior to my own requirement to study French in high school, where it was classroom only. Canada is a bilingual country, thus the “other official language” requirement for school students.

    Marilou and Leo graciously gave me permission to use their first names in my post.

    There had been rain in the morning, but they said they were dry and cozy in their tent

    When I first arrived, Leo was doing breakfast dishes at their picnic table.

    Basic meal gear when biking

    My cover photo is of their bicycles.

    They told me they had started their ride in Vancouver, Canada (our far west coast) and were cycling back home to Sherbrooke, Quebec (near Montreal). Depending on their route, this is a minimal distance of approximately 5069 km (3150 miles), and goes through the Canadian Rockies. Our city park isn’t even the half way point for them.

    I wished this friendly young couple good weather, safety, and enjoyment for the rest of their trip.

    This type of tenacity, commitment, and friendliness to complete strangers is found in rare and beautiful souls. My life is richer for having met them.

  • Read My Sign … Lower Your Standards

    Read My Sign … Lower Your Standards

    In the “Red Dog Saloon” Juneau, Alaska