Performers from El Alma de la Luna of Spain at the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North Carolina
Tell just about anyone around here that you’re headed to Asheville, Boone, Blowing Rock or Cherokee, and they know where you’re going and likely have been there themselves. Tell someone you are going to Waynesville, and just about everyone says “where’s Waynesville?” Tell someone you are going to Waynesville for Folkmoot and they just get confused. “Where for what?”
Performers from El Alma de la Luna of Spain at the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North CarolinaPerformers from El Alma de la Luna of Spain at the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North Carolina
When I was photographing for Our State and WNC magazines I took photographs to accompany articles about small towns in the western part of NC. Waynesville has become our favorite mountain town for a number of years and we keep returning. We’ve become friends with the couple who owns a small motel there, interestingly the same motel where my family used to stay when we visited from Pennsylvania. Waynesville has several restaurants we really like, a coffee roaster that makes my favorite coffee, and is ideally located for access to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Members of the Kecskemet Folk Dance Ensemble of Hungary perform at the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North CarolinaMembers of the Kecskemet Folk Dance Ensemble of Hungary perform at the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North CarolinaPerformers from the Bahamas Platinum Knights Junkanoo at the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North CarolinaPerformers from the Bahamas Platinum Knights Junkanoo at the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North Carolina
Every year in July, Waynesville hosts Folkmoot. Webster defines a ‘folkmoot’ as a general assembly of the people (as of a shire) in early England” Folkmoot in Waynesville has traditionally been a two week festival of international friendship and fellowship, highlighted by dance and musical performances. The Folkmoot organization has recently begun to evolve into a year-round cultural center, with programs and events that celebrate diversity, encourage cultural conversation, and preserve and honor worldwide cultural heritages.
Members of the Student Folkloric Ensemble “Martisorul” from Romania at the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North CarolinaMembers of the Student Folkloric Ensemble “Martisorul” from Romania at the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North Carolina
We have been to Waynesville during Folkmoot several times in the past but have limited our participation to the Parade of Nations that is held one Saturday. This year we also purchased tickets and attended the opening ceremony, where all of the performers are featured in an indoor (and air-conditioned!) setting. I didn’t photograph there, but we did attend the parade the following day. I think I would like to eventually participate more, but for now we can be glad that we did something we hadn’t done previously.
Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North CarolinaPerformers from the National Folkloric Dance Troupe of Egypt at the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North CarolinaRepresentatives from the Cherokee Indians in the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North Carolina
Here is a small selection of photos from the parade. It is a lot of fun to attend, and I think I captured some photos that represent what it is all about!
Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North CarolinaRepresentatives from the United States at the Folkmoot “Parade of Nations” in Waynesville, North Carolina
Curvy shadows along main street in downtown Waynesville, North Carolina
Kathy & I are spending some time in Waynesville, NC trying to beat the heat in Charlotte. We’ve driven some curvy mountain roads during our sightseeing. This is a scene I have passed by many evenings without a camera, and decided to take one along last night just to capture a few shots.
Kathy & I were talking to friends recently who asked me about our travels to Italy, when I remembered that I had never published a gallery of Italy photos on my website. It’s only taken a year, but I finally got around to it. It’s a lot of photos – admittedly way more than I would ordinarily put in one gallery. But it was a huge trip with lots of photos! I ended up with about 3,000 processed photos, so a gallery with “only” 180 or so images is really editing it down!
People in our neighborhood have gotten used to the fact that we’re gone a lot. When we first moved here it was because we worked all day and often traveled on the weekends. Recently we’ve been off on one adventure or another. A couple of our neighbors say they can tell when we’re home because our window shades are open. I guess that’s a reliable indicator, although I’ve thought about leaving them open just to fool ’em! It is nice to have someone keeping an eye on things, although that has its limits.
Ready for ShuffleboardShip’s Lines in Aruba
One of the most asked questions when we talk to our neighbors is “where are you off to next?” When we got back from our recent trip to Ohio and Virginia we didn’t have anything on the books. But within a few weeks of our return we got to planning, and we now have (I think) 5 trips in various stages of planning. Kathy says she has finally found her calling – planning vacations! For us!
Hazy sunshine in Puerto VallartaHats for sale in Puerto Vallarta
One day we were sitting on our porch talking about our upcoming plans and I said, ” you know, when we were younger, one thing would lead to another and we’d end up with a baby. Now, one thing leads to another and we end up with a vacation! Life is good!
Lunch at Johnny Rocket’s aboard Symphony of the Seas
May 25 marked the first anniversary of our retirement. And boy, what a year it’s been! What we most wanted to do in retirement was to travel, and I’d say we did a pretty good job of it. Looking back over my Lightroom catalog provides a visual history of our adventures, starting with an amazing trip to Italy, shorter trips to the NC mountains and NC coast, a road trip to Ohio and Virginia and a month at the beach in Hilton Head. And that was just in 2018! So far in 2019 we have been away 61 days out of 151. We’ve taken two cruises (29 days at sea, including two back-to-back 7 day cruises and a 15 day cruise through the Panama Canal), made a road trip to Florida, another to Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, and we just finished another Ohio-Virginia road trip. But we’re home for a while, I think. Frankly, we’re a little tired! The next scheduled trip is a trip to the beach in August, although there is a pretty good chance that something will come along in the interim!
Our visit to the Colosseum in RomeAltesino winery near Montalcino, ItalyAboard the train from Florence to Rome at the end of our Tuscany photo tour
One of our neighbors asked us the other day if we were trying to spend all of our retirement money in the first year! We’re not, of course, but we obviously have done more than our financial advisor might prefer (sorry, Steve!). But travel is what we do – we don’t have other expensive hobbies, our kids are self-supporting, and we have very reasonable monthly expenses. We are very aware of how fortunate we are to have started the savings habit early and to live (mostly) within our means for the last 39 years (our 39th wedding anniversary is in October).
Sunset Beach Bar at Maho Bay, St MartinIn Nassau, Bahamas aboard Symphony of the SeasFirst Cocktails Aboard! Symphony of the Seas
Here are some of the things we have learned and experienced in our first year of retirement:
Expected (good & bad)
LOTS of time to do whatever we want.
We really like being able to come and go as we please, without having to check vacation schedules and “request” time off from a boss.
We especially like not having to stick to a week-to-week or weekend routine.
We love to cook, and having time to shop for good ingredients and be creative in the kitchen has been fun. As a result, we rarely go out to eat any more.
Less going out to eat has meant that we’ve both lost weight and saved money (to spend on travel!)
We manage to get in a good walk just about every day, continuing a habit we had established at work.
Unexpected (good & bad)
Lots of time means it is easy to get lazy.
We didn’t expect to miss work, and we really don’t. At first, we missed the people and were really good about checking in. We still miss the people, but the farther away we get the less often we seem to make contact.
It’s hard to keep track of what day it is!
We’re even more laid back and relaxed than we thought we would be!
We’ve gotten a lot more reading done, although we read more at home and less on the road. It used to be that we needed to go on vacation to read! Now our vacations are busier and we’re more relaxed at home with more time to read.
We can go for days without getting in the car. Other than going to the grocery store or visiting the kids we rarely leave the neighborhood. We need to make a point of getting Kathy behind the wheel periodically so she won’t forget how!
Our monthly expenses have gone down, due mostly to not eating out as much and not using as much gas, but also due to just not buying stuff.
Without an alarm every morning, our sleep schedules have diverged. I like getting up early in the morning and don’t mind going to bed early. Kathy is just the opposite and our schedules can some days be a couple of hours different.
‘Tween Waters Resort at Captiva Island, FloridaHilton Head Island, South CarolinaSunset on the beach, Palmetto Dunes Oceanside Resort, Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaLooking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, North Carolina
So what’s in store for the next year? We’re telling ourselves that we need to do a better job spacing things out. The first 5 months of this year have seen a lot of travel, partly because of the last-minute addition of the Panama Canal cruise but also because of the January road trip immediately followed by the two cruises. We’re anxious to continue checking off states as we try to get to all 50, so there will undoubtedly be a few more road trips. I wouldn’t be surprised to find us on another cruise or two, and there will most certainly be visits to the mountains and the beach.
US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama
Bus tour of the Marshall Space Flight Center at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AlabamaJungle Gardens in Avery Island, LouisianaLunch at Johnny Rocket’s aboard Symphony of the SeasOutdoor display area at Homestead Furniture Company near Mount Hope, Ohio
So watch this space! I’ll do my best to keep posting articles and photos – when I have time!
During our visit to Puerto Quepos, Costa Rica, we took an aerial tram tour and nature walk through a tropical rain forest. I had been taking photos of this ginger blossom when I noticed a hummingbird flying nearby. Just as I fired off a series of shots of the ginger the hummer flew into my frame! I got off a burst of just a few shots before he flew away. While this is the best one, it certainly isn’t “perfect” enough to win any nature photo contests but it works for me.
Transit through the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal during our Panama Canal cruise aboard Pacific Princess
Kathy & I recently returned from a 15-night cruise through the Panama Canal on the Pacific Princess. It was a terrific cruise, and at only 600 +/- passengers this ship was a welcome relief from the 6000+ passenger behemoth we sailed on in February. But like bottles of wine we’ve never had a bad cruise, so there are always great things to experience regardless!
Morning approach to the entrance of the Panama Canal during our Panama Canal cruise aboard Pacific PrincessTransit through the Pedro Miguel Locks of the Panama Canal during our Panama Canal cruise aboard Pacific PrincessTransit through the Pedro Miguel Locks of the Panama Canal during our Panama Canal cruise aboard Pacific PrincessTransit of the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal during our Panama Canal cruise aboard Pacific Princess
The highlight of our cruise, which took us from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Los Angeles, CA, was of course a full transit of the Panama Canal. These photos are just a sample of the ones I took during this event. I will add more photos and commentary as I get through the 3000+ photos I took! But we’re leaving soon for another quick trip and I’m planning to leave the computer at home, so they will need to wait until we get back.
Transit through the Pedro Miguel Locks of the Panama Canal during our Panama Canal cruise aboard Pacific PrincessTransit through the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal during our Panama Canal cruise aboard Pacific PrincessTransit through the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal during our Panama Canal cruise aboard Pacific Princess
Tabasco sauce is one of those condiments that I think everyone has heard of, and that many people always keep on hand. I’m not particularly a big fan, instead preferring sauces with more flavor and less heat such as Cholula (Mexico) and Pickapeppa (Jamaica, mon). But when it comes to pepper sauce, I’ve got a bottle and suspect a lot of readers do too.
Tabasco Factory Tour in Avery Island, LouisianaTabasco Factory Tour in Avery Island, LouisianaTabasco Factory Tour in Avery Island, LouisianaTabasco Factory Tour in Avery Island, Louisiana
When I realized that the Tabasco plant and museum, located in Avery Island, was just a few miles from where we stayed in Lafayette, Louisiana, going there was a no-brainer. Adjacent to the grounds of the Tabasco plant is Jungle Gardens, a 170-acre botanical garden and bird sanctuary created by the father of Tabasco, Edward Avery “Ned” McIlhenny. Jungle Gardens is a separate story and a separate post.
Tabasco Factory Tour in Avery Island, LouisianaTabasco Factory Tour in Avery Island, Louisiana
I learned a few things about Tabasco during our visit. I hadn’t fully realized the time, effort and craft that goes into making hot sauce. And I didn’t realize that there were so many varieties! We got to try a number of them in the store after our tour, although I stopped myself before my taste buds got damaged!
Tabasco Factory Tour in Avery Island, Louisiana
All in all, the Tabasco story is an important part of Louisiana heritage, and I’m glad we had a chance to pay a visit!
Tabasco Factory Tour in Avery Island, LouisianaTabasco Factory Tour in Avery Island, Louisiana
Interstate 10 bridge at the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area Welcome Center near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
I’m a little late to the April Fool’s party so I don’t have anything funny. But wanted to post that we are safely at home now and enjoying the spoils of our own house – quiet music, comfortable chairs and our own place! We loved the travel but are happy to be back to home base. It won’t last long, but we’ll enjoy it while we can!
