Hey!
How are things? I'm in the middle of planning a trip today and was thinking about some of the more interesting questions folks ask me when I'm traveling.

​Now don't get me wrong, for me travel is a way of life and meeting interesting people and having adventures is part of the fun. But I must be very approachable, because people do not hesitate to ask me off hand questions at every turn.

 Is it just me or does this happen to everyone?

 "You don't look like your passport!" Said by every customs agent everywhere. I usually reply, "Thank God! Because I was ill then," or something like that. They have never given me any real grief over it, so I must not look THAT DIFFERENT, lol  
(The picture is rubbish and I will not post it, lol but take my word for it!)

But I honestly don't tend to look the same in any pictures and since I color my hair as a hobby, I do tend to look different everyday. (As you may have noticed on here.)

Next common question: "Where's your husband?" 

I don't get offended anymore when people (men) ask. I guess for some people (men) it's tough to imagine a woman traveling that much?

Another really common question I hear is: "What are you doing here?" or "How did you get here?" People seemed surprised that anyone would visit their region or even their countries. Usually I answer pretty straightforward, by telling them a plane or a train or a bus or whatever. I always run into people who have never left their own countries and cannot image anyone coming all the way from America to see their area.  Travel really is a mindset as much as anything else. 

Leaving Rotterdam, Norway a youngish train attendant was talking to me about which route was best to take to get to the port and seemed to be caught off guard by me returning to America via a ship. "How long does it take? It takes 6 months, right?!" ​
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Funny but a lot of people still seem to think it takes months to cross the sea.
​ #WTF?!

Another common question I hear is: "Is Trump for real?"
It is usually asked by everyone who sees my American passport.

Another common question or actual statement I hear often in England is:
 "There is nothing older than 200 years in America! Nothing there to see so you come to Europe!"
Ugh! I usually just smile at this and walk away, because its not my job to educate people.

This is Chaco Canyon in New Mexico it was occupied from around 800A.D., to the 1,200s. There are plenty of Native American sites across America that are even older. 

What are you often asked when you travel? I'd love to hear so leave me a comment below.

See you at the airport!

I haven’t really spoken about Harvey. As some of you know I am from Texas, (United States) and while Texas is a large state - roughly the size of France actually, it's all connected.  Many nice people have asked if I was affected by this massive storm and if it hit close to my home or family. The short answer is yes. It hit close and the rains following the hurricane devastated “my part of Texas”. 

What Happened:
More than six million Americans endured more than 30 inches of rain as Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas coast. The storm set historic records for rainfall in the United States, dumping 33 trillion gallons of water as it made landfall. According to the Red Cross, rain flooded an area in Texas roughly the size of Michigan, and nearly 52 inches of rain fell in Mont Belvieu (a suburb east of Houston), making it the highest total rainfall of any storm in the country’s history.

Harvey displaced 1 million people—early estimates suggest nearly 43,000 headed to shelters, while NPR reported 7,500 people evacuated to Texas State Parks. A Reuters assessment believes 30,000 homes were flooded, resulting in approximately $23 billion in property damage, though experts agree the full environmental impact is still unknown. That’s not a typo that's a BILLION with a B and  although the storm is over, the recovery has just begun. 

I grew up spending summers on the gulf coast. My friends and family still live in the area. It was difficult to watch all of this and almost impossible to not to rush right in afterwards. I’m actually going to Texas in a few weeks to help as much as I can. I promise to blog/video the entire trip. 

What I’m Doing To Help:
I’m going to be dropping off a donation and lending a hand where it’s needed. If you want to help too I have added a 10 page Hurricane Preparedness Guide to this site. This report includes a 5 page Emergency Supplies Checklist. The whole report and the checklist are only $2.99 with the proceeds, after paypal fees, going towards Harvey relief. No matter where you live disasters happen and it pays to be prepared - so buy the report to learn how to protect your family and know that the money is going to a good cause. 

See you at the airport~

Is this you too? Are you ready for Halloween, cooler temps and fuzzy sweaters? I must admit, there is a part of me that loves the cool crisp air that comes along with the autumn season. I want to be able to enjoy my pumpkin flavored decaffeinated beverages without breaking a sweat. Not to mention, I have recently purged/donated 4 XXL trash bags worth of old summer/spring clothes - part of my 'out with the old and in with the new'  challenge.  So I’m Uber excited to wear all my new fall purchases. 
Whose with me? Let's grab those sweaters, long socks and new boots!
#FAIL Sadly it was 89' here today...
But the weather here in New Mexico is unpredictable, so who knows what next week will be like?  In the meantime check out what I happened on in the market today.

That's right! The Halloween decorations are going up! And actually all things Thanksgiving/Turkey Madness was also being arranged on the next shelf....OMG! Holiday's here we come! 

I did my part and bought organic pumpkin. I actually am NOT that crazy about pumpkin, I can take it or leave it. I like one good piece of pie or one good cup of pumpkin spiced coffee a season. But figure I might as well get with the program and grab some now, before it's all gone.

This has been a crazy week. I had planned to jump on a plane this weekend and go to south Texas, but it just didn't work out. I should be going before the months out- I need to see for myself the damage and also check on things.  

​I promise to post pictures as I make my way there and of the area. My family is fine and most of my friends were spared the worst of it, except those in Houston.  It's such a tragedy, but I know almost everyone will rebuild. Texans are strong and very loyal. 

Here's to hoping for a good September, no matter what you are facing or where you are in the world.

And all the Alien Craziness that is Roswell. Don't get me wrong, I love it or I would not stop there so often, lol. So we spent the morning roaming around Roswell taking pictures and buying Alien T-shirts, lol.

 Roswell ~ is a quirky town, but well worth a visit if you are in the area.
Err, actually this was my 3rd visit  in 2016. 

The Roswell Daily Record (From Wiki) This is what started all the UFO craze for this sleepy little town.

After spending a day taking silly alien photos, I got serious and drove on into ABQ. The weather was amazing and it was a perfect day for a road trip.