Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Keswick Cottage

Rose Place is the name of our cottage in Keswick

https://youtu.be/XzRtRAF9fxE

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Thailand 2019

Jain's Thailand stories have been compiled and posted in our Stories Library.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Victoria BC

Jain's Stories from Victoria, British Columbia have been compiled and are added to our Stories page.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Rose Place

This is our cottage for 2020

https://youtu.be/XzRtRAF9fxE

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Shades of Travel

When does the shine or brilliance of travel begin to dim?

Is there just a thin film of dust that needs a simple cleaning?

Has the finish succumbed to some aging process, from exposure to the sun and other elements.?

Has the finish deteriorated from abuse or neglect?

Has the finish reached a point where it is flaking or peeling and requires some major renewal?

Is there rust or corrosion under the finish?

Is the underlying foundation intact or in need of major reconstruction?

Assuming some or all of these things have contributed to some degree to a lost passion for travel, what needs to be done?

First we have to remind ourselves what contributes to a passion for travel.

A sense of discovery.

Learning something new about the world, its history, successes and failures of cultures other than our own.

Observing the diversity of flora and fauna, critters, sea life, birds, topography firsthand.

Comparing the hand of God vs. the hand of man.

Hearing the sounds of language and nature foreign to our everyday lives.

Solving everyday challenges in traveling from place to place.

The solution lies, foremost of all, in sharing this passion and experience with another likeminded person…

Sunday, May 19, 2019

We Hate Traveling

We Hate Traveling!!!

Now if that statement shocks you, given the amount of traveling that we do, then let me illuminate the good, the bad and the ugly.

We truly LOVE being in different parts of the world, exploring various cultures, wandering through a wide range of flora and fauna, topography, cities and villages finding temporary homes in six hundred year old buildings; seeing, first-hand, sites with astonishing history that we have only read about or seen in documentary film. The range of culinary delights and mysteries, chance meeting of new friends, add many pleasures to our adventures.

So, to the ugly aspects of travel; let me be very specific about things that detract from our enjoyment.

We hate almost everything about what we have to do to get to our intended destination and to home. We do occasionally enjoy riding on trains and flying on planes, when they are doing what they are designed to do… MOVING!

The terminals and procedures one has to endure are irritatingly frustrating, often defying logical description. Watching other people's behavior in terminals and during a boarding process is beyond agony. Watching gate agents in airport terminals managing the throngs of passengers can be amusing at times since we know they have been trained to follow what seem to be constantly changing policies in undefined floor space and passengers do everything imaginable to frustrate the procedure. Once on board, listening to flight attendants continuous mantra about "... stepping out of the aisles", where to place which bags, what NOT to place in the overhead compartment, "on-time departures" is also agonizing, considering the number of people ignoring these messages. To expand the pain, International flights generally mean these messages are given in two or more languages.

So here we are, sitting in our idyllic cottage in northern England, preparing to walk,"over the river and through the woods…" on a bright and sunny day, planning a simple meal this evening with a nice glass of Chilean, Spanish or Italian wine and trying to suppress thoughts about our "transition" to Spain on the 24th. May 24th, on our planner is captioned,"Big Travel Day". The steps are clearly identified: walk, bus, train, walk, plane, bus, hotel, complete with planned departure and arrival times. We will "hotel" for one night at the end of the "Big Travel Day" and move to our next "home away" on the 25th and won't have to endure another "transition" until the end of June.

Home is where the heart is

A statement we all know,

Far from home, to a distant land,

To travel is where the hearty go.

Written by Jay, approved by Jain.

Sent from my Galaxy Tab® S2

Thursday, May 2, 2019

North England's Lake District and Durham

Right around the corner from our cabin

Little dog chasing Momma and scared baby up the tree!!! Way too many bears around already!!!

Just saw this on Neighbors Ring: https://neighbors.ring.com/n/o8jN2