Singapore, Our Next Destination

Aloha Everyone,

The two of us will be departing for Singapore on Sunday, December 1st. J.J. and I will spend 5 nights exploring Singapore before boarding Princess Sapphire for a 21-days Southeast-Asian cruise.

The cruise will be 6 countries including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam. We previously visited the first two, the others are first time destinations for us.

The two of us have started to read articles, books and watch YouTube videos of the places we will be visiting. So much to see and learn about the Southeast Asia, its history and culture.

Looking forward to sharing our new adventure with our family and friends.

Aloha -- Cathi

Happy Thanksgiving!

Aloha Everyone,

As we sat down for a Thanksgiving dinner with our family, we are grateful to have our Mother in our midst, and her 6th great-grandchild on the way.  Lisa and Marc, my nephew and his wife are very excited and ready for the big event which is expected at “any moment!”

Wishing you all a healthy, happy Thanksgiving holiday.  For those of you who are on the road this holiday weekend, safe driving!

Aloha -- Cathi

Walking Buddies

Frank is a jovial, friendly Canadian who is wintering at KOA Sam’s Town with his wife, Diane. While Diane enjoys Las Vegas attractions, Frank loves it here because of the generally pleasant weather, chance to go out on his favorite walks, and he volunteers with various organizations and charities.

By today, we progressed from casual “hello and good mornings” to walking buddies. As we walked around our neighborhood and part of the Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, we chatted about our children and grandchildren.  

Frank and Diane’s business card clearly states their current happy, carefree status:

“RETIRED and  LOVING IT!”

“Goodbye Tension Hello Pension”

J.J. and I promised to see each other before Frank & Diane return to Canada at the end of March.

Aloha -- Cathi

Avoiding Extreme Weather

Aloha Everyone,

Traveling in Honu, we have to be alert about changes in the weather.

Honu is considered a “high profile vehicle” because of its height. While much safer than 5th wheel RVs pulled by a car or a truck, we try to avoid rain and snow situations. We decided not to take any chances crossing the Virgin River Gorge from Utah into Arizona.

Immediately after my morning medical related appointment, we were on the road. Paying double accommodations for the day is a small price for our safety and peace of mind.

Traffic was light, the weather was pleasant and we made it to KOA Sam’s Town in time for a late lunch.

Aloha -- Cathi

Day 5 of Our 16-Days Road Trip

Aloha Everyone,

It took us a lot longer to acclimatize to the faster pace of California. After visiting my Mother, the two of us went to spend 10 days with our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter in La Jolla.

I had prepared a list containing items to do with our granddaughter. She in turn had her own list and both of us are grateful that, in spite of her busy schedule, we were able to scratch off at least 40% off from our lists.

Spending time with our granddaughter keeps me mentally sharp. There’s always something new, something exciting about her world. Our granddaughter was doing her school work and showed me how she learns geography of African countries using an app called: online.seterra.com

Her Spanish language learning using a computer is also fast-paced, gives instant feedback, is entertaining and effective. Motivated by her progress in Spanish conversation, grammar and vocabulary, I am trying to increase the time I spend on Duolingo. It’s good to have a competition:-)

For relaxation, I taught her how to blow bubblegum while we sprawled on the floor with our sketchbooks drawing. She loves dragons and birds and it shows that she has been practicing. By the time we see each other again, I too will have sketches of fierce mythical creatures, mountains and oceans.

Taking care of Honu has to be factored in when we are back in the USA. J.J. replaced Honu’s battery, repaired a rock crack on Honu’s windshield, gave it a through cleaning, while I organized and cleaned the interior. Small space living requires that we get rid of excess items. Two nights ago, both of us slept soundly after living in hotels and AirBNB’s for nearly 4 months.

The two of us are back in Utah for our annual health check up. Will take a break from our blogging to catch up with personal correspondence.

Aloha -- Cathi