It’s crazy, I know, to whine about bad travel days.  But the truth of the matter is some travel days can really suck big time. As much as we are grateful for the opportunity to travel, every now and then we’ll have to endure a miserably long day.  With convoluted flight routes to online booking woes, to turbulent flights, to cancelled connecting flights and stormy weather, some travel days are just really unnerving.  Some days I wonder why we put ourselves through it.  Why does anyone?

His sign read, “I’m 91 years old and I’ve never protested before today.”  The daily headlines exclaimed hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of the United States from coast to coast on the last day of the month of June 2018. With a message of opposition to the current administration and a resounding message that all immigrants are welcome, the people marched.

When we owned our B&B in southern Oregon, the phenomenon of Airbnb was just burgeoning on to the hospitality scene, but we could see the writing on the wall.

When you think of Washington, DC, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The DC Murals, right? Ha! I’m betting your answer was politics.

When most people think of Washington, DC, politics is probably the first thing that comes to mind.  It’s only natural.  But, here’s the thing, the city has so much more to offer, that politics really does seem to take a back seat on most days.  Don’t ever let the current political vibe dissuade you from visiting such a beautifully diverse city.

It’s more than a bit odd to be in a place where there is not even a whiff of the Thanksgiving holiday, which I find hard to believe is the day after tomorrow.  As we experience the subtle change of seasons here in Porto,  we are thinking of those we love most and missing them.  It’s bittersweet.

Coping with a lousy cold when you’re in the comfort of your home is one thing, coping while traveling is a whole different story.  Sure, there’s a pharmacy on every corner in Porto, but try finding a bottle of Ginger Ale on the shelf of the neighborhood market… it ain’t gonna happen.  You guessed it, the lousy cold bug has us both down for the count and I don’t have my favorite blanket with which to curl up so I’m a bit cranky.  Just a bit.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”  Walt Disney

Apparently, we are not quite ready to settle in to the country life of retirement; the life of mowing 5 acres of grass and then watching it grow again.  Moreover, what we find ourselves embracing in this chapter of life is that we don’t have to play by the rules.  It’s called redefining retirement for a reason, and that’s what we’re doing, again. We’re redefining our path of retirement.

If we give in to fear. There are times when words absolutely fail me.  And for someone who enjoys the fine art of jibber jabber and the written word, to have words fail me really sucks.  If I could voice the speedway of thoughts and emotions that are zooming through my brain at this very moment you’d be begging me to STOP!

The best laid plans.  I’ve always embraced the belief that life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.  A well-known phrase quoted by many, but a guiding force in my life.