It has troubled me for some time that most of my content is about me. So am I a narcissist? The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of a narcissist is a) an extremely self-centred person who has an exaggerated sense of self-importance or b) a person who is overly concerned with his or her physical appearance. That didn’t help […]
Category: Travel
Knowledge is fine, wisdom is better……
By Tina on November 16, 2018How blessed we are, those of us who have sight. On the mornings that I drive to work, I get to absorb our spectacular sunrises and, once again, upon my return, there before me is a dramatic sunset. I can’t get enough of our Alberta skies! I am now knee-deep into my studies. My brain is […]
The Grass on Both Sides is Sacred
By Tina on October 22, 2018Last week I closed another short chapter in my life. I sold Arvey. For those of you who have just joined me, Arvey (say it with a French accent) was my little motorhome. She took me through Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, down the Pacific Coast through the States to Mexico and back. We did a little […]
Emerging……
By Tina on October 14, 2018Binge watching “This is Us” on Netflix with a bowl of ice-cream and a box of kleenex next to me is not conducive to getting on with the task of living, but I allow myself these moments as long as I move on to something a little more productive at some point. I classify these […]
Due to the strike in Costa Rica, we ended up waiting about an hour and a half for the bus to take us to the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife and Marine Refuge, but, as life in Central America is so much more relaxed than in North America, our guide was waiting patiently for us. You wouldn’t think […]
Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve
By Tina on September 14, 2018Our tour guide picked us up at the agreed location for the short drive to the entrance to the Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve. There were no signs at that point, just a spot on the road. As I had neglected to bring my hiking boots, I was provided with some wellies, (rubber boots, for those of you unfamiliar […]
Costa Rica…….pura vida!!!
By Tina on September 8, 2018Poison dart frogs, orb spiders, morpho butterflies, agoutis, green iguanas, toucans and howler monkeys, that has been my experience in the first week of my stay in bellísima Costa Rica. And all of these animals have been spotted either in the garden of the house I am staying at or beside the road as I walk to […]
Moving on………
By Tina on August 31, 2018I have just been pondering why on earth I would miss the one person who so completely dismissed my life as irrelevant. Isn’t that strange? I do understand that he had no idea that he was doing this for many, many years. And I also understand that, by staying in that situation, I was enabling […]
Grace
By Tina on August 26, 2018Wednesday would have been Greg’s 58th birthday so I made my annual pilgrimage to Grassi Lakes just outside Canmore in honour of his life. It may not have ended well, but I am forever grateful for the children he gave me. Without Greg, there would have been no Rebekah, Matthew, Bethany, Hope or Hannah. It occurred to […]
Decisions, decisions…..
By Tina on August 11, 2018When I gave up my relatively stable life last year to pay down debt and travel, I didn’t just plan to travel. I also wanted to travel write and become a stock photographer as a means of making a living. And, having never travelled in an RV alone before, I also needed to learn how to do […]
Tantrums to Tranquility
By Tina on August 4, 2018I had this vision the other day of God observing me, like a parent observing a child, and thinking, “There she goes again, having a little tantrum because things aren’t going her way.” Yup, that’s me, screaming away, stamping my feet, because things aren’t falling into my lap and I might just have to work at getting my life on back […]
Tristan and Isolde
By Tina on June 10, 2018My all-time favourite movie is “Tristan and Isolde”. It is a tragedy/love story, which is right up my alley, along with Dickens’s book, “A Tale of Two Cities”, Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables” and Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the d’Urbervilles”. Maybe, like Peter Pan, I never grew up and cling to the idea of undying love […]
It’s a new day
By Tina on June 1, 2018Well, now you know a whole lot more about me than I ever imagined I would share. It is so cleansing to expose oneself for all to see, warts and all. I’m sure I have more fiendish creatures lurking beneath the surface of my skin and when they seep through, I will be sure to unmask […]
I’m sure it will take years to process what I actually experienced while travelling in my RV. But one thing is certain, people are people the world over. Babel may have confounded our speech, but we all have blood coursing through our veins and a heart that beats within. We are all a part of this extraordinary […]
Eureka!! Part 2
By Tina on April 20, 2018Yes! I have had that moment, and in Eureka! I began this particular journey, physically and metaphorically, almost a year ago, not knowing where it would take me or how far I would travel before I would find what I was looking for or lay to rest my troubles. And, as it always happens, it just […]
Eureka!!
By Tina on April 15, 2018No, I haven’t uncovered any new revelation about my direction in life. I’m still flailing. But I am in Eureka, Northern California, close to the Avenue of the Giants, where Nerah and I spent two glorious days wandering through the soft, spongy floor of the redwood forest groves, the scent of moist wood permeating the […]
On the road again……
By Tina on April 10, 2018Back to travelling every day or two. This can pose some difficulty when trying to access the internet and keep all electronics charged while searching for a safe place to stop where Nerah can escape the confines of Arvey. She has been exceptionally tolerant of life on the road, but she does have her moments. After […]
A detour from my detour…….
By Tina on April 4, 2018My travels around San Felipe were fraught with troubles. On my way out of town, I decided to pick up a few groceries. Instead of parkades, there is an abundance of parking lots with shade structures, none of which my RV will fit under. So I parked on the periphery. Upon returning to my RV, I […]
Across Baja
By Tina on March 25, 2018It was with fondness I bade farewell to Ensenada and Rebecca, my wonderful landlady of six weeks. Truly, it was an extraordinary time and one that will warm my heart in those frigid northern winters, if I ever have to endure another one. I have come to the conclusion that what I am doing is […]
Do You Know Where You’re Going To?
By Tina on March 19, 2018I had this dream last night, one that I have had many times before, but never to completion. In the previous dreams I would be travelling somewhere in the mountains or hills, where I would come very close to the edge of the path or road, but never go over. Last night I went over. […]
Wineries and Whales…..
By Tina on March 11, 2018Since my son, Matthew, has been visiting, we have taken in a few tours. The first one was a tour of the Valle de Guadalupe, which is home to around 200 wineries, some large and some very small. We were treated to a beautiful day out with Luigi and Eugenia of The Wine Route tour […]
I was confused as Matthew and I were being directed by a truck full of police to come with them. We had been walking back to my Airbnb after taking in the light show at El Parque de la Bandera last night. I have been trying to dispel the idea that Mexico is a very […]
My Mexican Experience
By Tina on February 24, 2018Right from the start, I have been warned about travelling in Mexico, particularly because I am travelling alone. It isn’t my desire to be foolhardy and bull-headed, but it is my experience that anywhere in the world is as dangerous if you don’t take certain precautions. The same terrible things that happen in Mexico happen […]
¡Yo no hablo español!
By Tina on February 18, 2018Mexico! The very word conjures up exuberant, joyful people, mariachi bands, hot tamales and colours, lots of colours everywhere. I have not been disappointed. On my rollercoaster trip of a lifetime I find myself living in Ensenada, Baja California, a fairly large coastal city with a population of a little more than half a million. […]