Volunteer Work and Travel

Now that I am retired and have completed renovations to my home to make it comfortable and safe, I have more time to do things I enjoy. I also have re-emerged from my deep well of grief over the loss of my husband. I still think of him fondly every day.

But I have a life to live and while I am still upright, I intend to do so.

2023 sees me being active with serving my community and soon will see me on airplanes, Harleys, trains, and roadways.

When I am at home (that is, not traveling), I keep busy by…
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Soul Restoration

I spent time in my favorite place in the world during the winter holidays: western Puerto Rico, my home away from home.

I had a difficult time getting there with flight delays and rebooking, but I got there, albeit 8 hours late.

Unfortunately, no one cares any more about protecting others from Covid with no masking or distancing. Though I always wore a mask, it was not enough to protect me. Two days after arrival, I developed symptoms of Covid-19 and tested positive.

If there is an upside, my symptoms were very mild with only a runny nose, achy-all-over feeling, and fatigue. But no fever, coughing, or worse.

I credit being so well-vaccinated, including the bivalent booster, that I did not need medical treatment and my symptoms abated in just three days. The last day of symptoms was Christmas day, so I wasn’t able to join friends for a holiday dinner and stayed “home” and binge-watched Netflix.

On recovering, I began to explore. My first…
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Canadian Maritimes

When my husband was sick with cancer, he planned a trip to visit the Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. We used planning for that trip as something to look forward to if he got to the other side of harsh chemotherapy.

Unfortunately, he could not tolerate the chemo, and six months after diagnosis with pancreatic cancer, he died peacefully, with me by his side.

For the last 8 days, I fulfilled his dream and added my own twists. Read on…
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Photos From My Favorite Island

I have said often that I love Puerto Rico. This is an island that one has to visit many times and let its charm grow on you. I have been going to Puerto Rico since 1989… muchos años ago.

From 1989 to 2019, 31 of my visits were mostly for work. My work sent me there for many, many weeks or months some times. Other visits were shorter to speak at conferences, to conduct training, and to do site inspections. For the shorter visits, I extended a few of them for a week and invited my husband to join me.

On all these visits, some of which were very hard, long, and challenging…
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State of Bootlessness

I know it has been a while since I wrote anything for this blog. Sorry, my mind isn’t on my boots, or knowledge thereof.

Currently, I am in a state (rather, a U.S. territory) where I am in a state (i.e., condition) of bootlessness.

Huh?
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Booted Travel Plans

I am, like others, tired of staying home, though I love my house and the community in which I live. However, caution still is needed to avoid contracting Covid-19. I figure that I have been so very careful for so long, I am not going to abandon Covid safety measures, but I am beginning to venture out more often, and have three trips planned for 2022.

Where am I now and where will I go?
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One Year Ago

One year ago this week, I brought my beloved husband back to my very favorite Caribbean island, Puerto Rico, to enjoy a 25th anniversary return to la isla del encanto. I had retired at the end of 2019, and Spouse and I planned lots of travel during 2020 with the new free time I was going to have.

Back in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, I traveled a LOT to this island for…
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Final Days in Hawaii

As the coronavirus pandemic gets worse and worse around the world, especially in the United States where Governors of states have had to step up to manage the crisis when leadership at the Federal level is insanely a month behind, being on vacation in Hawaii was surreal.

As of the weekend of March 21/22, essentially most of the State…
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Meanwhile, on the Island of Hawaii

On Wednesday, 18 March, Spouse and I boarded a plane and flew to Kailua-Kona, on the west side of the Island of Hawai’i (aka “Big Island”.) We settled in to the AirBnB we reserved near the Pacific Ocean.

There are still quite a few tourists here in Hawai’i, despite the Governor’s request that visitors stay home. Since we were already here, we decided to stay.

Frankly, it is …
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