No Place Like Travel

Kentucky is the proud Horse Capital of the World, so it would be rude not to make a small wager at the track. We spent the afternoon at Keeneland Race Track and walked away with a fist full of dollars…$13 to be exact!                         […]

Getting Baby Boy O’s vaccinations on the road is not as simple as it seems – calling countless pediatricians, some of whom won’t do alternative schedules, many of whom don’t use the same triple dose shot, a false start and then having to play the medical records transfer game. Still, none of that compares to […]

What would compel a sane person to attach a backpack, throw themselves off a bridge, free fall toward the ground, pull a chute and hope to god it works, then try to navigate the winds to land on a small target by a raging river? Respect to professional base jumpers.  Funny thing is after watching […]

Airline tickets are now booked. In December we will depart on the next leg of our nomadic lives, with stops in London, Singapore, Bali, Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and back to Dallas to resume our road trip. 91 days hopping countries, and continents via plane. Lugging baggage and adjusting to time zones with […]

The person who said plans never go to plan is totally right. The campground we picked was in the middle of a communications dead zone – crappy cell signal and snail paced wifi. Great for tuning out, but horrible for a work day where English Hubby was planning to make calls and I was planning […]

Spent the day exploring the little historic city of Frederick. A few square blocks of historic buildings, sites and civil war personalities. More interesting than I’d thought it would be was the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. It wasn’t a flashy museum as museums go, just a few rooms packed with eye opening information. […]

It’s been a long time since movie and red wine club. We went from being fancy free and single, living the SITC lifestyle, to somewhat happily married surburbanites with little boys. It was a beautiful calm morning sitting on sofas, sipping cups of tea and getting philosophical about life with Conscious Christine. Always an eye […]

Woke bright and early on a crisp autumn day, blended up some green juice, booted and suited up to go hiking in the woods. It was a divine walk along the lake in Nockomixon State Park. Two Aussies, one Brit, three Yankees, one stroller, a baby bjorn and a posh fascinator. A brilliant start to […]

Having fled the Hillbilly Hilton were now settled in a much nicer campground. Our friends are meeting us in New Hope and then coming to join us for the night. We’ve promised them a campfire, a cook out, s’mores and good old fashioned outdoor fun. They have the cabin and we have moved to the adjacent […]

On the whole RV parks are pretty nice, but every now and then we come across one that qualifies for hillbilly hilton status. This weekend our friends are joining us for some good old fashioned camping. Thank goodness we checked in a day ahead to do a reconnaissance of the place. We had booked them […]

After dropping the RV off for a much needed wheel alignment, we spent the better part of the day in the laundromat. English Hubby is the king of laundry, and no one can separate, wash and dry like he can. Whilst he laundered, I shopped for groceries. What a glamorous division of labor. After that it […]

24 hours is not a lot of time unless you happen to be John Bauer. Still dazed from our return to the big smoke we had a ton of errands to run and it was just one of those days where nothing would be easy, especially not a trip out to the storage unit to pick […]

One very sleepless red eye journey later, we are back in the big smoke. Delirious and lugging insane amounts of luggage, we make our way to Big Red’s apartment to catch some much needed shut eye. Frankly the rest of the day is one big blur. Somehow we manage to engage in conversation and eat […]

For every hello there is a goodbye, and today we say a sad “see you later”. It has been an amazing week and a half, being with family. This bit is never fun, but it is a great reminder to enjoy every moment because it is only this very moment that we have.     […]

Move over Ryder Cup, Coquitlam hosts a tri-nation competition between Australia, Canada and the USA. Tensions run high in a non stop 18 hole battle. Conditions perfect, players in top form with three hole in ones, but Team USA brings out its secret weapon – baby tiger – to win the inaugural mini-golf championship.   […]

Vancouver finally turned on the sunshine as we explored Stanley Park. So many things to see and do, that we timed out and will have to add it to the future bucket list. The English Bay area reminds me of St Kilda, downtown has skylines akin to New York City, apartments near Stanley Park are […]

It has rained every day this week, but we’ve been stealing moments out and about where we can. Today’s excursion was to the library (again) and the local mall (again). Baby time was so much fun that we had to drag English Hubby along with us to sing renditions of itsy bitsy spider, twinkle twinkle […]

Baby Boy O went to his first baby class today – a free baby play time class offered by the Coquitlam public library. What a wonderful way to encourage literacy, expose little ones to reading and a love of learning. I’m not sure who enjoyed it more, Poh Poh who was singing her heart out […]

The food theme continues. Baby Boy O had his first foray with “solids” (watery rice congee) and we ate our way across Granville Island. Thankfully the weather held up long enough for a walk along the waterfront. Anything to burn off the calories from the fish and chips, spinach and rice pie, fresh beet salad, […]

Everything revolves around food in a Chinese family. Before breakfast is over there’s a discussion about lunch. During lunch, plans are being made for dinner. A full fridge is a sign of a happy family, and feeding is a way to show love. It’s a wonder we don’t weigh a ton by now!     […]

23 weeks and growing fast. Baby Boy O is a little bean pole. He seems to grow taller each day, resulting in a wardrobe malfunction and a quick trip to Babies R Us to pick out new onesies. A perfect task for a smitten Poh Poh.             Yesterday’s post: Sweet […]

All the excitement and jetlag has finally caught up with us. Baby Boy O was a terror, and only Gong Gong could get him to sleep for a sweet two hours. I was worse for ware, struggling in the afternoon and throwing out my back. Thankfully we had many willing hands to keep the little […]

There’s nothing like a baby’s power to turn grown adults into incomprehensible mush! Baby Boy O has been oooh’ed and aaah’ed and hugged and kissed and rocked and cuddled and sung to and played with and more.                                     […]

Firsts are always special and memorable, but this one takes the cake. Having Baby Boy O meet his Poh Poh and Gong Gong is like having all rainbows meet in one spot. Pure joy. Even though it was three in the morning after a long day of travel, Baby Boy O was on his best […]

We are now officially part of the parental mile high club – earning our stripes by taking a baby on a long haul international flight. Baby Boy O racked up his first 2,444 frequent flyer miles. I’ve never been so thankful for various inanimate objects, namely our stroller that packs away beautifully, the bulkhead bassinet on […]

Soaking in the NYC vibe. It’s true, I’ve missed the unique charms of the city – wafting sewer smells, crazy cab drivers, jackhammers on Second Avenue, that “24/7 I’ve got somewhere important to be, so get out of my way” look that steels most New Yorkers’ faces. Before taking off on the road trip Baby […]

Today was an anemic photo day. More due to the iphone running low on battery, as opposed to lack of interesting subject matter or story line. Oh contrare, significant it was. I was excited to be back in the urban jungle of Manhattan. Baby Boy O is growing up fast, getting his shots and a […]

And so it continues. The last push out of Connecticut, through New York and down to New Jersey. We fly out of JFK on Thursday to Vancouver to met up with my folks. Before our mini Canadian vacation, our tiny house on wheels needed a few things fixed at the dealership in New Jersey, we […]

When was the last time you had a lazy, potter around, let time take its course, sit in bed, read books and eat chocolate day? Hurrah for precious aimless moments like these. So good for the mind, body and soul.               Yesterday’s post: One Cry Baby and Four States Tomorrow’s […]

We start our push back to NYC rather ominously, with a big cry baby who manages to wail through most of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Baby Boy O no longer seems to be impressed with his car seat chariot. Impatience is creeping in even at such an early age. We have a long […]

After all the Portland foodie excitement we have a tasty souvenir – a delicious home baked blueberry pie. It’s a rainy day, perfect for catching up on email, drinking decaf coffee and eating pie.         Yesterday’s post: The Foodiest Small Town in America Tomorrow’s post: One Cry Baby and Four States    

Portland is a little morsel of goodness. There is a passion for food, a pride in local grown and made. So there is no better way to get acquainted with the city than to eat our way across it on a foodie tour. For a little town of 65,000 people, it boasts 315 restaurants, a […]

Transit days are my least favorite days. Packing up the RV – I do the inside, English Hubby does the outside – cleaning, driving then unpacking when we get to our next location. Baby Boy O shed a few tears today from the back seat of the car. It may have been the teething, or […]

The nautical theme continues from The State of Maine to Baby Boy O’s first boat trip. Our campground hosts – Jet Boat Ruth and Western Mass Justin – kindly invited us out on their boat. There’s something about being out on the water that is so relaxing and calming. There is a clarity with water. It […]

We’ve been exploring the local area. Little towns that pin the map. Spent the afternoon in Castine, whose town motto is “under the elms and by the sea”. That sea heritage shines through with Main Street heading down to the shoreline, and the Maine Maritime Academy it’s anchor institution. We had planned to see Fort […]

A day of glorious sunshine followed by an evening of torrential thunderstorms to wash the humidity away. Toddy Pond (all 10 miles of it) was so inviting. Being able to walk to the edge of our campsite and slide into the water was irrisistable. I managed to suck it up, overcome my fear of deep […]

Leaving Acadia is like saying goodbye to a good old friend. You know the next time you meet, you will pick up just where you left off. The two things on my bucket list for next time are to explore the carriage roads by bicycle, and kayak some of the waterways.         […]

Seeing the magnificent sunset from the top of Cadillac Mountain has made me wonder how many of these majestic moments do we actually enjoy in our whole entire lifetime? Of course the sun rises and sets each day, but if you were to count up the number of sunrises, sunsets or even picnics that you […]

One thing we’ve learned when hiking with a baby is to take advantage of the mornings. Baby Boy O is on his best behavior, the day is still mild and you get your pick of parking spots as there are fewer people out and about. We managed to leave the RV just after 9.30am. Wonders […]

This is what we’ve been longing for. That moment when the proverbial fog lifts and all the planning, saving, packing, moving, fixing and doing finally makes sense. Out the door by 10.30am which is a small feat with a little baby and an even slower English Hubby. On the Great Head trail an hour later. […]

Enroute to Acadia, we have a little peek from the top of Camden Hills. The plan was to hike around the top of the mountain, but we were taught another valuable lesson in parenthood – babies don’t like bright sunshine and middle of the day outdoor activities. Live and let learn.         […]

Back in 2005 when we did our first road trip across the US wifi was rare, mifi was unheard of and cellular data was not yet for the common people. Connecting to the world – which usually just meant picking up emails – was done through a good old telephone lead plugged into the laptop, […]

It has been said for every long journey there are many small steps. Today Baby Boy O took a giant leap – his first full hike in his baby carrier. He pushed past the magic 10 minute mark and managed the head strength and willingness to join us for a proper little hike. Hopefully a […]

A day of exploring the tentacles of Mid-Coast Maine. Rugged, rocky and salty tough. Lobsters everywhere – as common as you like. Mixed up little things with its brain located in its throat, its nervous system in its abdomen, its teeth in its stomach and its kidneys in its head. They were once regarded as the poor […]

Managed to tip a bucket of icy water over my head in the name of charity this morning (thanks Mommy Wolfe!). So thankful for a hot shower in the RV afterward. It was a point A to point B road travel day, getting us to the mid Maine coastline by nightfall. We no longer move […]

A day of old and new. New tricks for Baby Boy O who is finally getting the hang of tummy time and lifting up his head. It may be a slippery slope here on in. Rolling, crawling then walking and running is just around the corner. We haven’t quite figured out how to baby proof […]

Traveling in a tiny house in wheels still means household chores. A day of laundry, changing bed sheets, grocery shopping and cleaning was rewarded by an evening walk along Marginal Way near Perkins Cove. We managed to score a couple of insider tips – The Shack is a great place for seafood and parking is […]

Every time we ask people what not to miss in Maine, there is one consistent reply – lobster rolls! Plucked fresh from the sea, these tasty morsels are what summer afternoons are about. Bright sunshine, fresh air, delicious chunks tossed in a light mayonnaise sauce, encased in a beautiful lightly toasted bun. People are right. […]

Baby Boy O has made a marvelous discovery – four lovely fingers and two suckable thumbs. It was a perfect day to go for a walk, spend the afternoon in bed, soak up the view and just play. So many smiles from the little one. Poor English Hubby had to work, but he didn’t miss […]

A lovely stay with Boston N + K where we boondocked in their driveway. They had family visiting from abroad, and we found ourselves in a household with three little ones, all under the age of two. Picked up lots of parenting tips for times to come and also got put to work on a […]