It’s been 4 weeks since our plane from Lisbon touched down in Newark, NJ. I had spent months of preparation to handle every teeny weeny detail, cuz that’s how I roll. After 2 ¾ years of residing in Setúbal, Portugal,…
Blog Archives
Stranger in a Familiar Land
Tagged with: culture shock, moving day, nostalgia, returning home, reunion
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, road trip, travel without stuff, writing
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, road trip, travel without stuff, writing
I’m feeling Pioneer-y
This is the epilogueof my stint in Portugal. Wayne and I are headed back to the US tomorrow. It was three years ago that I quit my job and we began making preparations to move to Portugal. A great adventure,…
Tagged with: bittersweet, challenges, clear the path, language barriers, Living abroad, pioneer, portugal, returning home
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, Stay as long as you like, writing
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, Stay as long as you like, writing
Armação de Pêra: 11 Apr ’19
So we’re in the Algarve now. Everyone says it’s the most beautiful place on earth. But then, what do they know? Everyone in Portugal says they have a “house” in the Algarve. This goes back to the ‘80’s when Portugal…
Tagged with: apartments, armação de Pêra, beach, beach love, climate comfort, ocean, portugal, relax, retirement, sand, weather
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, Stay as long as you like, travel without stuff, writing
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, Stay as long as you like, travel without stuff, writing
A Guitarra do Fadista
As we prepare to leave Portugal, we are communing with the many beloved friends we have found here. Such friends are Jorge and Paula. Paula happens to be our landlord, but, she and Jorge have taken us on a low-tide…
Tagged with: fadista, fado, friends, friendship, guitar, poetry, portugal, saudade, saying goodbye
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, Stay as long as you like, writing
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, Stay as long as you like, writing
Exchanging Places
Sorry for the long silence. We’ve been distracted. Wayne and I have been sorting through emotions and practicalities of “stay” or “go” regarding Portugal. When we first set out on this adventure, it was open ended. People asked is we…
Tagged with: decisions, foreigners, home, new friends, serendipity, symbiotic, travel
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, road trip, Stay as long as you like, writing
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, road trip, Stay as long as you like, writing
Time Ago
Living in Portugal, we’re not as intimately connected with the Hollywood scene as we used to be. We’d heard of the movie Green Book but didn’t really know much about it. Something about a white guy hired as driver for…
Tagged with: album, don shirley trio, jazz, LP, memories, movies, music, nostalgia, The Green Book, Waterboy, youth
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, writing
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, writing
Splatty Flat Cat
by Barbara Miller I see it in dogs Enjoying their rest, But far and beyond, the cats do it best. After stalking and hunting And planning attacks, And, of course, after eating, They’re flat on their backs. Reposed…
Tagged with: belly, cats, contentment, furry, purr, sleep, trance
Posted in Living abroad, Uncategorized, writing
Posted in Living abroad, Uncategorized, writing
A Charmed Day in Setúbal
A Charmed Day in Setúbal Some days are better than others. Some are perfect and some are just shit. Then there’s yesterday. The washing machine suddenly decided to no longer function, so all the laundry had to be handwashed. All…
Tagged with: Ala dos Namorados, charm, dogs, friends, history, home, jazz, journal, music, neighbors, portugal, serendipity, setúbal, travel, writing
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, writing
Posted in Leisure travel freedom, Living abroad, writing
That darn Muse
That muse just keeps niggling me. I did this art (colored pencils and ink) during the winter as a soulself portrait. Then Miss Muse spoke some playful words. When I remain open, she speaks. Love and Peace.
Tagged with: art, colored pencil, creativity, ink, poetry, portrait
Posted in Living abroad, Uncategorized, writing
Posted in Living abroad, Uncategorized, writing
My Muse is Back!
Apparently I am at the mercy of a poetry muse. It seems she didn’t care for last winter either, and she vanished. Our friends and we were discussing the health of his mother recently. It made me think of many…
Barbarams
Wayne
