Journey & Adventure

Now that the craziness of the holiday season is almost behind us, I’m hoping to get back into the blogging state of mind. With everything else going on these days, it’s been hard to keep up. My Christmas shopping is done and wrapped. Thank goodness for small miracles. I’ve been second guessing a couple of the purchases. Not that I’ve overspent on them, I’m just not 100% convinced they will be appreciated as much as I feel they should be. Oh well, I’m not dwelling on it because it’s the thought that counts – right? About 4 weeks ago, J and I ordered new living room furniture for Christmas. Only one piece was being customized with different fabric, but we refused to pay a delivery charge twice, so we’re now expecting it to be delivered in time for Valentine’s Day. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The Gigantic Craft Show has come and gone. After all my hard work, I’m happy to say I made money. Not enough to retire, but enough to call it a success. Will I do the same s

As a follow up to my Bonaire - 2012 Photo Montage (and as requested by my other favorite redhead, Crazy Cris ), here is a photo montage of some of the wonderful critters that live in the lushious reefs surrounding the island of Bonaire.  Of course, these shots are all courtesy of J. Spotted Moray Eel  French Angel - Close Up Hawksbill Turtle (we counted 8 on one dive alone) French Angel at the Salt Pier Another French Angel at the Salt Pier Queen Angel Brown Spotted Trigger (I Think)

The BIG day is nearly upon us. No, not Christmas. That’s BIGGER than BIG, but the BIG day I’m talking about is the BIG craft show that I’ve been preparing for since… ummm, June. It starts tomorrow and I can hardly wait to get that beast behind me. I cannot even begin to explain how much I HATE – yes HATE making earrings… and necklaces… and bracelets. It used to be fun, but it’s turned to misery. I have made no less than 117 pairs of earrings, 120 necklaces and 35 bracelets since June. I HATE it all right now. Seriously. I know HATE is a strong word, but if I see another bead roll across my floor I will lose my mind…again. I think I’m prepared and I hope I have enough inventory; but in all honesty – I don’t care anymore. I just hope to sell it all. Then, all this misery and misspent time will have been well worth it. For four loooong days, I’ll be immersed in the world of crafters and crafty hunters. Wish me luck and say a little prayer that my sanity remains intact.

By the time our early retirement plan comes to fruition, you will be either too dizzy or too confused to follow this blog. Remember how I said, Ecuador would most likely be our retirement destination of choice and then we had a change of heart and thought perhaps Bonaire could work for us and then we were back to Ecuador and then I think when I last left you we were back in Bonaire mindset. Well, after doing some pre-retirement homework while we were on island in Bonaire, reality has again kicked us in the pants. Guess what? We apparently are not made of money and once we quit our jobs, we will no longer have a bi-weekly income in which to support the lifestyle we’ve become accustomed to. So while we could financially make Bonaire work short term, we aren’t convinced it could be sustainable long term. Housing is more than what we want to spend, groceries are on average 5-10% higher than they are here in Canada and the daily housing costs (hydro, propane, water) are significant

Artistic Photo by J Gumby Enjoying the Sunset - Day 1 Love the Boat Name:  "Free at Last" Lac Bay, Bonaire - Heaven on Earth Gumby Enjoying the Salt Pier - Best Dive Site on Island 1,000 Steps Dive Site - Only 60+ Steps to the Bottom,  Feels Like 1,000 with Dive Gear On Gumby Enjoying A Couple of Cold Ones After a Hard Day of Diving -  Polar, A Nice Import From Venezuela