Going away cards from our buddies, Jiah and Solan Grillo. My last bike ride through Greenough Park along Rattlesnake Creek. It’s been a helluva lovely commute these past ten years! The new neighborhood grocery […]
Picture yourself right now. Close your eyes and visualize where you’re sitting, standing or lounging. Now zoom out. Do you have a map in your head of where you are located on this big, beautiful earth? I do. I’m a visual learner, and I feel disoriented if I can’t picture […]
Our first day of (our first) retirement is full of dust-bunnies, boxes, and lots of trash bags. The full chaos of moving is upon us. Luckily, we have a whole week to move our life and our house into a 12×12-foot storage space before we fly away to Baja […]
Are you ready for Part 2 of the Travel Prep Mini-Series? We sure are! This entry is much more fun, since it means we’re getting closer to a final packing list and farther from those nagging logistical details of leaving our life behind. (In case you missed Part 1, click here […]
Last week, I had coffee with my friend, Kim. She and her family are planning to take a year off to sail soon (go, Kim!), and I talked her ear off about how to prepare. Kim madly scribbled down notes as I rattled off websites, resources and advice about the […]
I just checked my credit card statement, and had to take several deep breaths. Once I was sure I wouldn’t hyperventilate, I opened my eyes again to look at the carnage: Amazon, Apple, Expedia … repeat. Whoa. How naive I was, thinking we’d just stuff a backpack with some bathing suits […]
As the days get shorter and temperatures start dropping in Montana, my thoughts often turn to more tropical locations. This year, I already know where we are going, kind of. We’ll leave in April and head for somewhere between Hawaii and Australia. If you have the same inclinations and you’re […]
Two things I’ll miss when we sail into the sunset — girlfriends and walking. Two things I won’t miss a bit — grey winters and biting-cold Montana wind. This weekend I was lucky enough to soak in the good stuff and get outta the bad. On Friday afternoon, I hopped on a […]
I first came up with the idea for this blog while in China last June. I was there for a month as part of a U.S. State Department/University of Montana exchange program between U.S. and Chinese environmental professionals. I was the water “expert” … or something. The reason I originally […]
Four sailors. Twelve days. Five desert islands. 125 miles in a 22-foot 1978 Catalina. In November 2011, Rob and I and two of our closest friends spent two weeks exploring the Loreto Marine Park in the Sea of Cortez. And we did it for less than $1,000 per person (including […]