Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: taking a break

Happy New Year & A Quick Update

January 9, 2026 / / 27 Comments

The first day of the year starts off cold!

I know I’m late, but I have good excuses. 🙂

Mark, Maya, and I wish you all a fantastic 2026, during which all your desires, intentions, relationships, and health work out exactly as you want them to be!

Thank you for following along with our adventures and for being an active part of this blog. I continue to appreciate every comment, reaction, suggestion, and dialogue on Roaming About and I truly cherish the friendships I have made here. If we haven’t already, maybe 2026 is the year we will meet in person!

Winter walk – slippery at times – in Uxbridge, Massachusetts

So, what has been going on and why have I been quiet on this site for almost three weeks? The short answer is that we’ve been busy, stressed, and sick. Kind of in that order. As a matter of fact, Mark, his mom, and I are still battling a nasty flu that has us surviving on Tylenol and cough drops for ten days so far. It’s not fun, especially when needing to take care of family members at the same time.

My mother-in law’s condo in Newburyport, where we are spending most of our four weeks back in Massachusetts. Our room is located on the front corner of the second floor.

My last post documented our final days in our truck camper Thirsty Bella, in Chile. This was followed by three weeks at an Airbnb in its capital Santiago, where we were supposed to rest up. It might not come as a surprise that this didn’t happen and in addition, we had worries about a dog in pain. On Christmas Day, we flew to the US. We were welcomed by snow, icy temperatures, and a nasty virus.

Maya posing in the snow

As I try to catch up on blog writing the coming days, you will learn more about all these events. I’ll start with our expense report for December 2025, which also acts as a monthly overview. Then, I plan to finally post about my five-day trip to Easter Island. This will be followed by regular posts about what we have been up to, until we find a new home on wheels for our upcoming European adventures.

Thanks again for continuing to follow along and, please, stay tuned!

Writing Update April 2021 – Baja Bounty

April 7, 2021 / / 49 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 April, the question is: “Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are PK Hrezo, Pat Garcia, SE White, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diane Burton! Click on their names to see what they are up to this month..

My answer to the question – Do I take risks when writing?

People who have followed this blog for a while know that I am not averse to risk taking. Although I call my swift decisions, adventurous lifestyle, and “going with the flow” attitude “calculated risks.” ???? You only live once, so you better do the things you’re passionate about, and enjoy your precious time on earth. That sometimes involves expanding horizons, nudging comfort levels, taking risks.

I don’t feel like I’m taking big risks with my writing as it reflects my personality and doesn’t push my personal boundaries. That being said, I am aware that my travel memoir Plunge is different and a tad controversial. For starters, the story is set in the present tense, taking the reader along for the ride – physically and emotionally. I don’t cover things up, have no taboos, and touch on the good as well as the bad and the ugly when it comes to my alternative lifestyle and 24/7 relationship with my husband. This makes some readers uncomfortable; they are not used to “brutal honesty” and don’t care for an exposed soul (another aspect that makes my memoir unique).

Based on that – and the fact that this approach led to a one-star review and some criticism – I guess I am a bit of a risk-taker in my writing, too!

Sunrise at the beach

My book news

Mark, Maya, and I spent February and March enjoying our lives in Baja California, Mexico. This was a reward for all the hard work finishing and publishing Plunge last year. I knew that once we arrived on the peninsula, internet would be sparse and unreliable and that my time would be better spent charging my batteries (other than usual work commitments). Therefore, I laid a lot of groundwork spreading the word about my book before we crossed the southern border of the US.

Relaxing and reading

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