Veronica James's Blog, page 166

Clinging to the Cliffs of the Amalfi Coast of Italy

Italy has a long relationship with the sea, and nowhere is that connection more beautifully on display than the stretch of shoreline along the Sorrentine Peninsula’s Amalfi Coast.

This is the Italy of the international jet set, and after our impressive arrival we almost felt like a part of it…. CONTINUE READING >>

The Empty Nest Through a Husband’s Eyes

There is much more to beauty and allure than physical appearance. Years of shared experiences, and the comfort of complete compatibility, more than make up for any lost youth, no matter what these marketers splash across our screens.

As men, we see those images too, and have been persuaded — no, programmed — into thinking that we all want supermodels who think about nothing more than fun times and a lot of beer. Well, I have two things to say about that:

First… CONTINUE READING >>

Yellowstone – What a Gas Hole!

We had come to Wyoming to see the world’s first National Park.

Permanently set aside in 1872, Yellowstone is home to two-thirds of all the geysers in the world.

Superheated water gushes hundreds of feet into the air from some while others spout tiny bursts of steam.

In some spots, boiling springs and pools of sulfur-rich water dwell next to pits of bubbling…  CONTINUE READING >>

Enter to Win $50 of Gift Card Goodness and Celebrate Going Gypsy with us!

We’re excited to announce that our book Going Gypsy: One Couple’s Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All is available for pre-order!

As a matter of fact, we’re SO excited that we’re giving away 50 dollars of gift card goodness!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER TO WIN >>

We have a Winner! TravelCard – Never Let Your Phone Run out of Juice on the Fly!

Do you ever need a little boost?

We sure do!

What if you could get five hours of extra talk time on your phone from a charger that fits in your wallet?

Two lucky winners won a TravelCard Phone Charger from your very generous GypsyNesters!.. CONTINUE READING and see who won! >>

Street Food Eating our Way Through Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula

Across Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, we set out to sample as many street delicacies as possible and got off to a jumping start at a weekend street fair in Cancun.

In the Yucatán, many of the favorite foods can be traced back to Mayan times. In addition to building incredible cities, the Maya people grew… CONTINUE READING >>

Street Food of Mexico!

We binge ate our way through the Yucatan Peninsula – calorie count not included, for your guilt-free viewing pleasure… CONTINUE READING or enlarge video>>

Sumo Warriors: My Japanese Wrestling Education

Another fun post from our daughter, Charli, AKA The Piglet!

There’s a misconception that sumo wresting is just a couple fat dudes bashing into each other, but there’s actually a lot ritual, a lot of skill, and a lot of training that goes into those fat guys bashing into each other.

Sumo tournaments are held three times a year in Tokyo and I was lucky enough… CONTINUE READING >>

No, We Won’t Buy You a…

Our main goal as parents was to end up with happy, healthy, self-sufficient adults.

We can’t tell anyone how to do this — everyone’s different and Lord knows we made our share of mistakes along the way — but we can offer an insight that we’ve gained through our own offspring’s transitions from childhood to adulthood.

Don’t give kids everything they want, just everything they need.

A whole lot of what they want is stupid crap and… CONTINUE READING >>

The "Cottages" of Newport, Rhode island

It was called the Gilded Age, a time when robber barons built excessive tributes to their self-proclaimed awesomeness.

Newport was the epitome of this unbelievable excess, aptly dubbed Conspicuous Consumption.

In an effort to one-up each other with their “summer cottages” iconic American families of railroad, mining and steel fortunes, threw lavish parties for their pets, had notorious… CONTINUE READING >>