Subscribers to this blog may have received a strange link to a years-old blog post recently. Sorry, that was mistakenly sent while trying to resolve some technical issues.
I wish I could say that blog issues are the reason I haven’t posted anything since May, but that’s not the case. I wonder why I find it so much easier to write when traveling abroad. At any rate, it spurred me to write this update just to make sure everything is working.
Where are you headed to next? That’s a question I get often, and understandably so. I usually have an idea. Over the first four years of retirement, I’ve fallen into a pattern of traveling for extended periods in the spring.
Last year at this time, I was looking at rail schedules and watching Rick Steves for ideas of where to go in the spring. Prior autumn/winter seasons were filled with planning for travels to Mexico, South America, Iceland and Ireland. The excitement and anticipation that comes with many months of planning for a trip is part of the whole travel experience.
For a variety of reasons, I’m not planning a longer trip (yet), so my response to where I’m headed to next is usually, “I don’t know.” It’s a strange feeling but I know how fortunate I am to have this “problem.”
Shorter trips still bring the joys of traveling though. A long meal at an Indian restaurant with travel companion Vicky Ann felt like we had left the country. A weekend in a lakeside cabin in the Berkshires was a relaxing getaway, and seeing Mavis Staples and the Alabama Shakes was the icing on the cake. Summer trips to visit family in Florida, take the grandkids to the Hudson Valley, and a solo trip to the Adirondacks were rejuvenating. And just introducing my grandson to my Brazilian shrimp (moqueca de camarão) recipe felt like I was taking him on a little adventure.
I also get to experience travel through the visitors I host, mostly through Home Exchange. An Irish family in town for a wedding, an extreme traveler from Berlin who is close to his goal of seeing every country in the world, a Seattle teacher who recognized me from a conference in North Carolina seven years ago. These are a few of the guests I’ve enjoyed hosting and getting to know over conversations about travel, the state of the world, and our lives.
This fall, I’m spending time on soccer fields watching my grandson’s games, the same fields where I watched my sons years ago.
And there have been football, cheerleading, and flag football practices, along with swimming lessons, and regular playground, skate park and beach outings.
What’s next? I don’t know. But I will not forget what two friends emphatically said during a recent visit: “Don’t stop traveling. You light up when you talk about your travels.” How grateful I am to have the means to live this dream and the friends and followers who want to come along for the ride!
Another thing I’m doing this fall is working the polls, so here is a friendly reminder to vote in this year’s midterms. I am hopeful for some positive changes, but it can’t happen without your participation!
October 6, 2026 @ 18:15
Tim!!!!!!!
So happy to hear from you again! I was worried I would never read any more of your inspiring stories after the link failed the other day….Whew! Sounds like you are finding a beautiful balance and are enjoying the smaller journeys as much as the big adventures.
Looking forward to following along!
October 6, 2026 @ 19:01
So happy to hear from you! I miss following your travels.
October 7, 2026 @ 08:50
A short trip over the bridge includes dinner and stimulating conversation!
And Martha and I are going to japan