Namibia
Na MIB ee AH! Namibia has the second-lowest population density of any sovereign country with just over 3 million people in its 825,615 km2 (318,772 sq mi). Nearly 500,000 of Namibians live in the capitol city of Windhoek. When I mentioned I was traveling to Namibia, every person said, “you’re going to love it!”I just […]
Rina’s Mural
Back to Winterton for a new mural – The came too soon when the household goods were packed and shipped and it was time to say goodbye. A neighbor had a farewell party for the family and friends from Pretoria arrived to wish my daughter and her family a safe journey back to Seattle. My […]
South Africa 2025
Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles! My new grandson arrived July 14 with an uneventful birth at Life Wilgers Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. My daughter and her husband could finally hold the long awaited child they had dreamed of for so long. Reflecting on the events that lead to this child being born to […]
Early days of travel
Travel bug Looking back at this first big year of travel, I remember how alive and excited I was to explore Europe. An interviewer recently asked my what made me think I could paint a mural on the side of a farmhouse, working 30 feet up a wall on scaffolding. It was an excellent question […]
Open Hearted Travel
It was March 2023. After years of perusing Workaway listings and dreaming of spending a month in a foreign country, the time had come to spread my wings and take the leap. I had quit my job in the pump industry and thought I was retiring. It turned out that I would take a new […]
Headed Home
The Polar Steps app showed me that I was away from home 256 days in 2024. Just reading that number caused me to stop and think about my life a little. Was I really traveling that much? I was. I had spent three months in South Africa, 3 weeks on a road trip with friends […]
Full Circle – Closed too soon
My friend Linda died today. We had been friends since our sons were in the same 2nd grade class, thirty years ago. I miss her and my heart is breaking. This is our story. I have been trying to write about other things but every time I sit down to write, I am overwhelmed with […]
PetTeet Park Mural
In September 2023, I spent a few weeks on a farm in Western Australia doing farm chores and helping with the annual Canola Festival. We kept in touch after I left. When I sent a picture of the Mural I did in Ocean Shores, Pam, one of the owners, sent me this poster and somewhat […]
Gili Islands, Indonesia
Change of plans After searching flights and hotels and beaches to come up with a great combination of price and experience for the two weeks before I met my son, Brian, in Taiwan, I completely threw in the towel. Between the rainy season in the region, challenging transportation to the beaches in Thailand and the […]
Kad Sala Village
Kad Sala Village Just over a week ago, I traveled south of Chiang Mai to my current workaway stay at Kad Sala Village. Every day is a little different. Some days, I teach English alongside the other 6 volunteers. We have students from 4 to 12 years old, mostly beginning level. Some speak English well […]