(We love them too.)
I got a note from Amy at Gogobot yesterday telling me they had added BLR to their “Blogs we love” section. See it here. BLR is proud to be a part of the travel-loving, adventure-seeking, yummy food-searching network of resources!
Have you started your Gogogbot passport yet?
Log on and get stamping!
Hey loyal readers!
Final touches are going on the new BLR site. (Happy dance! YIPPEE! Too bad we aren’t on Skype right now.) Of course we have put our vision into play, but are all about feedback and pie in the sky wishes. Especially for anyone who’s stuck around riding out this adventure with us for the past 3 years. We always want to hear about what you love to see here!
If anyone out there has a “I wish to see this or that”- please shoot me a note. We will see what we can do.
Can’t wait for you all to be sticking around for the next 3, errr…333 years!
Vinny was the amazing, dancing step great-grandpa from a friends wedding a couple weeks ago. What an absolute riot and adorable spirited 97 year old man…
…channeling some serious Frank Sinatra and even throwing in a little striptease action!
After his dance and the cake cutting, I stopped at his table to tell him I thought he was one fine dancer. I asked if I could have a picture taken with him. He was delighted at my request:
He was also very thankful for my compliments and said: “Well, thank you young lady, the name is Vinny. Vinny Vasta, from East 39th street in New York!” (And they he pulled out his drivers license to confirm his age. He was very proud.)
I have to tell you, it was one of the cutest things I have ever experienced. This man at 97, was more full of life than most 7 year olds. He had that perfect amount of sass and sweet that reminded me very much of my own grandpa who grew up in Brooklyn.
Thanks for the dance and making us all smile Vinny. I hope to be as full of life as you are in 65 years.
How I love a sunny and warm day. Especially when it’s clock spring forward day. I hate to admit it, but if I never saw anything but sundresses in my suitcases again- I’d be one happy camper. Sweaters be gone forever!
Sun and warmth- you make me want to do and be everything…
My sunny day today included morning coffee with bedroom window wide open, then off to zumba to sweat out all the garlic I had in my dinner last night. Ladies, gents- I am telling you if you have not zumba’d before and you want to sweat your money maker off while you’re shakin’ it, try this salsa, meets hip-hop, meets belly dancing, meets Bollywood moving. We ended my class today with a Latin soul train that would’ve made even a corpse rock out. I am in love with zumba.
After shakin’ it off, naturally I had to put it back on at Millie’s for brunch with a crew of fun people:
(Whoopsie! I am forming a bad habit of gobbling up all my delicious food before snapping a shot of it, so all you get this go around is the classic Millie’s table juke box.)
A walk around town was a must after the brunch feast, so away we went meandering around the canal walk and flood wall:
I love the sound of traffic and trains. Underneath the train tracks:
Somebody needs to let this guy out! He clearly has spring fever just like all of us:
Happy springing forward!
What will you do with more daylight?
I wrote about a “nice man” I met in Minot, ND (pronounced my-knot) on August 5th last year. Minot was my last stop before entering Canada on my way to Alaska. I found a Starbucks, got my java and camped out like I often do when I’m on the road. While I was there a gentleman chatted with me from a table near. I gave him my card and told him what I was doing. I never heard a word from him, and like others I meet in my travels, I often wonder if they ever log on to check out this site. What a great surprise today, 7 months after I met this gent, I get the following note from my contact form:
Nice man in Minot Starbucks? Thanks! It was a cold day for anyone in shorts, but your Vermont sweatshirt must have helped. Great to see the Big Loop completed…James Ryan
How cool is that?!
He thought the website contact form didn’t work, so I got this message on Facebook too:
Meeting you on a cold Minot day in Starbucks reminded me of my own journeys in Europe many years ago. Cold, but cheery, and with a mission. Glad you completed your journey north and around, and are on to your next ones. I tried making the posts work on your website and could not, but was showing my daughter your website this morning and thought I would try again. Nice man in Minot, how sweet…James Ryan
You all know meeting and talking to new people is my most favorite thing to do on the road. Contacting or keeping in touch with those I have met along my journey is a special thing to me. I’ve learned from every single person I’ve meet, and often made friends for life. I have ended up staying with some of these newer friends, they send me photos of their kids and grandkids and share stories about their lives. That is just the coolest thing to me. The best part of making new friends in the most random of places, is that I continually see that we are all the same. Everyone can relate to each other in some way. I have found overall, that perfect strangers are much nicer, more generous, and willing than anyone would ever believe. I love that- it keeps me inspired.
Thanks James Ryan from the Starbucks that day back in August on my journey of a lifetime. You just made my day. I hope you will keep adventuring and stay in touch!
I spotted this one today:
The Hemmings Motor News headquarters is in my hometown, so I got to see lots of neat cars like this one growing up. Maybe I should add going x-country in a car like this to the list of by train, RV, and convertible…
Yes, this is a real child- not a doll. Can you even stand how adorable she is? I want to eat her!
Lily is the granddaughter of a reader whom I met a couple years ago. We keep in touch via email fairly regularly and I always ask about the grand baby so he sends photos. Of course I had to ask permission to post this one. This kid is a Cheerios model in the making!
Thanks for sharing a BLR kid B! Now tell me, how far does she have you wrapped around her little finger?
For real!
It’s only a buck and they still send me coupons all the time. You know I love a deal. Click here for a freebie and I will get one too through 3/17.
Can you say movie marathon?
Thank you to P&G’s Have You Tried This Yet? program and Kroger for sponsoring my writing about trying new things and breaking out of my everyday routine. Click here to find great savings on high-performing P&G products at a Kroger store near you. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.
I am all about trying something new and getting others to hop on board with me. You could call me a cheerleader of adventure. I keep the excitement and curiosity of kid and constantly want to explore as if I’m still 8 years old. I hope that never changes.
Last May I quit my job, got rid of my apartments and sold everything I owned then drove from Virginia to Alaska with no plan. (If you have read here for a while, you know the story: Alaska was my 50th state, it was a lifelong goal, and I ended up on the road for 5 months with the trip being a wild success.) I didn’t use a GPS and I still don’t use one. On the trip I didn’t even stop at a AAA office or look at a map until I got to Madison Wisconsin. I didn’t know Alaska Highway was “world famous” until I got to it:
The great part about trying new things is that you never know what kind of surprise will be around the corner. I personally think it’s better not to plan out/know what route you are going to take somewhere until day of. Can you imagine driving along and happening on something like this out of nowhere?
(See Pablito, Juan and Juanita hanging out?:)
I spent a long time wandering around the rows and rows of signs and plaques people had left from all over the world. This spot was a complete surprise to me and wouldn’t have been nearly as cool if I had known it was coming.
There were countless new things I saw and tried on my journey to and through Alaska. Here’s a fun first of me crabbing for the first time:
So, Ok- instead of scoring a bunch of crab, I caught a couple of creepy giant gelatinous starfish. I’m not going to be a pro fisherwoman anytime soon, but this wasn’t too bad for a first try. I was thrilled to catch anything (as if you can’t tell by the look on my face.)
I will always love to travel, because travel makes me to try new things. I connect with people I’d not otherwise meet, I’m more flexible, open and less judgemental. All those things help keep me being the person I want to be.
Here’s to switching it up and trying it all. What new things have you tried lately?
