Thankful Me

  a yellow diamond road sign with a picture of a cow on it My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our travels--some pre-retirement, some post. As we haven't traveled to anywhere that starts with the letter X, I was scratching my head to try to figure out exactly what I would cover for today's post--until my husband suggested sharing different crossing (Xing) signs that we have stumbled across in our travels. I'll let the signs speak for themselves: This panther Xing sign in Everglades National Park in Florida sparked the idea for today's post. a deer Xing sign somewhere in the western part of the USA a Xing sign declaring "open range" depicts a bull big horn sheep Xing sign Xing sign shows a person on horseback pedestrian Xing sign donkey Xing sign Tortoise Xing sign in Joshua Tree National Park a double Xing sign: horse on top, cattle on bottom another desert tortoise Xing sign a pedestr...

       Pink buds prepare to open on a horse chestnut tree On Tuesday, the texts and calls started flying between my Dad, brother, sister, and I. Mom had fallen and hurt her wrist. Spoiler alert: she will be OK, but did break her wrist.  1. I'm thankful for the ability to stay in touch. 2. I'm thankful for a relatively calm phase of life at the moment, which makes it easy to help when needed. 3. I'm thankful for my siblings, who although their commitments are more involved than mine right now, are always willing to come when needed. 4. I'm thankful for working vehicles. Yes, vehicles. Plural. The car that had been in the shop since December has finally really been fixed. We still drove the newer car to Oregon, but we had options. 5. I'm thankful for uneventful travel.  6. I'm thankful that our frequent vacations have made packing quick and easy, and we were able to throw together our bags without too much thought--and (as far as I know) we didn't forget anyt...

  A sign near the visitor's center parking lot says "White Sands National Park" My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our travels--some pre-retirement, some post. Today's location: White Sands National Park in New Mexico. White Sands National Park is aptly named. We took the mile-long Dune Life Nature Trail to learn more about the flora and fauna of the area, and were rewarded with finding several animal tracks in the sand. Lines of little tracks from some unknown animal decorate the sand While the sand dunes seem inhospitable to life, some trees defy the odds and somehow manage to find enough moisture to live. A lone tree, with roots visible above the sand, grows in the white sand The sand even covers the road, as this sign so helpfully tells visitors: a sign at the side of a sandy road states, "You are now Driving on Sand" We decided to try out the most popular activity at White Sand...

  Heavy dark clouds float over a blue sky, with turquoise water and a white sand beach underneath My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures--some pre-retirement, some post. Today's location: (U.S.) Virgin Islands.  The U.S. Virgin Islands certainly deserve more photos than either my husband or I took. We ferried from St. Thomas Island to St. John Island, with Trunk Bay as our primary destination. St. John is home to the Virgin Islands National Park, and has an unique underwater snorkel trail.  We staked out a spot on the sand with a little pop-up beach tent, then alternated our time either snorkeling in the warm water or relaxing on shore. The underwater trail was fun to follow, and we swam along looking for each sign that described the fish and environment we saw beneath the surface of the water.  Setting up a pop up beach tent for shade I recommend spending time at the U.S. Virgin ...

  A large equestrian statue in the Plaza Zabala in Montevideo, Uruguay My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures--some pre-retirement, some post. Today's location: Uruguay. The cruise we were on made two stops in Montevideo, Uruguay. On the first stop, we wandered around Montevideo; on the second stop, we visited the nearby town of Colonia del Sacramento.  Strolling down the streets of Montevideo is reminiscent of wandering old European streets. Even those not schooled in architectural styles will enjoy the charming buildings.  Palacio Taranco, with its curved, arched entrance, is a palace designed by the same French architects who designed the Arc de Triomphe in Paris The steeple of the Parish Church of St. Francis of Assisi rises upward against a deep blue sky As visitors approach the Plaza Independencia, they will find the Gateway of the Citadel. Though the citadel was destroyed in 182...

The view from an overlook in Tijuca National Park shows dense jungle in the foreground and the high-rise buildings of Rio de Janeiro near the water and at the base of the mountains in the background My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures—some pre-retirement, some post. Today’s location: Tijuca National Park in Brazil.  Tijuca National Park is smack dab in the middle of the bustling city of Rio de Janeiro, yet feels miles away. Entering the park, you leave behind the buildings and crowds and find yourself in the jungle, with its dense canopy of trees and abundant wildlife.  We chose to take a small guided tour, comprised of just our guide, my husband and me, and one other couple. Our guide spends nearly every day inside the park, even on his days off. He told us that the majority of the residents of Rio have never even been inside Tijuca National Park. That is an amazing, yet sad, fact, beca...