Tag Archives: charmed life
It’s Cherry Blossom Time in Japan!
In another of what seem to be unbelievable bits of good timing we have encountered in our travels, we hit Japan right at the peak of the cherry blossoms blooming.At our first stop, Nagasaki, we were enthralled by the flowering trees all around The Atomic Bomb Museum. They helped add a quiet touch to the somber site advocating peace near the epicenter of… CONTINUE READING >>
Our Interview with Aging Insider
Becca at Aging Insider calls us “5 Alarm Boomer Bloggers” and in this episode of her fabulous show, she says:“Richard Branson says, ‘Screw it, lets do it!’ and this is a couple who is embracing that motto. The kids left for college and this rockstar couple left for the world… CONTINUE READING and watch the video >>
Would You Stay at a Panda Hotel?
Would you stay in a Panda Hotel? We did and we loved it!During our whirlwind stay in Hong Kong, we were treated like royalty, stayed in a suite that looked like a movie set and ate the most amazingly delicious food.
And, yes, there were pandas… CONTINUE READING >>
Dispatch One – Our Amazing Asian Cruise!
We’re taking you to Asia!Follow along LIVE with us as we discover Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Japan. We’ll be visiting Shanghai, Zhujiajiao Watertown with its traditional wooden boat markets, the Great Wall and Forbidden City in Beijing, the culture and beauty of Dalian, the amazing port city of Busan, the Peace Garden… CONTINUE READING >>
GypsyNesting in Your Own Backyard
As much as we love our GypsyNester lifestyle, we understand that chucking it all and hitting the highway is not something everybody can do. Many of us have ties that can make it difficult — if not impossible — to pull that off. With that in mind, we like to periodically point out that there are plenty of great GypsyNesting opportunities right in your own backyard.A plethora of possibilities are playing out nearby no matter where you call home. You just have to know where to look… CONTINUE READING >>
Guayaquil, The Pearl of the Pacific
Join your GypsyNesters in Guayaquil, Ecuador!Discover the steep Cerro Santa Ana, a colorful, dynamic neighborhood of 444 steps with amazing sunset visits from the top.
Delight in the Parque de las Iguana where the reptiles were so thick that we had to be careful not to step on them.
And stroll the beautiful, romantic riverwalk – the Malecón… CONTINUE READING >>
60 Years of Marriage: A Gift My Parents Gave Me
This week our family is celebrating a remarkable event, my parent’s sixtieth wedding anniversary. Only an extraordinary mixture of love, trust, faith, hard work, and — yes — luck could have made this event possible.I’m not going to attempt to analyze the inner workings of how a union can not only survive, but thrive over six decades, I am simply going to offer thanks.
More than gratitude for the care and security that I received, although that too often goes unspoken, I want to particularly express how grateful I am for… CONTINUE READING >>
The Best? (Worst?) Funniest. Family Portrait. Ever.
Every family has ‘em. Piles of throw-away snapshots that you can’t bear to actually throw away. Before digital cameras our generation put every picture, no matter how bad, into a photo album. After all, they were precious – and we shelled out big bucks to have them developed.Then there are the CLASSICS. The ones you should have thrown away, but instead you frame them. This one is ours.
Think about it, we thought we were sitting for a lovely family portrait. Clearly, all heck is breaking loose and none of us could… CONTINUE READING >>
Cowboyin’ Up in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is a city fueled by meat, and Mataderos is the barrio, or neighborhood, that traditionally supplied that fuel.To celebrate that tradition and preserve many of the customs of the gauchos, who we would call cowboys, a huge event known as the Feria de Mataderos is held.
Thousands of people come from miles around to enjoy the food, music, crafts, and particularly the feats of skill demonstrated by the gauchos… CONTINUE READING >>
Fun at the Feria de Mataderos
Veronica joins in the traditional dances! See some awesome “Race for the Ring” action… CONTINUE READING >>
Glamour + Camping = Glamping on the California Coast
Your GypsyNesters take a Glamping adventure of a lifetime up California’s Pacific Coast Highway!Follow us from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara to Beverly Hills – yes – Beverly Hills, as we discover what the Glamping Life is all about!… CONTINUE READING >>
Dreaming in a Tango Hotel in Buenos Aires
Late at night, when I’m in a particularly active R.E.M. cycle you can almost guarantee that you will find me dancing the tango in my soul, behind my eyelids. I must have a connection to the sultry dance from a past life. In these dreams I am as fluid as hot coffee and as alluring as the sweetest chocolate. Tango speaks to me.I’d also never attempted it in real life. David, who calls himself a “circus bear attempting to balance on a ball” when it comes to dancing, was surely not going to indulge me in my fantasy of learning to tango during our stay in Buenos Aires. At least not as my partner.
But my circus bear can be full of surprises. He not only… CONTINUE READING >>
The 12 Most Enjoyable Blogs by Women
We are so thrilled to be awarded the honor of one of the 12 Most Enjoyable Blogs by Women!(David is included as a “technicality”!)
Follow these fabulous ladies and they will write their way into your heart.
Whatever your interests may be, you are sure to find a kindred spirit… CONTINUE READING >>
The Couple of Things
I was recently interviewed for a magazine article about empty nesting from the Dad’s point of view. As usual, I was happy to add my two cents.
Most of the questions involved the logistics of pulling off our GypsyNester lifestyle, things like selling the house, making an income, traveling and the like, but one question completely caught me by surprise… CONTINUE READING >>
It’s Un-Belize-able!
While Belize is certainly geographically very Central American, its long history as a British colony gives it a feel that we found more similar to some Caribbean islands than its Latin neighbors.The Creole tinged… CONTINUE READING >>
Getting Key-ed Up in Florida
One of the greatest drives in America has to be the trip down U.S. Highway 1 through the Florida Keys.We made a stop at the incredible Coral Castle, ate enormous amounts of seafood at the Marathon Seafood Fest and, when we ran out of road, landed in Key West… CONTINUE READING >>
Stick a Fork in Us, We’re Done!
Our youngest, The Boy, graduated from college on Saturday. He’s somehow managed to graduate with honors, all while holding down two jobs. We can’t imagine having that much energy. As parents, we couldn’t be prouder.In addition to the pride we feel for our son’s accomplishments, we have found other reasons to celebrate. This is the last year we’ll ever make a tuition payment, have an offspring on our medical insurance, or… CONTINUE READING >>
Life’s a Beach
Life’s a beach. In Florida that little pun takes on some real meaning. Of The Sunshine State’s twelve hundred miles of coastline, over half is covered by beautiful sandy beaches.We are big fans of the seashore, so much so that we spent almost a decade on a… CONTINUE READING >>
A Renewed Faith in Humanity From a Simple Gesture
Have you ever found the PERFECT Birthday Card? The absolute ONLY one that will make the receiver’s day?We had been carting this card around with us for quite some time – months. That’s what we do, when we find the ideal card for one of our family or friends we buy it, no matter how long it may be until the occasion that it celebrates. This one was perfect for our oldest, The notoriously carrot-hating Piglet.
Flash forward to a sunny, wildly windy day in Lafayette, Louisiana, a parade of dogs and a birthday card for our eldest to be mailed. What a pretty picture. And it was, until I noticed that the card was no longer in my coat pocket… CONTINUE READING >>
We’ve Made a Major Decision – Thanks for Your Help!
A couple of weeks ago, we asked for your help – and, boy, did we get it! We are truly overwhelmed by the response we received! Thank you so much!We had a bit of a joyous dilemma: Where would we go on our “real empty nest” trip? You see, The Boy graduates college this Spring and we want to celebrate by going somewhere really special – no more tuition payments! We found a program, RoadScholar.org, that fit our ideals perfectly – but after narrowing our dream trips down to three, we couldn’t land on just one. Yes, there was “heated discussion” involved.
With a little help from our friends (okay, a LOT of help), we’ve made our decision! Of course, it was… CONTINUE READING >>
Meet The GypsyNesters!
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Meet The GypsyNesters! We appreciate your comments and would love… CONTINUE READING (or leave a comment!)>>
Our Ode to Spanish Food – Tapas & More!
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The GypsyNesters eat as many tapas they can get their mitts… CONTINUE READING >>
2012. A Year for Smiles
My New Year resolution is to make everyone I come in contact with smile. You are forewarned. I WILL crack you.Sharing smiles with strangers has long been a personal philosophy of mine, at times to the occasional chagrin of David and the embarrassment of my former teenaged kids, but this year I want to… CONTINUE READING >>
Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ on the Riviera
The Riviera is synonymous with playground for the rich and famous.
First royalty, then artsy types like Picasso, Matisse, Aldous Huxley arrived, and nowadays Elton John, Bono, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have all bought homes and frequent the seaside resorts. Of course two road weary GypsyNesters in a tiny rented economy car felt… CONTINUE READING >>
Genoa’s Ancient City in Pictures
It’s a beautiful thing to be entranced. When I was a child I would watch my father, an award-winning photographer, practically leave the planet when he found a subject that captured his interest. It wasn’t until I found myself wandering alone within the ancient walls of the old city in Genoa, Italy did I fully understand.It was as if… CONTINUE READING >>
A Boat Ride in Monaco
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Riding through Port Hercule in Monaco, the richest country in the world! Check out the megayachts! Just below the casino … CONTINUE READING >>
