We lost ourselves watching leafcutter ants working, bees busily building their hive, and most mesmerizing of all, walking through The Butterfly House surrounded by hundreds of beautiful blue butterflies. The colorful winged insects flew all around us, sometimes even… CONTINUE READING >>
What we thought might be a quick stop turned into hours as we took in one fascinating exhibit after another.
We lost ourselves watching leafcutter ants working, bees busily building their hive, and most mesmerizing of all, walking through The Butterfly House surrounded by hundreds of beautiful blue butterflies. The colorful winged insects flew all around us, sometimes even landing on us.
Drops of gold: Cocoons in the Butterfly Nursery.
In fact, several of the displays are hands on. We got to hold creatures that looked exactly like leaves, or sticks, or alien beings.
We even got to touch the skin of a devil – a Thorny Devil to be precise.
All of this was overseen by the museum’s director, Lloyd Hollett, who captivated us with not only his knowledge, but his exuberance.
We’ve heard that his schtick about the beehive is becoming legendary.
Most of us may have visited exhibitions such as museums, memorials. I’m sure there is no shortage of experiences that have impressed us and even opened doors of interest. Well-developed exhibitions often offer their own unique souvenirs for interested parties to purchase.
If you are in charge of a related project, lapel pins can be a good choice. They are delicate and beautiful, and easy to store and keep. People can pin them casually on hats, clothes, bags or display them in frames for display. An acceptable price is also a factor that people usually choose them. Come visit Custompins.ca and have a try!
WATCH: Veronica frolics with butterflies, handles some pretty intimidating bugs!
Vibrant, colorful Buenos Aires – a city alive with music, dance, history and culture. It was so easy to immerse ourselves; to breathe it in.
Find out our favorite spots… CONTINUE READING > >
Find Evita at La Recoleta Cemetery
La Recoleta Cemetery in should be considered a must-see by any visitor. The ornate monuments are more than fascinating enough to occupy an afternoon, and many of the city’s most famous residents lie in rest here, but most tourists are seeking the tomb of Evita. Her mausoleum can be hard to find, but eavesdropping and tagging along behind a tour group will do the trick. More La Recoleta Cemetery…
Hit The Street Market in San Telmo
Every Sunday since 1970 some 10,000 people descend upon Plaza Dorrego for the Feria de San Telmo. What began as an antique fair has grown into two-hundred and seventy vendors selling almost everything under the sun. It is much more than an open air market, it is a happening. More San Telmo…
Immerse Yourself in the Tango Culture
David, who calls himself a “circus bear attempting to balance on a ball” when it comes to dancing, was surely not going to indulge Veronica’s fantasy of learning to tango during our stay in Buenos Aires. But the clumsy bear proved to be full of surprises when he booked us at the Complejo Tango. This tango complex includes not only a school, but also nightly shows, and even hotel rooms where we stayed backstage next to the dancer’s dressing rooms. The place breathes tango. More on tango in Buenos Aires…
Eat at a Parrilla
Buenos Aires is famous for these establishments. Parrilla simply means grill, and a huge grate of roasting meat is the centerpiece of any good one. La Estancia may be the big Kahuna, filling the tables of awestruck carnivores with enormous silver trays sizzling on their very own beds of coals, but our favorite was a little neighborhood joint called El Litoral. Nothing fancy, just bodacious portions of phenomenal flame broiled beef at a price that made us think we must have been given the special friend’s discount. More about Parrillas…
WATCH: Let the Meat Sweats Begin: Eating at an Argentine Parilla
Cowboy Up At Feria de Mataderos
Buenos Aires is a city fueled by meat, and Mataderos is the barrio, that traditionally supplied that fuel. To celebrate that tradition, and preserve many of the customs of the gauchos, who we would call cowboys, a huge event known as the Feria de Mataderos is held each weekend. Thousands come from miles around to enjoy the food, music, dancing, crafts, and particularly the feats of horsemanship demonstrated by the gauchos. More Feria de Mataderos…
WATCH: Amazing gaucho action & Veronica joins in the traditional dances
Feel The Tradition of La Boca
Perhaps no barrio, or neighborhood, in the city captures quintessential Buenos Aires better than La Boca. Shops and restaurants line the colorful streets, with inventive artwork, live music, and tango dancing spilling out on to the sidewalks. More La Boca…
Cross the River into Uruguay
We found this remarkably easy to do, just hop on a ferry across the river to Uruguay. The delightful town of Colonia del Sacramento lies right across the Río de la Plata, so after a forty-five minute ride on the Buquebus we stepped into another country, and what felt like another place in time. More Colonia, Uruguay…
We sat down with the fabulous Chloe Jeffreys of the aptly named Generation Fabulous and discussed helicopter mom recovery, staying connected with our adult kids, reinventing middle-age, and the importance of… CONTINUE READING or leave a comment! >>
We sat down with the fabulous Chloe Jeffreys and discussed helicopter mom recovery, staying connected with our adult kids, reinventing middle-age, and the importance of reinvesting in your marriage after your nest empties.
Interested in reading more about the subjects covered in our interview?
It’s small town America at her best – The Sycamore Pumpkin Fest! This little town’s population doubles each year – and rightly so – as they roll out the Halloween red carpet.
Join us as we attend the pumpkin weigh-in, get scared snotless while playing Zombie Miniature Golf, take in a great parade, and listen to spooky stories in a cemetery! And get awesome ideas for YOUR jack-o’-lantern at the humongous display on the courthouse lawn.
Oh – and watch what happens when Veronica enters the pie eating contest… CONTINUE READING >>
It’s small town America at her best – The Sycamore Pumpkin Fest! This little town’s population doubles each year – and rightly so – as they roll out the Halloween red carpet.
Join us as we attend the pumpkin weigh-in, get scared snotless while playing Zombie Miniature Golf, take in a great parade, and listen to spooky stories in a cemetery!
And get awesome ideas for YOUR jack-o’-lantern at the humongous display on the courthouse lawn.
Oh – and watch what happens when Veronica enters the pie eating contest… CONTINUE READING >>
Every once in a while, we are hit over the head by a ton of bricks. While this would normally be cause for concern, this particular brickload is one of gratitude.
We have been blessed with amazing accolades from amazing folks! We have done really fun interviews and have been included in some pretty prestigious publications. We are truly honored. Click in to see why...CONTINUE READING >>
Every once in a while, we are hit over the head by a ton of bricks. While this would normally be cause for concern, this particular brickload is one of gratitude.
We have been blessed with amazing accolades from amazing folks! We have done really fun interviews and have been included in some pretty prestigious publications. We are truly honored.
Pretty cool to be featured in one of America’s greatest newspapers, The Chicago Tribune! Okay, so we’re not sure who the people are in the photos—but we’re uber-excited to be in the text.
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
We’ve teamed up Humana with tips on kicking YOUR Generation Encore into high, healthy gear with full page advertorial appearing in the August/September 2016 issues Real Simple, Cooking Light, Southern Living, Sunset, Coastal Living, Golf, and Money magazines!
What an honor it is to share our story and tips in top magazines:
“Who says millennials do it better? When it comes to travel, age is but a number. As you think about retirement and all that free time you’ll have, consider taking a different approach.
TripAdvisor rounded up 20 baby boomer travel bloggers as inspiration to get out there and travel”… SEE ‘EM ALL >>
We joined Nashville’s WSMV Channel 4More at Midday gang!
“Traveling throughout retirement may not be everyone’s idea of simple living, but David and Veronica say ditching the house was one of the best moves they ever made. ‘We are in a state of nearly constantly pinching ourselves… CONTINUE READING >>
Thank you Nashville for Making Going Gypsy Your #1 Bestseller!
Veronica and David James were living on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands when the last of their three kids flew off to college. Some of us might have opted to stay in that tropical paradise, but the Jameses knew they needed a change… SEE THE FULL STORY
We had a blast with Kim Bailey of News Talk Florida – talkin’ our craziest food experiences!.. CLICK TO LISTEN!
We ended up on Australian TV and all we had to do was jump out of an airplane!
Veronica was introduced to the Australian public by way of the amount of saliva she didn’t have in her mouth. Classic Veronica!
Thanks WIN News!
“Who says millennials do it better? When it comes to travel, age is but a number. As you think about retirement and all that free time you’ll have, consider taking a different approach.
TripAdvisor rounded up 20 baby boomer travel bloggers as inspiration to get out there and travel”… SEE ‘EM ALL >>
Deseret News intrigued us with some interesting Boomer stats and asked us to weigh in with our thoughts and experience!.. SEE THE FULL STORY
USA Today asked us and some pretty weighty folks to weigh in on how we find ways to travel with purpose to enrich our experiences … See the full article >>
When your kids leave home, you may worry about how they’re going to handle their money. But don’t forget to worry about yourself, too… SEE FULL ARTICLE >>
An article about us landed on the front page of Huffington Post.
Click here to see the full write up.
Feature story on the Home page of AOL:
The uber-talented Sundance veteran Anne Flournoy of The Louise Log fame produced this hysterical 50-second short on her experience of reading Going Gypsy!
Psyched about this article in Medium!
“After packing their youngest off to college, the Gypsy Nesters hit the road and never looked back. ‘We’re going down in a ball of flames!’ says”… READ THE FEATURE HERE
Stephanie Mayo over at The World as I See it interviewed us about our favorite places, memorable moments, weird regional food disasters and how travel has changed us.
WOW! We were named #1 (!) on Indietravel’s Top 10 Travel Couples! Honored to be among this incredible talent! See the full list here.
And if that wasn’t enough, the embarrassment of riches continue – we were chosen as one of the Top 25 Travel Blogs of the Year!
See all of the honorees here
We sat down with the fabulous Chloe Jeffreys and discussed helicopter mom recovery, staying connected with our adult kids, reinventing middle-age, and the importance of reinvesting in your marriage after your nest empties.
Becca at Aging Insider calls us “5 Alarm Boomer Bloggers” and in this episode of her fabulous show, she says: “Richard Branson says, ‘Screw it, lets do it!’ and this is a couple who is embracing that motto. The kids left for college and this rockstar couple left for the world…”
A fun little publicity bump we did for BestDay.com while in Cancun, Mexico!
Ace reporter Pam Parker (is that a GREAT journo name or what?) of the Erie Times-News was kind enough to mention us in her hard-hitting write-up on the UFO house in Tennessee! See it here.
We are so grateful that 12most chose us as one of the Most Enjoyable Blogs for women.
50 Connect is one of Britain’s hottest sites! Known as “The Social Networking Site for Grown Ups.” Click here for the whole interview.
Those wacky kids over at Divergent Travelers asked us some fun and insightful questions when they interviewed us.
Check it out and learn some stuff about us that we’d never told you on our own!
Wow! We won the prestigious People’s Choice Senior Living Award as the Best Boomer Resource!
The competition was stiff – there were quite a few amazing sites that we were honored to be among – and the judges must have had quite a task making a choice.
Donna Hull is a freelance writer specializing in travel and human interest content for print publications and the web. At My Itchy Travel Feet, she writes about active travel for baby boomers. And, she should know because she is one.
Our first international interview was with the London-based Fab Over Fifty.
Founded by Ceri Wheeldon, Fab Over Fifty strives to redefine how women over fifty see themselves – and how they are viewed by others.
And, yes, she is fabulous!
Doris helps people let go of their fears of the unknown so they can travel and discover the exciting life they’ve always wanted by going abroad to travel, live, give, and learn.
Shipwrecks are a big part of Halifax history and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, chronicles hundreds of them.
Salvaged artifacts from dozens of incidents are on display, including a few from the most famous, the Titanic… CONTINUE READING >>
We spent a full afternoon at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic investigating the rich seafaring history of Nova Scotia – and still felt like we barely scratched the surface.
The collection includes a nine foot high lens from the Sambro Island Lighthouse, the oldest surviving lighthouse in North America.
Shipwrecks are a big part of Halifax history and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, chronicles hundreds of them.
Salvaged artifacts from dozens of incidents are on display, including a few from the most famous, the Titanic. We were reminded of the many child victims of the disaster when we came upon these little shoes in one of the cases.
The museum also documents another catastrophe that struck the city just a few years after the sinking of the Titanic, the Halifax Explosion. On December 6, 1917 the SS Mont Blanc, a French cargo ship filled with wartime explosives, collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the harbor. The Mont-Blanc caught fire and the resulting blast was the largest ever until the atom bomb.
At least two thousand people perished, with thousands more injured or left homeless. Aid poured in from all around, but Boston stood out in the relief effort, sending many ship loads of supplies. To this day, every year the city of Halifax sends a Christmas tree to Boston as a continuing thank you gift. The connection is so strong that people here generally refer to the New England area as “The Boston States.”
We were shocked that we had never heard about this sad piece of history, and even more so when we found out about a true hero, Vincent Coleman.
Mr. Coleman was a station worker at the rail yards at Pier 6 the morning that the engulfed-in-flames SS Mont Blanc moved toward shore.
Instead of fleeing, he remained at his telegraph key warning all incoming trains to stay out of Halifax.
Knowing he was going to die his last words were,
“Hold up the train. Munitions ship on fire and making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Goodbye boys.”
Vincent Coleman’s telegraph key. It was found with his body.
His bravery saved the lives of every soul on every train coming into Halifax and, because the Canadian Railway had been alerted so quickly, six relief trains were in Halifax that very day with medical supplies and fire fighters – saving countless more lives.
“Shipshape and Bristol Fashion”
The ship exhibits are where we truly got lost in awe. Not only with the “real” vessels, but with the magnificent model ships.
The collection is so vast, we can’t imagine that there is a boat that hasn’t been recreated or restored by the volunteer Maritime Ship Modelers Guild.
By the exit we came face-to-face with the gibbet, a particularly gruesome form of pirate punishment:
Were they trying to scare us out of the building? Maybe they just wanted to leave us with something that would really stick in our minds. Either way, there’ll no pirating for us, that’s for sure.
If you are in charge of a related project, lapel pins can be a good choice. They are delicate and beautiful, and easy to store and keep. People can pin them casually on hats, clothes, bags or display them in frames for display. An acceptable price is also a factor that people usually choose them. Come visit Custompins.ca and have a try!
A big thank you to Peggy McGranahan from Shaped by the Waves for this 
