Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: USA

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!

A Break from the Road – In Massachusetts (USA) and Belgium

July 24, 2024 / / 45 Comments

Many of you know that I, Liesbet, was born, raised, and educated in Belgium. But, did you know that it has been 21 years since I actually lived there (July 2003)?

Goodbye party invitation front
Goodbye party invitation back

That’s right, I have officially been a nomad for over two decades now. During that time of sailing, RVing, house and pet sitting, and overlanding (a fancy term for roughing it internationally in a vehicle), I tried to return to my home country once a year or every other year. During Covid, it took three years before I was able to see my family and friends again. Too long!

For me, it comes easy to leave everything behind, because I have an adventurous streak and do just fine on my own (and with my husband and furry companions). If I were to get homesick easily, miss my loved ones too much, or crave familiarity and routine, this roaming lifestyle would not be a good match! That is not to say I don’t enjoy summer visits “back home,” usually for two or three weeks at a time.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Ready to fly to Belgium
Departing Boston
On the plane – we were the only ones wearing a mask!

Mark, Maya, and I are currently in Belgium. For two entire months! This is beyond exciting and special. For once, there is no need to rush, have an overfull schedule, and feel more tired when I leave than when I arrived. It’s not a vacation – Mark and I still perform our jobs – but to be living in comfort with a healthy dose of routine, convenience, and luxury is something we don’t take for granted and enjoy immensely.

It’s like Christmas! Opening the many packages we ordered while still in Argentina.
Two new pairs of jeans for Mark. Exciting!
One of the slow feeders we ordered for Maya in Massachusetts
Maya with one of her new toys, which holds frozen peanut butter
Most toys are boring to Maya
This new toy contains food nuggets that are dispensed when Maya moves the toy around.
Maya’s first real dog bed. She likes it!
At the dentist – many issues with my teeth

This visit to Belgium follows a hellishly busy three weeks in Massachusetts, USA, during which we combined tons of health visits and follow-ups (22 between Mark and me; two for Maya) with work, taking care of my mother-in-law, dealing with (extra) issues regarding her car, running errands, preparing for our trip to Belgium, buying gear for Thirsty Bella in Argentina, and squeezing in leisure time with friends.

Mark hard at work
Our new living quarters, since niece Jo and her husband moved in with grandma
Hanging out on the patio with Mark’s mom, Carol
Maya loves tight spots!
Maya and a neighbor’s dog, Wetzel
Mother-in-law Carol had a little fall, so 911 checked in on her and Jo, our in-home nurse practitioner family member, took care of her. Luckily, nothing serious…
Visit from the fire brigade
Cooking healthy meals every day
Quick visit to friends Joe and Elsa in Newton, MA, after a specialist’s health check-up
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A Divided America – Let the Healing Begin!

January 20, 2021 / / 45 Comments

Today, I’m featuring two towns in Arizona, less than 25 miles (37 km) apart. And a monstrosity in the same area. This is my contribution to this week’s #wordlesswednesday and a link-up to #weekendcoffeeshare.

(Hover over or click on photos for captions.)

Bisbee, AZ

Bisbee is an artsy, liberal, historic town in Arizona

Tour operators wear masks

Tombstone, AZ

Tombstone is an Old West, conservative town in Arizona.

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Driving across the USA – East to West via I-80

October 21, 2016 / / 35 Comments

View near Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Utah

After four days of attending the Annapolis Boat Show as vendors, Mark and I left the East Coast on Columbus Day (Monday, October 10th) in an attempt to cross the country at a fast pace. We were pretty exhausted when we started our trip at 7am, but were assured that sitting on our bum would be the main activity for the week to come. Fortunately, the owners of our new house sit in Northern California managed to postpone their departure with a day, which gave us five days to cover 2800 miles/4500 km. Google Maps predicted that that would take about 40 hours in perfect conditions, but with road work, accidents and some traffic congestion, it took much longer. By the time the Annapolis Sailboat Show came to an end that Monday, we had already reached Chicago! We were very happy with our bonus day on the road, which made it possible to reach Rocklin, CA late afternoon on Friday.

Day 1: Annapolis, MD – Joliet, IL (730 miles/1175 km) Continue reading

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