Warmth Returns

Since we returned from SE Asia in early April, the weather has been unseasonably cold. My friends tell me that while we were gone in March, the opposite was true. The weather was unseasonably warm. 

Typically in late April, things are warming up here, and by early May it will be downright hot. We've had many a year when by the end of the first week of May it was problematic to plant in the garden because the heat made it difficult for new plantings. Based on this I confidently scheduled the change over of our heating system to our evaporative cooling system on April 21.

Oopsie 😬

The weather has been super cold since then. The highs barely in the low 70's often in the 60's. The lows in the 40's. As a result our house has been extremely cold, with us sleeping with three or more blankets on. Not fun.

FINALLY, this weekend we are having highs in the 80's with even a day or so toward 90 predicted. Lows are in the 50's. I can at last put on shorts and open our windows. And we are now safely inoculated against Viking Expeditions from Sweden as they have a hard time surviving in temperatures above 80.

What? You Can Do That? (An AI Novice Adventure)

#3 works for a company that makes heavy use of AI. So she follows AI things closely and has strong opinions on the reality of the promises promoted by the AI universe. 

I, on the other hand, am the equivalent of an AI pre-schooler and am much easier impressed (or pissed off as the case may be). When I tell 3 of one of my revelations, I usually get a big eye roll.

Having come back from a big trip and having no major travel planned again until the end of summer, I am throwing myself into my 12 year now saga of fantasy fiction writing. Here is the backdrop for the AI involvement.

In the current iteration of writing (Book Seven), there is a technological event that is brewing to create a transportation system beyond anything this world has ever seen. However, the world I've created is sorely lacking in metal or fossil fuels that could be used to construct the vehicles or power them. During the course of past books, the power part has been solved. There was now the challenge of what was this system to be made of if not metal. I recalled all the current man made materials that have become prevalent in our manufacturing culture. Could their be a way for my characters to devise artificial materials from things found in their own environment? Fortunately a base concept in my writing has been the movement of my characters to and from Earth. So it would totally make sense for them to go to Earth to learn about these.

Great idea, but one problem. I don't know anything about man made materials so writing something that made any sense whatsoever seemed quite the stretch. This is where AI came in.

I made a query for the tool I am using. I described the backstory of the world and the reason for the trip to Earth and asked where they would go to get the information they needed. Lo and behold, I got back not just sites of where important work was done, but descriptions of the environments where the work was done and how the discoveries were made. It even made suggestions for how I could have my characters move from one place to the next and observe the differences in the environments.

I decided to go deeper and explained how the 'wizardry' of my fictional world had to do with experts who could 'see' the underlying cosmic energy that makes anything happen (think String Theory). I asked how these 'Savants' might take the information gained from Earth's development of man made materials. To my surprise, it developed a story line whereby the Savants would observe the energy patterns underlying the molecular rearranging that leads to man made materials. Then it suggested they would find materials on the home world and would create energy patterns using their 'wizardly' abilities to do the molecular rearranging. It even threw in some theoretical examples using various plants. 

This was WAY BEYOND anything I had imagined. I happily bookmarked the conversation for reference later as the AI tool advised me. 

The following week, I was deep into writing and I went back to check the thread only to find that only the initial query was saved. What the &#@%!  Going to the AI tool, I asked what had happened. I got a bunch of mealy mouth excuses and some remedies that didn't work. This is not the first time I've had an AI tool do things for me and then come back and say 'Sorry. That actually doesn't work.'

Nonetheless, I have the basic information I need and am writing away.  

Can These People Be Serious?

I try to stay away from politics and our general social situation in my posts because if I didn't I would just be filling these pages with paragraph after paragraph of rants. But two recent things I saw simply put me over the edge. 

First - "Republicans concerned about their electoral prospects in November are considering reducing the capital gains tax to help with the affordability issue."

When I first read this, I thought it must be some kind of joke. But no, this is evidently a serious proposal. I ask you, do you think that the people who are most affected by rising prices of things like gasoline and groceries are even remotely concerned with what the capital gains tax rate is?

Last I looked, you pay your capital gains tax when you sell some significant asset like a house if it is not your primary residence. Our when you sell securities out of your investment portfolio. 

Do you think the person who is working at your grocery store is giving a sigh of relief that they can sell off some of their investments and not get hit up with such a high tax bill?

Seriously, this is the most inane proposal for affordability relief that I think I've ever heard. 

Second - "Major bank records record profits and announces it will be laying off one thousand employees"

We are making more money than we ever have but no, that is not enough. Because we need even more. More - More - More. Screw the workers. Screw every human being (except the super wealthy). We need to make MORE! 

Thank You Migrant Workers!

We had an incredibly successful weekend with our team of migrant workers from the mean fields of Lafayette, California. 

Garden successfully set up for the season

Major storage area thoroughly sorted and cleaned out (more room in there then ever! Time to buy more wine racks 😁)

Garage cleaned out

New rug installed in Master Bedroom Closet

Workers returned to their home without ICE having even caught a sniff

I wanted to place a review on Google but I guess they are not really marketing their services. 

In all seriousness, we are totally grateful that #1 and 1.2 came out. They took what would have taken us many weekends and got it all done in one.

We Welcome Migrant Workers

 On Thursday we welcomed the arrival of two badly needed migrant workers out of California. Although we live in an environment now where any person who is not a resident of your locality can be called and illegal Alien, Wife and I took advantage of an opportunity to bring back the workers who had done such a great job for us last year. We have a full list of things we want them to help us with with the main focus to be the garden. We are working them hard because we want to have them back in California before we draw the attention of ICE.

In all seriousness, having #1 and 1.2 come is a blessing. With their help, work that would take Wife and I many days to do, with serious consequences to our physical well being, gets done in a fraction of the time. There was a time a few years ago when my ego would have objected to getting help like this. Now, with the wisdom of greater age and recognition of the reality of diminishing physical capabilities, I welcome the help gladly. 

And we welcome the time with our oldest daughter and the ability to spend meaningful time with our grandson. 

Enjoying The Changing Seasons

Not the changing of the climatic seasons (though the lengthening days and softening weather is indicating that too). But rather, the seasons of my life from the 'travel' season to the 'home' season. Like the tropics where they have a wet and dry season, we of de-I-andia have the two seasons of 'travel' and 'home'. 

This 'home' season is starting off particularly nice. The home season is marked by the return to the 'one true bed' and the 'shower of enlightenment', not to mention the 'wine cellar of bliss' (though used in more controlled fashion due to the necessities of gout control) and renewal of work on 'the Story'. 

There is enjoyment of the Man-Tower especially as the longer days are bringing longer sunsets at times when they can be enjoyed more. Although there is frustration on the 'what I can eat and not eat' front, I am using that as stimulus to be creative with my meal design and cooking. 

I have just the right number of clients to keep me stimulated and they are all engaging situations that have interesting aspects to them. 

Theodora and Rotary EDI are both moving along. They have their challenges but nothing that is demanding huge stress or worry on my part. 

And I'm sure  there will come the time when I will be longing for the return of 'travel'. But for now it is melding into the mellow. 

(This post brought to you with much gratitude that there are no 'remodels', 'roofs to be repaired', or 'major irrigation' issues. At least so far 🫰🏼) 

 

Asia Mega Tour 2026 - Navel Gazing Reflections

Most people don't go into deep reflections after they travel. Then again, most work-a-day career people have not transitioned into a place where travel is a central part of their lives. As Wife and I have pursued this passion for travel over the last 13 years, we have tended to come back from each trip with a range of thoughts, reflections, and revelations. We've reflected on the actual travel process and our preferences related to it. We've analyzed what we liked, and didn't like so we could adjust what we would do in the future. Our travels have affected how we look at our life as a whole, and what we might want to do over the last years of our life. 

When we began this trip, I wanted to do a refresh of my photography. So I decided to go back to posts from prior trips where we'd worked with photographers. This morphed into rereading every travel post I've made since we started this era of travel! It has been quite enlightening. Our ability to forget the  past, or maybe our need to forget the mass of past detail in order to have enough brain power for the present is rather amazing. As I reviewed all the past 'navel gazing' posts, I was amazed at how rather consistent we've been. Sure we've changed due to aging's reduction of capabilities. But, the major themes that have weaved their way in our travel experiences have stayed relatively constant. 

So with that revelation to start with, let's start gazing at that navel (breathe in slowly...fill your lungs...let your breath out slowly...watch it leave you...)

While Looking for Xanadu, It Really Is About the Process

When we started this long-travel lifestyle, our initial focus was on how to do things. There was a lot written on the mechanics of what worked and didn't work related to going to and from places (air, train, car, packaged, accommodations, etc.). As we become more experienced, we focused more on our physical ability to continue doing things the way we had as we aged (see next section below). Then Covid hit and we made a major shift exploring if we even wanted to live in the U.S. at all. Ultimately, we found that wouldn't work for us. But we did want to find places where we could stay for longer periods. To date we've only found one, El Campello, Spain. 

We are still looking. This trip didn't unveil any winners in SE Asia. But ultimately, it is as much about the process as it is the result. It is the process that takes us to new places. It is the process that keeps us active physically and mentally. Yes, we do hope to find other places we can go and 'just hang', but it is not the end of the world if we don't because it is the entire process that keeps us going.

We Haven't Actually Changed That Much. We Just Go Slower

As I mostly make blog posts about what we do as opposed to what we don't do, you would read the entries from this trip and conclude that Wife and I haven't changed that much at all. We're running around. Visiting this place and that. Doing our photographic thing. Learning. Dealing with various challenges associated with getting around in a different culture. 

But that's not really true. Because the number of those active days compared to the number of rest days has completely reversed. Whereas even as late as 2022 we might have spent 70% of our days doing stuff and 30% resting and recuperating, on this trip we were spending at a minimum 50% of our time with rest days. And we are both good with it. It's what we need to do if we want to continue traveling like this. 

And we are showing restraint during our days out. For example, when we visited the Big Buddha on Phuket. Earlier versions of ourselves would have absolutely climbed to the upper level. Wife and I both said, "No way," this time. It was going to be too hard on our body.  

Traveling With Family - The Challenges and the Rewards

Over the last year or so, there has been a growing group consciousness among our children and ourselves that our time together is short. Not to be morbid, but their is the reality of the age one is. This has led to a much more active intention to get together. As the family is spread over the world, this implies finding ways to travel so we can be together. 

But as I'm sure anyone with family would understand, there are a host of coordination issues dealing with different communication styles, personal preferences, and values. This naturally leads to challenges and tensions. However, I think, overall, we, as a family, handle these relatively well. It is not that people don't get frustrated or loose their cool. It is that I think we've learned how to move ourselves back from these situations and recognize them for what they are. 

And I will just say, from a personal standpoint, seeing my girls, their husbands, and children as much as we can is still a priority and a joy...even with the challenges. 

Why We Love Southeast Asia 

Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, calls to us in way that many other places (like Austria for example) do not. It certainly is not because of the weather. I mean we are happy to miss out on winter weather back home, but temperatures in the 90's to the 100's with blazing sun and high humidity is not exactly ideal. So what's the attraction?

Well, first is the overall vibe. And with this I'm not quite sure how exactly to describe it. But there is a general friendliness and acceptance.There doesn't appear (at least in our experience) to be a lot of jealousy and envy that one gets going to certain cultures. It is just a comfortable environment to be in. There is a positive energy (at least to us).

Second, we have found it (at least for the places we visit) incredibly easy to get around and get chores like shopping done due to the ease and reliability of the Grab rideshare and delivery system. Knowing this system, which is the same in Thailand and Malaysia, our two primary visit locales, means a minimum of 'figuring things out' when we return.

Third, the food is amazing. It is rare for us to have a meal we think is really bad (though you do deal with cultural differences such as the way the butcher meat leading to pieces in your food that you scratch your head trying to identify). 

And fourth, and not least at all is the cost. Everything, and I mean almost everything, is a fraction of the cost in the United States. Wife and I for the 10 days we were in Johor Bahru spent one quarter of the amount we spent in Margaret River for the same period of time. Since the air transportation cost is about the same as going to Europe, we can make our travel budget stretch much further going to SE Asia.

Why No Winners This Trip?

 Our two test locations were the Rawai area of Phuket, Thailand, and the city of Johor Bahru, Malaysia. 

While we liked our home in Rawai (it was way quiet and the pool was just what we wanted), Phuket, in general, and Rawai, in particular, were simply way too touristy. Even getting across the main street Rawai was a challenge and there was virtually no where to just take a walk.

JB actually had the walking that I had hoped to find. And we had great walk to conveniences in the way of supermarkets and restaurants. The problem is the city is not that attractive. We'd hoped facing the Strait that separates Malaysia from Singapore would provide that waterfront cityscape ambiance we love (like what El Campello has) if we're going to stay in a location for a while. Instead the water front was just drab.

Confirmation of Just How Important Travel Is to My Well-Being

I have commented on this many, many times in my past navel-gazing posts. Travel keeps us going. It forces us, in a positive way, to stay flexible, to be upbeat attitude problem solvers. It puts us in situations where we are on our feet and moving much, much than our day-to-day life does at home. Yes, we have to be much more conscious of our overall physical abilities, and be super careful on our trips back to home to not get exhausted and sick. But both of us have had major therapeutic recoveries from our travels...Wife recovering from her blood clot and foot injury, me from my massive asthma attack and gout flare-up. In both cases, our trips proved to be the environment that allowed us to work our way back to strength. 

But Don't Underestimate the Power of the Home Bed and Shower

Having said all these positive things about our traveling, I must admit, home has something that is quite essential for our well-being as well. Our beds and our showers. Our beds have been tweaked over the years to give us the best support for all our physical ailments, and the quality and quantity of the hot water our showers provide, is a luxury you truly appreciate after experiencing the seemingly innumerable variations on hard beds and pillows, poor bedding, and showers whose water flow can be erratic, low, and tepid. And I miss my wine too! 

Conclusion - Keeping on Trucking 

So we have every intention of keeping this life style going. We know it's going to end. Some event is going to take away our ability to travel like we do. It is inevitable. But we thought some of the things we've already experience were those events. They haven't been. So ElderFleet Command has the Eldership still active in service and has new missions being charted as I write this post. Stay tuned.