I grew up in small towns in Northern California (closer to Oregon than anything else.) For the last 40 years I've lived in the Spokane, Washington, area. I am just about 20 miles from Idaho.
I retired in 2003 after working for 15 years as Spokane's City/County Recycling Coordinator. It was a great job, especially in the earlier years, because it was a new position for the city and we were creating all our programs from scratch. Designing them was the fun part.
I'm a reader--I'm always surrounded by books. I enjoy music, especially jazz and world music. I often buy a CD or two in the countries I visit, especially from local groups I heard while there.
Travel is somewhere between a passion and an obsession...I always wanted to travel, but never could do much about it until the last 10 years or so. Now I am making up for lost time, and I love it. If the travel fund has enough in it, I'm ready to go. I have a mental list of places I have to see, but I'm also an opportunist. If a friend says "I need a roommate for... " I will probably say, "Why not?" even though it is a place I never thought about.
I don't do just one kind of vacation--it all has something to offer. I've done cruises, trains, bus tours, city stays, and volunteer vacations; and I've arrived places by camel, elephant, rickshaw, hot air balloon and dugout canoe. (I draw the line at anything resembling extreme sports--no motorcycles, ziplines, parachutes, etc.)
Petted a rhino (No, he was not in a cage)
Rode an elephant
Rode a camel
Hand-fed a giraffe
Paddled a dugout canoe
Rode on the roof of a train in Ecuador
Eaten guinea pig, paca, warthog, toasted grasshopper, mopani worm (ick!), ants, cricket, and smoked water snake (not bad!)
Swam with penguins
Floated over Cappadocia in a balloon (I’m afraid of heights!)
Flew in a glider
Walked on the Antarctic continent
Camped in the Sahara
Boated on Lake Baikal
I am somewhat “chicken” (along with old and decrepit) and some of these activities have really pushed my limits, but I don’t want to go through life regretting the things I didn’t do.
All 7 continents (Kiribati counts for Oceana); 52 countries
Panama Canal and Suez Canal; Around the 'Horn'
Trains: Copper Canyon (Mexico), Trans-Siberian (Mongolian Rte),and Trans-Canada
It will take a lot of time to get all the pages done. Eventually, I will have quite a few of them.
Lunch with Basaic, Spokane, 10-2-2010
Lunch with HomandEd, Miami, Oct. 2011
Lunch with Suet; dinner with Suet and her husband, Edinburgh, May 2012
Dinner with Song, Orlando, May 2013
(Hoping this section will grow!)
Happy Belated Birthday!
Thank you!
Happy Birthday Jessie & best regards from Slovenia!
Thank you!
Happy belated Birthday Jesse xx
Thank you! You have enough on your plate without remembering birthdays, etc. I hope your recovery is going well.
Thank you so much Jesse, I am slowly but surely getting better.I have had my stitches removed and a new plaster cast put on and now on the waiting game before putting my weight on my leg.Unable to do intense rehab until then approx 4 weeks time.So to wish birthday wishes to members is a joy for me.Cheers Dorrise xx
Jessie, so sorry I missed your birthday and I was in the most beautiful campsite in Northern Canada where they were about 20 miles from the nearest wifi! I hope you had a great day and have a great year to come.
You are excused! And, yes, I had a good day - my son and his wife made me a lovely dinner.
Nice one. Have a great year to come.
Happy Birthday jessie. love, Carole.
Thank you!
Happy birthday Jessie have a great day
Thank you, it was.
Have a wonderful birthday
Thank you!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSIE!! Hope you your celebration is full of Love, Laughter & Lots of Loot!
I'm happy to settle for the first two, and I got them from my son and his family.
Of course that's the best priority! :-)
A very happy birthday, to one of my favorite VTers.
Aww, that's sweet. Thank you
Hey girlfriend.............Happy Birthday
Thanks! Nice BD dinner with son's family.