winifredcreamer

Spring: Birds and Flowers in Virginia Beach

We’ve spent a lot of time visiting parks this month as the weather shifted toward spring and warmer temperatures. There are miles of trails through state and city parks, national wildlife reserves, and beaches. We’ve visited a few markets and museums, yet at this time of year, the outdoors is the place to be. TheContinue reading “Spring: Birds and Flowers in Virginia Beach”

Wild Ponies

We try not to drive more than two hours from our home base unless we’re going to stay the night. We pushed our limit to get from Virgina Beach to Chincoteague, a few miles shy of the Maryland border. We wanted to see the town, visit Assateague Beach and see the famed ponies. We droveContinue reading “Wild Ponies”

VirginiaBeach ViBe

There’s a section of Virginia Beach that’s been dubbed the ViBe district. As we walked around the area between 17th and 20th streets from the convention center to the hotels along the beach, businesses, civic groups, and the Virginia Beach Arts Center have collaborated to create murals on a number of buildings. School groups haveContinue reading “VirginiaBeach ViBe”

We step onto Virginia Beach

Wonderful to be back at the beach! Any beach! I was itching to see what our shore is like, though we arrived late in the day at our latest Airbnb and had to unpack just a little. By then it was dark. We can see birds from our deck and hear them all around ourContinue reading “We step onto Virginia Beach”

Two Suitcases Again!

We’ve managed to get around our self-imposed two suitcase limit since we returned from Hawaii last fall (when you fly, you really need to keep your luggage to one checked bag). When we went to Peru in November, we had things we needed to move there, and when we returned in February, we were tryingContinue reading “Two Suitcases Again!”

Walmart with Mom

My mom is 97 this year, and though she’s still mobile with her cane or her walker, she doesn’t go out much, apart from medical appointments. On my visit to her last week, I mentioned needing to stop at Walmart to buy a new case for my smartphone. Mom perked up and said she’d likeContinue reading “Walmart with Mom”

Getting a Visa: Peru 1

We need to obtain residence visas (carne de extranjeria) for Peru in order to be able to open a bank account. We are back in the US for about 90 days with the goal of obtaining the necessary paperwork here. When we return to Peru, we will use a service to process the paperwork forContinue reading “Getting a Visa: Peru 1”

Mardi Gras? In Chicago, it’s Paczki Day!

I knew nothing of Paczki until we moved to the Chicago area years ago. For those who haven’t heard of them, think: filled donuts. Originally a Polish specialty, paczki are now deeply Chicagoan. Available all year round at certain bakeries, their big day is Mardi Gras, when everyone with or without Christian heritage can haveContinue reading “Mardi Gras? In Chicago, it’s Paczki Day!”

Back in the USA

I am among the world’s most fortunate people. I can travel, though if I want to, I can stay home. I am warm, dry, and fed. My life is not threatened. I am retired and on a fixed income, but I have more than enough. As I was about to embark on this post, focusingContinue reading “Back in the USA”

Best laid plans are hard to follow

We did pretty well when you take in the big picture, but on our final Sunday night in Peru, we both were about to have our heads explode. Too many loose ends needed tying up and we were running out of time. Most of our luggage was packed, but we still didn’t know whether weContinue reading “Best laid plans are hard to follow”