Over the past few weeks and months, Ben and I have been playing our own version of Shoot, Shag or Marry – only with our stuff. We have literally handled and considered every item we own and have asked ourselves, ‘take, chuck or store?’ That’s every darned thing. When we originally talked about taking this sabbatical, … Continue reading
Filed under Adventure …
The Devil’s in the Details
We are now in the T-minus state of departing Melbourne, and then Australia, for a year. As in, T-minus: 17 days of work left. And T-minus: 33 days until we fly out of Melbourne. And T-minus: several hours until I lose my damned mind. I woke up at 4am last night (or this morning). I … Continue reading
Why I’m taking a mid-career sabbatical
“Let’s trade a year of our retirement for 2018,” said Ben. We’d been toying with the idea for years, but he was giving it a time-frame, making it concrete. Initially, my stomach clenched at the thought, but I took a deep breath and said yes. Ben and I have long described ourselves as ‘location-agnostic’, but … Continue reading
Where the winds take you
A year ago, Ben and I were about to embark on a journey back to the Greek Islands, revisiting some of the places we discovered together in 2006 – when we met. Our skipper from the sailing trip in ’06, Patrick, would be at the helm again. We’d get to see new places, we’d make … Continue reading
NZ ’13
I was a lucky bugger and I won a trip – an all-expenses-paid trip – to New Zealand. 25 words or less on who I would take to NZ and why, and a couple of months later Ben and I were winging our way to Wellington. This is a retrospective of our 7 night, 8 … Continue reading
Standing By You
A few weeks ago Ben and I went to the local cinema with some friends to see Stand By Me. It was the first time in more than 25 years I had seen it on the big screen, although I do not exaggerate to say that I have seen it at least 40 times since … Continue reading
Gap Year
There is an Aussie rite of passage that is not really part of American culture. This rite is also shared by the Kiwis, Brits, Irish and even the South Africans. It is the ‘gap year’, where young adults leave their home country and go on grand adventures. They almost always end by moving back home … Continue reading
Heatwave in Seattle
I have a confession to make. I am one of those women you see at the gym who reads magazines on the cardio equipment. I have another confession. I feel superior to other women who read magazines on the cardio equipment, because I am working on level 20 while they are usually on level 4 … Continue reading
When the pieces come together: Part Two
Our accommodation the first night of our weekend was with a lovely lady called Barbara at her B&B in Port Angeles, Ocean Crest. We arrived just before dinner and she showed us to our room. It was very comfortable, had its own bathroom, and just next door was a little sitting room for us. Barbara … Continue reading
When the pieces come together: Part One
What makes a perfect weekend? What are the essential elements that must come together to create a weekend of ‘Kismet’? Well, this past Labor Day long weekend we discovered that the perfect weekend can be as much about what is omitted as what is included. The night before our departure I suffered a night of … Continue reading
