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Category: Lifestyle (page 26 of 45)

Journey East (Part Two) – Drive-through States and a Celebrity Encounter

July 13, 2019 / / 42 Comments

This is blog two of a three-part series about the road trip in our camper van Mark, Maya, and I took from Kanab, Utah to Newburyport, Massachusetts the last few weeks. You can read part one about our sightseeing and camping experiences in Colorado here.

Drive-through States

Have you ever heard the term “fly-over states”? It’s the large, middle chunk of the United States that most people never get to see or visit, because they fly from one side of the country to the other – the areas with the biggest population and the most liberal views are located on both coasts. For this trip, we have dubbed those states (also called the Midwest) the “drive-through states”.

It was time to cover some distance, after our dilly-dallying in Colorado. We decided to “avoid highways” and follow secondary roads northeast, passing through villages, intersections, lights, and stop signs. (Click on or hover over photos to enlarge and read captions.)

All kinds of vehicles reduced our progress.
Another obstacle slowing us down. Why didn’t we take highways?
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Monthly Expenses – June 2019

July 9, 2019 / / 16 Comments

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂 Since July 2018, Mark and I have been combining van life in our Zesty and house and pet sitting, which we did full-time before that. The best of both worlds! 

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate all the food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and Mark's vitamins and supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.

I'm a bit late with my expense report for June. The excuse: a long and challenging ride east with soaring heat and humidity, mediocre camping spots, no internet the last week, an anxious dog, and little time for anything other than driving, searching for shade, and outdoor activities. More about that later. The entire month of June was spent in our camper van Zesty and we have no more house sits lined up.

Driving into Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Scenes on the road

Mark drove the entire way, usually no more than four hours a day.

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IWSG Writing Update July 2019 – About Reading

July 3, 2019 / / 51 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional. For July, the question is: “What personal traits have you written into your character(s)?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Erika Beebe,Natalie Aguirre, Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie–Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

My answer to the question (What personal traits have you written into your character(s)?)

Since my memoir Plunge is about me, I’d say quite a few. 🙂 Attempting the “show, don’t tell” technique, I created a character that ranges from sweet, caring, and considerate to being a selfish bitch at times. Nobody is without flaws. My other non-fiction writing usually doesn’t have characters in it.

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Journey East (Part One) – The Art of Boondocking

June 28, 2019 / / 51 Comments

Why East?

After almost three years of house sitting and van living “out West”, it is time to leave our most favorite area of the United States and spend the summer and fall “back East”. We both have doctors’ appointments, my citizenship interview happens in August, and Mark’s aging parents can use help. Also, our van has never been to its place of registration and family and friends can’t wait to meet our newest crew member, Maya. From our home base in Massachusetts, we hope to explore the Maritimes in Canada as well. 

(Hover over the photos below or click on them to read the captions.)

The Art of Boondocking

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know Mark and I rarely pay for camping, which is reflected in our monthly expense reports. This means we practice the art of boondocking, also called dry camping, wild camping, and sometimes urban camping (in cities), without a fee involved: we park our camper van for one night or more on BLM land, National Forest land, or areas where this is allowed.

Our favorite boondocking site in Kanab, Utah
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Our New Companion – Maya

June 19, 2019 / / 129 Comments

Remember a few days ago, when I wrote about four sleepover dogs Mark and I took home from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to offer them an afternoon and evening of extra love, fun, and adventure? Remember Martha? Remember how we dropped her off at Dogtown again in the morning, after mixed experiences and interactions with her?

How cute is she, right?

A Second Chance

Well, we decided to give her another chance. Continue reading

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah – Part Three: The Surroundings

June 18, 2019 / / 26 Comments

This is my last blog in the Best Friends series, but I’ll add a little twist in my next post. To read more about the sanctuary itself and our two-week volunteering experience (with heaps of photos of cuteness), particularly in Dogtown, click here. You can find out more about “our” sleepover dogs here.

In my previous blog post, I showed some of the beauty Angel Canyon, where Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is located, comprises. My favorite view is still the one from the Angel Village Café. And, the one through the windows of one of the founders’ home isn’t too shabby either!

View over Angel Canyon from Angel Village Cafe
Wonderful view into Angel Canyon from Jana’s house
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Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah – Part Two: Sleepover Dogs

June 16, 2019 / / 36 Comments

To read my first blog about this incredible no-kill animal sanctuary and our two weeks of volunteering there, click here. 

The Concept

While being familiar with Best Friends and its animal sanctuary in Utah, Mark and I had no knowledge of their “sleepover” animals. The first time I heard about a sleepover dog was at Donna’s blog Retirement Reflections, as she reported on taking one to their pet-friendly accommodation in Kanab for the night, after volunteering at the sanctuary. 

Swift portrait

Certain cats, rabbits, and dogs at Best Friends are available for a sleepover. They have been assessed as such by a professional team and usually tried out by staff members. The only requirement to “borrow” a pet is that you’ve completed at least one volunteer shift in that particular department. In regards to dogs, they also request you don’t go out to dinner that night (but cook at your accommodation or do take-out/delivery), so the animal isn’t left alone. Other rules are to not let your sleepover dog interact with other dogs, don’t take him/her to restaurants, and don’t feed him/her human food.

Ehu is a happy boy!

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Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah – Part One: The Sanctuary

June 11, 2019 / / 44 Comments

Where do I start?

When I met Mark while traveling through California in 2004, he handed me one of his favorite books to read. It is called “Best Friends – The True Story of the World’s Most Beloved Animal Sanctuary” (published in 2001). Ever since absorbing this story about some of the founders and the animals, we have been captivated by the organization and its no-kill sanctuary in Utah, the biggest one in the country.

Red, Tiponi, Dingo, Dale, Inky, Cliff, Mandalay, Janko, Lordes

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Monthly Expenses – May 2019

June 8, 2019 / / 21 Comments

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂 Since July 2018, Mark and I have been combining van life in our Zesty and house and pet sitting, which we did full-time before that. The best of both worlds! 

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate all the food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and Mark's vitamins and supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.

The first ten days of May, Mark and I house and pet sat in Albuquerque and the rest of the month we lived in our camper van in Kanab, Utah while volunteering at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. I made a comment in my last expense report that May would be an expensive month for us. It was... extremely expensive... triple the amount of April, because of our camper van.

May is the month in which we pay for our annual van insurance, which increased to over $1,000 this year. That's usually what we aim to spend (but rarely achieve) every month for all the categories! We also purchased a new alternator and pullies for the engine, which Mark replaced himself in Kanab, Utah. It was a day-long project. He can now call himself a car mechanic, on top of a boat mechanic. 🙂

Taking the engine apart…

… and fixing it, at Napa Autoparts in Kanab, UT

Outdoor workshop

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IWSG Writing Update June 2019 – About Drafts

June 5, 2019 / / 46 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional. For June, the question is: “Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Diane Burton, Kim Lajevardi, Sylvia Ney, Sarah Foster, Jennifer Hawes, and Madeline Mora-Summonte. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

My answer to the question (Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why?)

I used to love reading books. I still do, but unfortunately that activity is at the bottom of my list of priorities. I have no time for it. My life is hectic in a unique sort of way. I make an exception for books I promised to beta read. As a result, I’ve read two books this year – one memoir and one cozy mystery. Yep. That’s it.

As volunteers, we took care of a variety of animals at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

I prefer reading stories about real people and events, as opposed to fictional ones. That being said, to really relax when reading, fiction is preferred. To be honest, since I’ve become a writer, I never read for pleasure anymore. My mind can’t help itself to pick out typos and grammar mistakes (and I make notes!) or somehow learn from the craft.

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