farlands | traveling near and far

Finally!  I get to write a bona-fide packing post!  I do, in fact, pack quite often for work trips, but that usually means lists that include phone holders for rental cars and spanx.  Happily my overseas travel list has neither of those items on it. First, Jeff got me my first backpack suitcases. By  Tortuga Backpacks, it is a model that recently was put on sale because a new version came out. I asked him to get me some packing cubes too because I often read about how helpful they are.  And they truly are. Here are the majority of items that will be going into the suitcase: Next is what I plan to wear on the plane -basically I'll be hanging out in this outfit for more than 24 hours, so it has to be crazy comfortable, include tons of layers from going from snowy Wisconsin to near the equator, and a VERY SOFT BRA.  You ladies know what I am talking about, right?  No underwires allowed: I got my toiletries pared down to a very respectab...

My sister sent met a link to an article, and it perfectly summed up what I have been trying to do but didn't realize it until I saw the title of the article:   Make Each Year of Your Life More Interesting than the One Before.     The author, Srinvis Rao, started making lists of all the interesting, new things he had experienced that year.  Since I love making lists(!) I thought I would take a stab at my own list for 2016: Trying out and being in a musical theater performance Taking bikes to another state and riding on a new trail Taking tap dancing lessons Performing on stage in a tap routine (different from the lessons and it was, frankly, quite terrifying) Taking a musical theater class (one of my best experiences this year) Trying out for a dance troupe extra Taking the train into downtown Chicago.  This may seem like a silly one, but I am reminded by efforts like this that doing something in a different way, instead of driving there as I t...

Here in America, vacation time can be fairly limited.  1-2 weeks per year for a starting salaried worker.  Sometimes none, unless you can afford to take unpaid time off. I remember being in Germany and talking with a group of younger working people from Spain, England, Germany and other countries, and their mouths literally fell open when I shared how much (actually little) time off I had.  They averaged 5-6 weeks a year, and could not imagine not having that time to refresh and recharge. I am very fortunate to work at a place that provides time off, and since I have been at my workplace for a number of years I have access to more vacation days. That, and I have been putting aside a few days here and there each year, 'just in case' I had the opportunity to take a major trip like the one we are going on to Kenya in two and a half weeks.  Now I am very glad I did. Just having counted up the consecutive days that I will be away from home, work, and the regular routi...

This is the year I decided to shake it up a little. I love my day job...even with its annoyances it is by far the best it has ever been.  But the personal activities side of things had gotten stale. I always know that it's time to stop doing something when I start dreading doing it.  I was coming back angry and frustrated by orchestra rehearsals.  I did not want to leave home to go to board meetings - nor did I want to prepare for any of them.  Bad board member!  I don't like working with board members like me!  But, my board work was too much like my day job, and unlike the day job, I wasn't getting paid, which, lets be honest, makes it more fun. Fun, yes, that's what I was looking for. So, I wrapped up my board duties and finished my assigned projects.  I notified my orchestra I was going on sabbatical.  Then I jumped into a musical theater audition, something I hadn't done since grad school.  I went in without having done much singing, ...

The first time Jeff and I vacationed in San Francisco, we took the tour to Alcatraz.  It was an excellent tour, so we decided to go back again on our summer of 2014 trip.  John was with us, and we opted for the night tour this time around. To prepare him, and to entertain ourselves, we watched Escape from Alcatraz .  I had never seen it before, and I really enjoyed it. Actually, I hadn't seen a Clint Eastwood film before this....! It was still light as we crossed the bay on the ferry.  It was a pretty overcast afternoon so the city skyline wasn't as visible as we had hoped, but the ride was still enjoyable. The fun way to go to Alcatraz Dusk, then night came as we wove our way in and out of cell blocks, offices and dining halls. Improbable escape An audio tour is provided for everyone in multiple languages, so everyone wanders around at slightly different speeds but it seems to work.  The fact that the narrative features former inmates and...

It's interesting how sometimes you put something out into the universe, the ether, the.. whatever , and things start to happen. In August I started some definitive travel planning - for Scotland and England.  We've had plans to go there for the past few years, but summers have been jam packed with visiting family or John's camps. So, I decided 2017 would be different and we would get this trip off the ground.  I put together an itinerary, a rough budget, and then, three days later, we got this message from Jeff's aunt: ....and because we really want to share our lives here with you, we would like to invite you to come to Kenya this year for Christmas.  We would hope that Carolyn would come at the same time.  If it is possible for you to come, it would be best if you could plan at least a two week trip including travel days.  That would leave you about 10 days in country.  The time would be short, but possibly all that you could manage with school ...

Five months and so much travel - most of it fun, some of it maddening.  Here is my catchup recap of it all and an iconic photo for each: May 2016/Atlanta/Work trip: Stopped by the Margaret Mitchell House in downtown Atlanta.   Walked by the Adult Swim murals by their office - fun and quirky. Strolled in lovely urban Piedmont Park. Missed the Chihuly exhibit at the botanical gardens.  Drat. June 2016/Jackson Hole/Jeff and Jen trip: Jeff won a trip from work to Jackson Hole. Learned that I could really get into fly fishing. On the horseback ride my steed insisted on snacking the whole way. I love staying at the Four Seasons - especially when someone else is paying for it! Met Ross, the roadie trucker guy with a million stories who dropped us back at the Four Seasons with a blast of his horn.  Intermission:  6 performances of Mary Poppins in our local community theater.  Got my fill of red Twizzlers backstage. July 2016/Mu...