The One-Year Plan

I'm now a frequent flyer on Amtrak

I'm now a frequent flyer on Amtrak

There's been some heavy planning going on in the last few weeks!

Shuttling between places, it's sometimes disturbing when I wake up in the morning and wonder where the hell I am! And it has taken some advanced planning to "sort of" map out my next year. 

So here goes...

Currently, I am at Ryan's in Studio City, which I always enjoy as I spend time with him. And there are so many places to walk and check out around here, so I don't feel trapped or stuck. In a few days, I take Amtrak (I am now getting frequent flyer miles on the trains!) and head up to Santa Barbara for 10 days. 

Santa Barbara is a gorgeous area and I will be at Betsy's shared place there. She won't be there most of the time but it's an easy walk down to the beach and I can Uber anywhere else I need to go. 

Santa Barbara Harbor

Santa Barbara Harbor

Expedition Sailing

At the end of the month, I'll be back at Ryan's for two days before heading to British Columbia for the trip aboard Passing Cloud. I am really looking forward to it, although it is going to be cold and most likely wet. But what an amazing adventure I am going to have. It's been ages since I was on a traditional type of boat, so it will be fun to be out on the water again. With the prospect of bear, whale and other wild creatures to watch, I splurged and bought binoculars! Of course, I'll be taking lots of pix and videos (new memory cards on the way). 

But don't count on any social media posts while sailing as apparently there is NO connectivity up there. 

Back to Washington

After the trip, I'll take the train from Vancouver down to Edmonds, which is not far across the water from Jim and Mardelle, where I will be holed up for a couple of months in the apartment downstairs. Hopefully, I will visit a lot of distilleries around Seattle and that area. 

Being north, there's the possibility of a visit to Montana to see Cody and the boys but nothing confirmed - or even discussed, yet. So that is to be seen. But I will see Janet and Pat in Lake Chelan for a few days.

At the end of August, I'll be back in Southern California before heading south and west.

Tahiti and Beyond

First stop, French Polynesia, just about my most favorite place on the planet. Betsy and six other women are taking a 48' catamaran on a charter. We go to Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora and a few days at the end on Huahine. Maybe I will find that "thing" a psychic one told me I would find on the beach there. Something I lost when, in a previous life I was a Tahitian princess!!

The next part of the journey is to Australia, where I will meet up with sister Zoze at my niece Carol's place in Toowoomba. Depending on circumstances and the stars aligning, a good part of the trip will be covering distilleries in the area and in Tasmania. Those plans are still quite flexible.

As things are still in limbo this far ahead, I don't have my next ticket but it will be to New Zealand where I will be staying for six months! Once again, looking at distilleries and articles around them, and as many are on the South Island, where I haven't visited, hoping these plans firm up soon.

That takes me to this time next year. Then it's up to the universe, as I don't have a clue what comes next.