As I read back through the blogs, dating back to 2009, I realize that there are missing pieces to the story of our journey. We've got some 'splaining to do. 2011 and 2012 are missing years in this blog, and they are the critical links between the travel and lifestyle blog of today and the blogs of 2009. These are the years that we took the lessons of 2009 and 2010 and put them into action in a lifestyle changing manner. The changes we made in those years were the forerunner to the many travels and different experiences we're having now. '09-'10 were the years we committed to learning how to live differently and more intentionally. Besides wanting to live local, conserve and be better stewards, we wanted more life and more time to explore beyond just our local community. Hence the phrase at the top of this blog, Bloom Where We Are Planted. Meaning, wherever we plant ourselves, whether for an hour, a day, a week or a lifetime, we want to bloom and thrive, not just survive or wait out the week until the weekend arrives.
We had a bit more space to work at thriving as the kids were mostly launched by 2009. At the same time I was revamping our kitchen and our eating patterns and looking at ways to cut household waste, we also began recording our expenses and getting serious about how we wanted to spend our money and our lives. We read the book, "Your Money or Your Life" 15 years ago, and the lessons of this book came back to us in our attempt to create a more meaningful existence. Joe Dominguez, the author, brings home the point that what we spend is an expenditure of units of life energy that were committed to earning the money we spend. There is a limit on how many units of life energy we each have. In deciding to spend money on something, we have to consider the exchange of value in our life units relative to what we have purchased and determine if the expenditure is worth it.
In 2010, Chuck decided that the cost in life units of remaining in the corporate world were definitely NOT worth it, and he made the leap into consulting and Hawthorne. This put us more or less on the same schedule and pattern with more freedom for both of us. This change took a good bit of energy and time to fully recreate ourselves and the business to incorporate him. By early 2011, we decided that the big house had served its purpose and was now more of a hindrance than a help in the new journey. This decision set in motion a protracted process of finding the right place at the right price to get us out from under a mortgage and into less labor and cost intensive space. A major undertaking that took all of 2011 to accomplish.
2012 marked the first year we felt we had made the necessary changes to be ready to undertake a major (more than a week) trip somewhere. Traveling to Europe had always loomed large in my mind, and we had been talking for a few years that this might be the year. But another opportunity presented itself when Ryan decided to go to New Zealand, so the Europe trip was destined to wait another year. The New Zealand experience was marvelous and broke ground on new possibilities for travel and exploration. It was while preparing for this trip (and being shocked at the cost of travel) that the last piece of the thriving puzzle was laid. By chance, I discovered that an acquaintance I formerly purchased computers from was involved in the world of travel point collecting. My ears perked up because I was facing paying thousands of dollars for airline tickets. Travel would be limited in my future if I couldn't find a less expensive way to do it, and a big part of my sense of thriving has to do with travel and exploration.
Fast forward a year from that discovery to today where all the flights in the past 6 months have been paid with points. Many of the hotel stays have also been on points. I estimate we've saved $6000 so far. We earn points from credit card sign ups and by managing our spending so that we get maximum travel points for it. This hobby is not for people who need to be able to qualify for loans for major purchases. It is also not a passtime for those who don't enjoy tracking expenditures. But we were already doing that for the past few years, so it was not a big step to add this piece.
Hopefully this post will fill in the missing pieces of the journey. I look forward to many more posts in the future about our various ways we decide to bloom where we are planted.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
I've been everywhere
I've been everywhere, man.
I've been everywhere, man.
Crossed the desert's bare, man.
I've breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere.
In the words of Johnny Cash, I've been everywhere, in 2013.
January: Ft. Lauderdale, Key West, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, man
March: Scottsdale
April: Zurich, Pontresina, Tirano, Florence, Lucca, Corniglia, Monte Carlo, Marseilles, Cassis, Avignon, Glaros, St. Remy, Carcassone, Chartres, Amboise, Bayeaux, Caen, Giverny, Versailles
May: Paris, London
June: Vancouver, Victoria, Portland, Astoria, Hood River
July: Crater Lake, Bend, Los Osos, Neenah
Best year EVER!
and its not over yet!!!!!!!!
Friday, July 5, 2013
California
My last night in Portland was a pleasant one, with Karen B. preparing a sumptuous repast of grilled chicken with mango salsa, fresh sautéed green beans and a delicious carrot salad with sesame oil. Jordan put on soft jazz and we enjoyed a special dinner. it is such a treat for me to have others cook for me, it really feels like vacation when that happens!!
The next morning was time to say goodbye and get on an airplane to California. Jan picked me up in San Luis Obispo on Wed. late afternoon and we have been having a great time since.
Jan lives in a small costal community called Los Osos, about 20 minutes from the airport in San Luis. It is a delightful place with great scenery and even greater people. Jan appears to know ALL 10,000 residents, and we can't walk far without meeting a friend. On July 4, we went up the coast to a friend's annual block party. My first California party, woohoo. But i didn't find the people to be any different than Indiana folks, just ordinary, friendly, welcoming people. This party was fun because we went between 3 different houses, the first for ors d'oeuvres, the second for the main course and the final for dessert. all picnic style, outdoors. I ate too much!
I loved the houses near the beach, we walked around and admired them. On Friday, we took some more walks in the area, checked out some shops in the area. We had a great dinner at a local establishment, my last hurrah of seafood for awhile. Sadly, my trip comes to an end as my flight leaves tomorrow morning.
It has been a memorable two weeks of adventuring on the west coast!
The next morning was time to say goodbye and get on an airplane to California. Jan picked me up in San Luis Obispo on Wed. late afternoon and we have been having a great time since.
Jan lives in a small costal community called Los Osos, about 20 minutes from the airport in San Luis. It is a delightful place with great scenery and even greater people. Jan appears to know ALL 10,000 residents, and we can't walk far without meeting a friend. On July 4, we went up the coast to a friend's annual block party. My first California party, woohoo. But i didn't find the people to be any different than Indiana folks, just ordinary, friendly, welcoming people. This party was fun because we went between 3 different houses, the first for ors d'oeuvres, the second for the main course and the final for dessert. all picnic style, outdoors. I ate too much!
I loved the houses near the beach, we walked around and admired them. On Friday, we took some more walks in the area, checked out some shops in the area. We had a great dinner at a local establishment, my last hurrah of seafood for awhile. Sadly, my trip comes to an end as my flight leaves tomorrow morning.
It has been a memorable two weeks of adventuring on the west coast!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Oregon
We've gotten a lot of miles under our belts in the past 4 days. On Sunday we (Karen, Jordan and I) visited Astoria. A cute little town at the mouth of the Columbia River. A center of fish canning in the early days, now mostly a tourist destination. Lots of nifty Victorian homes.
Monday, Jordan and I took off for Crater Lake. it is a trip from here, about 4 1/2 hours south. Crater lake is a misnomer. if you think an asteroid created it or something, it didn't. It was created by a massive explosion of the volcano inside the mountain. The explosion made a perfect pit, 2000 feet deep, which sealed itself and filled with the bluest water you've ever seen. Jordan said it looked like jewelry, it was so deep blue. We hiked all around the area, even had to cross some snow to get to the trail. fortunately it was not as hot there as anticipated, about 79 degrees, so a pleasant day for a walk. At an altitude of 7800 feet, I could feel the exertion more than usual and had to catch my breath a few times. There are a bunch of volcanoes from British Columbia to Northern California along the Cascade mountain range.
We concluded our day by driving to Bend and staying the night. Of course, a brew pub was on the to-do list (there are dozens of them in Oregon) and then after the pub, we crashed. Tuesday, we walked around town and the park. I was disappointed to not find any rapids or kayakers, and despaired of seeing any. Not to worry, though, we were just not looking in the right place. We visited with Jordan's cousin, Amanda who lives with her husband Kyle and their two little boys in Bend, and they told us where to find the rapids. It was within walking distance of their place, so we took a trek and sure enough, rapids and kayakers.
After our walk, we took off for the return trip to Portland. The heat was rising rapidly as we left, but by the time we reached a little town called Indian Head in a valley near Mount Hood, the thermometer read 108. I didn't believe it, but a marquee in the town read 109, so it must have been true. Jordan rolled down the window and an oven wave of heat came rolling in. The air conditioning was hardly able to keep up with the mass of heat.
By the time we were on the slopes of Mt. Hood, the temp had fallen 20 degrees, thankfully. Tomorrow I leave (sadly) for California (happily), so there will be more tales to tell from there.
Monday, Jordan and I took off for Crater Lake. it is a trip from here, about 4 1/2 hours south. Crater lake is a misnomer. if you think an asteroid created it or something, it didn't. It was created by a massive explosion of the volcano inside the mountain. The explosion made a perfect pit, 2000 feet deep, which sealed itself and filled with the bluest water you've ever seen. Jordan said it looked like jewelry, it was so deep blue. We hiked all around the area, even had to cross some snow to get to the trail. fortunately it was not as hot there as anticipated, about 79 degrees, so a pleasant day for a walk. At an altitude of 7800 feet, I could feel the exertion more than usual and had to catch my breath a few times. There are a bunch of volcanoes from British Columbia to Northern California along the Cascade mountain range.
We concluded our day by driving to Bend and staying the night. Of course, a brew pub was on the to-do list (there are dozens of them in Oregon) and then after the pub, we crashed. Tuesday, we walked around town and the park. I was disappointed to not find any rapids or kayakers, and despaired of seeing any. Not to worry, though, we were just not looking in the right place. We visited with Jordan's cousin, Amanda who lives with her husband Kyle and their two little boys in Bend, and they told us where to find the rapids. It was within walking distance of their place, so we took a trek and sure enough, rapids and kayakers.
After our walk, we took off for the return trip to Portland. The heat was rising rapidly as we left, but by the time we reached a little town called Indian Head in a valley near Mount Hood, the thermometer read 108. I didn't believe it, but a marquee in the town read 109, so it must have been true. Jordan rolled down the window and an oven wave of heat came rolling in. The air conditioning was hardly able to keep up with the mass of heat.
By the time we were on the slopes of Mt. Hood, the temp had fallen 20 degrees, thankfully. Tomorrow I leave (sadly) for California (happily), so there will be more tales to tell from there.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Master Gardeners Trip Wrap
Well, RoyAnne kept us hopping so it was difficult to do much posting while on the master gardener's tour! Additional stunning sights were the Butchart gardens in Victoria, unbelieveable work by a woman who took her husband's abandoned quarry and created a sunken garden in the 1920's and the private home garden tours we took. 4 different homes, each with a different approach. some were more like jungles, others gems of perfect pairings, edgings, art. i guess before this trip i did not fully appreciate that gardening was as artistic and creative as it is. the combining of colors, textures, and taking into account seasonality of blooming, it is amazing what can be done and what affect it can have on the viewer.
A fun evening was spent at a tea house where we were served "high tea", english style. i learned that high tea refers to tea served with warm something (in this case, warm sandwiches). we all got a bit dressed up for it. very lovely, and i loved the variety of little finger foods served with it. it was actually a full meal, just in small different tastes. lots of different teas to sample, of course. i decided that Goshen needs a tea house. anybody want to start one with me?
We also went to Calipino in Vancouver where there is a suspension walking bridge across a gorge, some 200 ft. in the air. and it sways. ack! scary but fun. the last day of our outing was spent as a free day in Vancouver, and everyone was on their own. RoyAnne and I went to Granville Island, a big farmer's market area, and Gastown, a historic district.
Sad to depart Vancouver, but off to Portland, which is quite exciting too!
Jordan picked me up at the airport on Saturday at 10, then i got to tour the new homestead. and it is pretty much a city homestead, complete with three chickens and a woodworking workshop that would be the envy of any home woodworker. i was suitably impressed.
We drove through the Columbia River Gorge, and went to the other side of Hood River, which i had never seen before. it is high desert, completely different looking than the Oregon I always picture, of lush, green forests. it looks more like Wyoming to me. Dry, rolling hills. we visited a war memorial there that is an exact replica of Stone Henge! (in concrete, rather than in stone, however). Very interesting. built in 1920 by Sam Hill (what the Sam Hill?) as a memorial for WWI fighters who were from that county.
Today we are going to Astoria and the coast because it is supposed to be about 95 degrees here today and not fit to be outside.
A fun evening was spent at a tea house where we were served "high tea", english style. i learned that high tea refers to tea served with warm something (in this case, warm sandwiches). we all got a bit dressed up for it. very lovely, and i loved the variety of little finger foods served with it. it was actually a full meal, just in small different tastes. lots of different teas to sample, of course. i decided that Goshen needs a tea house. anybody want to start one with me?
We also went to Calipino in Vancouver where there is a suspension walking bridge across a gorge, some 200 ft. in the air. and it sways. ack! scary but fun. the last day of our outing was spent as a free day in Vancouver, and everyone was on their own. RoyAnne and I went to Granville Island, a big farmer's market area, and Gastown, a historic district.
Sad to depart Vancouver, but off to Portland, which is quite exciting too!
Jordan picked me up at the airport on Saturday at 10, then i got to tour the new homestead. and it is pretty much a city homestead, complete with three chickens and a woodworking workshop that would be the envy of any home woodworker. i was suitably impressed.
We drove through the Columbia River Gorge, and went to the other side of Hood River, which i had never seen before. it is high desert, completely different looking than the Oregon I always picture, of lush, green forests. it looks more like Wyoming to me. Dry, rolling hills. we visited a war memorial there that is an exact replica of Stone Henge! (in concrete, rather than in stone, however). Very interesting. built in 1920 by Sam Hill (what the Sam Hill?) as a memorial for WWI fighters who were from that county.
Today we are going to Astoria and the coast because it is supposed to be about 95 degrees here today and not fit to be outside.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Vancouver
Greetings from lovely British Columbia! I am on Vancouver Island, in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Vancouver Island has the claim to fame of the most pleasant weather in Canada. due to the pacific waters on 3 sides, it remains temperate all year round, with no snow or freezing weather. flowers bloom year round, people can golf all year. it also never gets hot here either. lots of humidity which makes the plants grow to colossal dimensions. everything is green and cool. temps have been averaging about 62 degrees. my idea of heaven. i forget i have dry eyes. no heat or air conditioning needed. alas, my big plans to move here are defeated in the face of real estate price tags. the average 3 bed, 2 bath ranch fetches $1.5M. Vancouver island is considered one of the highest priced real estate areas in the world. (I expect Monaco is right up there with them, so i've seen both pricey places in the same year). its where rich Canadians go to retire.
Vancouver Island is a 90 min. ferry ride from Vancouver (City), BC. it was a great ride, with lovely jewels of islands along the way. Vancouver Island is a gardener's dream. it is filled with botanical gardens and private homes with sumptuous gardens. apparently anything grows here. We visited 4 private gardens and all i can say is, I give up trying to garden. my pitiful attempts pale in comparison.
I have lost track of how many public gardens we have visited. The folks on this trip are die hard gardeners, that much i've learned. 31 people, most are master gardeners or at least quite dedicated to their gardening. their knowledge never ceases to amaze me.
our guide the last two days was Joan. what an original she is. she looked like a gnome, and i can picture her spending her life outdoors, loving every minute. She was a walking encyclopedia of horticulture and area history and lore. she grew up on a farm in the area and knows everyone it seemed.
I'm excited to go whale watching tomorrow morning and then to the last garden of the trip.
Vancouver Island is a 90 min. ferry ride from Vancouver (City), BC. it was a great ride, with lovely jewels of islands along the way. Vancouver Island is a gardener's dream. it is filled with botanical gardens and private homes with sumptuous gardens. apparently anything grows here. We visited 4 private gardens and all i can say is, I give up trying to garden. my pitiful attempts pale in comparison.
I have lost track of how many public gardens we have visited. The folks on this trip are die hard gardeners, that much i've learned. 31 people, most are master gardeners or at least quite dedicated to their gardening. their knowledge never ceases to amaze me.
our guide the last two days was Joan. what an original she is. she looked like a gnome, and i can picture her spending her life outdoors, loving every minute. She was a walking encyclopedia of horticulture and area history and lore. she grew up on a farm in the area and knows everyone it seemed.
I'm excited to go whale watching tomorrow morning and then to the last garden of the trip.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Day 21
Day 21 - Even though it is a short day, we still made the most of it. We got tix to Kensington Palace, which is where Princess Diana resided and now William and Kate live. you don't get to see their part of the palace, altho Chuck was looking for a door he could get into their place from. The part open to the public is focused on Queen Victoria, and some on a few other royals. Very interesting, and the grounds around it are also public parks, just lovely. We enjoyed a morning walk to Princess Di's memorial fountain as well. We picked up our luggage at the hotel and are now waiting in the lounge for our flight home. It is hard to believe, it has been the best trip ever. We are going to have a tough time topping this one!
(Chucks addition - I did look a little bit at the doors and layout. There was a door where a person was standing at all times as we came thru and then exited. Figured that could lead to the william and kates residence. Would have been nice to have dropped in and had tea and crumpets with them. Ok, maybe I'm being a little ridiculous. Ok, maybe a LOT. But anyway, it was a nice vacation. Sadly, we are on our way back!!!)
(Chucks addition - I did look a little bit at the doors and layout. There was a door where a person was standing at all times as we came thru and then exited. Figured that could lead to the william and kates residence. Would have been nice to have dropped in and had tea and crumpets with them. Ok, maybe I'm being a little ridiculous. Ok, maybe a LOT. But anyway, it was a nice vacation. Sadly, we are on our way back!!!)
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