Fear Conquering & Climbing My First Mountain on My 52nd Birthday

We were going to hike up a mountain, The Boy said. Not climb, hike.

Or maybe that's what I chose to hear. Certainly, The Boy is aware of my age and the limitations thereof.

He wouldn't be trying to kill me on my birthday, would he? (photo taken right before things went terribly awry)... CONTINUE READING >>

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Going Gypsy: One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Available from Skyhorse Publishing! Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold! Also available as an audiobook from Audible.com

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Fear Conquering & Gliding in a Sailplane... and meet us in Nashville!

Considering that I have now jumped out of an airplane at 10,000 feet in Australia and paraglided off the sea cliffs of Lima, Peru, one would think that I would have no fear of sailplaning.

And I didn't. Until I did.

I had about three-week's notice before... CONTINUE READING >>




Hey Nashville! We're Headed Your Way!

Join us at the famous BookManBookWoman bookstore on June 6th! 

Click here for more info!

Going Gypsy: One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Available from Skyhorse Publishing! Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold! Also available as an audiobook from Audible.com

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Racing our RV on a Speedway... and Why We Call Our Adult Kids "The Spawn"

We have a new RV! What better way to break him in than on a race track, right?

Race alongside your GypsyNesters as David puts our new (even more downsized) motorhome through the paces - and get a peek inside of our new home!.. CONTINUE READING >>

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Every once in a great while we receive comments like this:

Please don’t refer to your children as “spawn”. It sounds so disrespectful...  AND

You refer to your daughter as “Piglet”...  How would you like being referred to as “piglet’ or “spawn”?" Have you ever asked her?

I've wanted to respond for a while now, but it didn't feel right before I got my hands on the hilarious evidence behind our nicknaming... CONTINUE READING >>

Going Gypsy is now available as an audiobook!

And to celebrate, we're giving away a copy!

Are you ready to find out how you can win?.. I WANT TO WIN GOING GYPSY!

Going Gypsy: One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Available from Skyhorse Publishing! Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold! Also available as an audiobook from Audible.com

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Fear Conquering & Paragliding in Lima, Peru

Our day began with what (we thought) was going to be a leisurely stroll along the sea cliffs of Lima. 

We had heard about the veil that hangs over the city, we were pleasantly surprised at the beautiful blue day ahead of us.

Reaching the cliffs, the first thing we noticed was not the view, but the ... CONTINUE READING >>

Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - Instagram - GoodReads - StumbleUpon - RSS Going Gypsy One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Coming in February 2015 from Skyhorse Publishing! Pre-Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold!

Conquering Hate Mail... and 10 Things You Don't Know About NYC

A comment on our site:

“In my opinion, anyone who would refer to children in such a disgusting and disrespectful way (adult or not) is an emotionally bankrupt shell of a person..."
BAM! My first hate mail.

 I read a lot of blogs. Any of them worth their salt raise strong emotion and spark debate on their message boards. Sometimes it can get a bit heated, but makes for a nice balance.

 We have had comments on our website that strongly disagree with our opinions and we relish them, we value every... CONTINUE READING >>

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Ten Things You Don't Know About New York City - Even if You Live There!

Your GypsyNesters found the wild, weird and wonderful not-so-known sights, sounds and flavors of The Big Apple!
Even if you are a New Yorker - we bet you don't know most of these!.. CONTINUE READING >>

Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - Instagram - GoodReads - StumbleUpon - RSS Going Gypsy One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Coming in February 2015 from Skyhorse Publishing! Pre-Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold!

The GypsyNesters Get Married!... and Catalina Cart Blanche

We wanted a small wedding - and thank God it was!

Honestly, David (we'll call him The Beanpole) wouldn't have made it through otherwise.

It still strikes us strange that The Beanpole, who by that time had appeared on stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people as a musician, could be so nervous.

Just look at the body language! Have you EVER seen a more uncomfortable groom? Sheesh.

Our ideal wedding was... CONTINUE READING >>





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Catalina Cart Blanche

Like the early Californian explorers, we approached Catalina by boat.

Steaming out of Long Beach Harbor past The Queen Mary, we were intrepid sailors in our air-conditioned, high-speed ferry complete with snack bar, lounge and cinematic classic on the big screen.

Arrrgh, the briny deep, matey.

Upon disembarking... CONTINUE READING >> 

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Our Son Has One of the Most Dangerous Jobs in the World

The Boy has just embarked on a new journey. He has accepted one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

He is now an Alaskan bush pilot (I suppose we should now call him "Captain The Boy").

This is something he has wanted to do for a long time, and though I'm beyond-words proud of him for realizing a dream (and working extremely hard for it), I am not thrilled by... CONTINUE READING >>

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Fabulous Food Signs of Osaka's Dotonbori 

The competition for most eye-catching advertising extravaganza is nearly as much of a draw as the food in Osaka, Japan's Dotonbori District.

When the crab restaurant Kani Doraku erected their giant mechanized crab sign back in 1960 they kicked off quite a craze of giant animated... CONTINUE READING >>

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On Volunteering and the Witches of Salem

What is it that makes us feel so passionate about life when we are helping others?

There must be something more to volunteering than the oft said “it makes us feel good to DO good.” I believe it goes deeper.

When the chicks fly the coop we lose the built-in community that comes with raising a brood. Gone are the sports team gatherings, the school plays and scout meetings. Entire peer groups disappear overnight. It can get kind of lonely... CONTINUE READING >>

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We fully admit we were drawn to Salem by its sordid past.

However, we were horrified to see that tourist trap economics trumped ugly, historical facts in Salem.

There are plenty of wonderful historical sites in the beautiful seaside town, including the famous... CONTINUE READING >>

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Feeding Hungry Crocodiles & The Train to Machu Picchu

Is anyone really crazy enough to lure sixteen feet of teeth and muscle out of the water with a chicken leg?

Yes. We are.

Perhaps we're not as crazy or brave (stupid?) as we are making ourselves out to be since we barely had time to think about it.

But is it any less insane because... CONTINUE READING >> 



Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

Our days of hiking four days over rough terrain are probably behind us, so attempting The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was out. Luckily, there is another alternative.

Several trains a day run on the second highest railroad in the world, after the Qinghai–Tibet Railway.... CONTINUE READING >> 


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Fear Conquering & Skydiving Over Queensland

Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane has become one of those ultimate bucket list items.

Like living to 120 years-old or climbing Mount Everest. Of the three, the most feasible to me was the jump.

Which turned out to be a bit odd, because there was no... CONTINUE READING >>

Fear Conquering & the Flying Trapeze

It was my first fear conquering - as kids today say - "epic fail." Not pretty at all.

Maybe I was too jet lagged. Maybe it was too early in the morning. Maybe it was the ten extra pounds of delicious-food Europe weight. Maybe 50-ish is a bit too old to take up a new trick this physical - the reflexes ain't what they used to be! Maybe I should shut up and stop... CONTINUE READING and watch the video >>

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16 Boxes

Almost everyday we hear somebody say “I live vicariously through you” or “ I wish we could do what you’re doing.” As inviting as it may seem, it’s probably not the lifestyle for everybody.

There is actually quite a commitment to chucking it all and becoming a gypsy. It takes a dash of nerve and a pinch of intestinal fortitude to get rid of everything you own except a handful of personal items that can be fit into a few boxes.

16 boxes to be exact. Close to 30 years of marriage and 3 kids later, we're whittled down to 16 boxes, most them in storage. Many of these boxes are tagged to go directly to the kids... CONTINUE READING >>

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Fear Conquering & Zip Lining 300 Feet High

I have to wonder who thinks up things like zip lining? What kind of sick mind muses - "hey, lets launch folks across a gaping canyon on a wire - that'll be awesome!"

Zip lining, in my mind, falls into the bungee-jumping, rodeo-clowning, leaping-off-buildings-in-suits-with-wings category of antics. Better off left to the fearless young whippersnapper types.

Not something I'd ever... CONTINUE READING >>
  
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Fear Conquering & Eating Silkworms

I am no longer an eating-a-bug virgin.

I love sampling new food - the more authentic the better. But, from time to time we are faced with delicacies which may be too authentic.

Find out which of us tried it and who chickened out... CONTINUE READING and watch the video >> 

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Fear Conquering & a Biker Bar Called Poopy's

Not a frequenter of biker joints, I don't have a motorcycle license and renting scooters probably doesn't count... who am I kidding, I'd never actually been to a biker bar.

So I didn't know what to expect and, certainly not out of a place with a name like Poopy's, other than a sense of humor. And... CONTINUE READING >> 

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Fear Conquering & Roller Derby

“Mom. You are going to get owned.”

 My, how the tables have turned. I'm not going to lie, I was getting a bit of pleasure out of worrying The Spawn.

 The reason for their concern was not without merit -- I was about to attend Roller Derby Camp. Or as the Killamazoo Derby Darlins call it, a "Fresh Meat Event".

 In our never-ending quest to find quirky things to do... CONTINUE READING >>

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