Journey & Adventure

Where to begin?  I promised a full trip report from our trip to the Galapagos in March.  It’s now almost May and let’s be honest - that report isn’t going to get written.   I’ve been too busy at work to mentally process anything by the end of the day. Why have I been busy at work?  Well, while I was on vacation, they finally terminated a long-term, painful employee in our department that has been a thorn in the side of many for years.   Hence the reason for my busyness – I’ve been asked told to take on some “extra” work until they can “figure things out”.  So, in addition to my already busy contract portfolio, I now am responsible for our trademark and corporate portfolio.  Honestly, I’d gladly give up contracts for trademarks and corporate because there is WAAAY less drama and interaction with the outside world.  When did I become so anti-social?  Good question. Now, back to a brief synopsis of our Galapagos trip.  ...

Today was our first walk on the beach for the season in Canada.  We started out with hats and gloves, but by the end of our 4 mile round-trip, we were toastsy (actually sweaty) and the sun was shining brightly.  There is still a lot of ice on the lake and it will likely be there for a few more weeks before the open water reaches the shore, but it was a wonderful, sunny day.  It's been a long, hard winter for sure. The beachcombing was also fantastic and I was able to collect a few treasures that had been uncovered by the winter winds and receding water.  Here is one photo of a large purple, frosted piece.   Purple is said to one of the rarest of colors, needless to say, I was super-excited to find it.

Well, there's a longer blog post in the making about our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.  It is a truly awe-inspiring place to visit, but for now, I present a bit of our underwater experiences. Here's a little snippet prepared by J - filmed using my GoPro camera (which I should point out - I've never used since buying it over a year ago).  I did get to open the box though.  I think I'll let J keep it - he's pretty good with it.

Get your minds out of the gutter...I'm actually headed to the Galapagos Islands. Blue Footed Booby Red Footed Booby I'm hoping to post some photos from Ecuador provided we have wifi.  Hasta luego...

You may remember awhile ago, I introduced a logo, which has a work in progress.  Well, this is the final version… Well, the plan for its use is still forming, but we know the logo will be incorporated into whatever we decide to do when we retire early, which by the way is still 3-4 years away.   *sigh* We have some great ideas, but those ideas are dependent on a number of things that we can’t finalize until we are finally on location.   Surfing Flamingo - for now, is the name of our new Etsy shop.   There you will find some of J’s photos for digital download, his custom greeting cards (not your regular Hallmark line) and some of my beach-inspired jewelry.   I’m still running my shop, Flamingo Tongue Designs (hmmm I see a pattern forming in the names) – could that be a hint of where our hearts belong?  In any event, please feel free to stop by Surfing Flamingo or Flamingo Tongue Designs and see what we’ve been u...

Tonight’s Lotto Max jackpot is estimated to be approximately fifty million dollars, plus 30 additional prizes of one million dollars.   I don’t buy lottery tickets on a regular basis but I couldn’t resist purchasing a ticket for this one.   I know, I know, my odds are greatly reduced because the jackpot is so high and so many more people are buying tickets but I couldn’t resist.   I could do so much good with fifty million dollars – not just for me, but for others as well.     Let’s start with myself, friends and family:   I would obviously be retiring early – is Monday soon enough for you?   I would purchase my oceanfront house in Bonaire and a sweet boat – rigged for both diving and fishing.   I would purchase J’s parents a nice condo, new vehicle and give them enough money to live comfortably.   I would give J’s sister and brother enough money to pay off their mortgages. ...

By March, signs of Spring have usually begun to make their appearance – warming temperatures, melting snow, longer days and more sunshine.  Such is not the case this year – winter is not letting go.  Unless you can count the Canada geese that are honking outside my office window and the smell of skunk in the air – those are the only signs that Spring may be in our future.   We have now officially had almost 5 months of below freezing temperatures. No joke!  I plan on burning all of my winter sweaters when Spring finally arrives.  Yes, I know I’ll need them next year, but I’ll worry about that then.  They are gone!  No joke there either.  I hate them sooo much.   I’ve packed on enough pounds this winter to easily get me through the next 3 winters.  I don’t even care. The last thing I’m thinking about is exercising or salads.  Comfort foods are the only things on my mind.  I’ll worry about weight loss in the Spri...