Friday, August 21, 2020

Playing Plans by Ear

September is now within sight.  It seems unusual for us to not have any plans for the upcoming winter.  In recent years, we've generally had air tickets and accommodation completely arranged by this time of the year. For example, this entry shows we had trans-Pacific air tickets before mid-May last year. 

I'm not worried in the least as we are profoundly flexible. We will not be in competition with the usual travel hordes as the whole world is all in the same boat, so to speak.  We will take what may. 

I did look back to our first year of early retirement.  In 2014, I finished working at BCIT during the last week of October. We had no definite plans for the winter at that point. In fact, it a while before we'd picked Puerto Vallarta, Mexico as our first winter destination.  Moreover, we were well into November before we found a rather last-minute place to rent.  Still, we successfully flew away for that winter on US Thanksgiving day.

Sunny Friday

Our time living in Mexico turned out as the perfect way to get used to spending five months in a warm place during Vancouver's dreary weather.  Winters in Egypt, Malaysia, Cambodia, Bali, and Sri Lanka have followed.

So planning for this winter can wait.  We will see what happens in the world because of COVID-19 and play it all by ear. As I said, we have the ultimate flexibility.



2010 Games (23) 3-D Printing (21) 5-Night Local Cruise (7) Adobe Premiere Elements (4) AI-generated images (102) AI-generated text (35) AirAsia (11) Alaska (6) Alaska Cruise 2001 (9) Alaska Cruise 2019 (14) Alaska Cruise 2022 (9) Alaska Cruise 2023 (11) Alaska Cruise 2024 (12) Alberta (14) AllegiantAir (9) almsgiving (4) alternate facts (2) Amazon (55) Amber Sky (2) American Somoa (1) Amsterdam (9) analog (13) Android TV Box (35) Apollo Ghost (7) Apple Inc (17) Aquatic and Community Centre (1) Arts and Literature (29) Aspire Z 24 (6) Australia (4) Bahrain (33) balcony (146) Bali 2018-19 (57) Bangladesh 2020 (10) Bathroom Reno (21) BBS (7) BC Ferries (17) BC-WA Road Trip 2013 (6) BCIT (334) beach (66) beer (64) Bella Coola Road Trip (11) Bellingham (28) Berlin (4) Białystok (4) bikes (17) biryani (20) Blaine Stayover (3) Bloedel (8) blog (1) blogging (241) bread (18) Bret (53) briefcase (6) British Columbia (210) Brunei (1) Buenos Aires 2022-23 (81) Bulk Barn (11) Burma (Myanmar) (17) Burnaby (2) Burnaby Lake (2) Cairo 2015 (4) Cambodia (20) camcorder (49) Canada (113) Canada Day (30) Canadian Superstore (84) Canon SX740 HS (1) Carnarvon Place (86) cars (66) Central Europe Trip 2024 (36) Central America 2011 (36) changes (1) China (9) China and Malaysia 2011 (26) Christmas (102) Christmas in Cancun (6) Class of 1977 (14) Cleveland Dam (1) Coastal Cruise 2006 (12) coco (1) coffee (13) Columbia Station (11) Columbia Station Noise Problem (7) Columbia Street (42) community gardens (8) Como Lake (1) complaints (95) computer (4) computer lab (21) computers (158) Coquitlam (2) Costco (17) Countries Visited (13) COVID-19 (107) Cozumel (1) credit card (12) cross-Canada (14) Cruise to Buenos Aires 2022 (19) Cruise to New Zealand 2017 (49) Cruise to Prince Rupert (8) Cruise to Rio 2023 (14) cruises (1) Cuba 2018 (12) dad (1) Deer Lake (1) dentist (10) Desert Southwest (23) Dictionary (2) digital camera (124) digital picture (41) dinosaurs (5) DNA (2) Don (24) drinks (28) driving (43) drone (7) drones (37) Duba 2023 (1) Dubai (70) Dubai 2020 Expo (3) dubai 2021 (29) Dubai 2022 (9) Dubai 2023 (8) Dubai 2024 (4) Duck Swap (60) Duolingo (3) e-scooter (2) early retirement (113) Ecoped (17) Electric Vehicles (29) email (57) errands (247) Eurotrip 2005 (31) Eurotrip 2007 (41) Eurotrip 2010 (40) EVO Car Share (5) fake news (2) false advertising (1) father (22) feelings (380) fiction (3) Fiji (2) file archives (30) fire (1) fireworks (13) Fitbit (6) flash memory (20) Flickr (307) Flickr slide show (31) Flipboard (9) flora and fauna (138) Florida (2) flying (100) food (305) Fraser River (133) futurecast (21) games (21) Gdańsk (1) glasses (24) Google (87) Google Earth (24) Google Home (41) government (66) GPS (36) grandmothers (12) Grouse Mountain (1) growler (4) hair (2) hair colour (1) Halloween (6) hard disk (14) hardware (52) Harrison Hot Springs (6) Hawaii (10) Hawaiian Shirts (11) HDTV (62) health (125) Hikkaduwa (1) Hollywood (4) Hong Kong (8) Horseshoe Bay (1) Hulu (10) humour (53) Hurghada 2015 (6) Hurghada 2016 (4) Hyack Parade (12) Hyundai KONA Electric (75) IKEA (15) In-front-of-series (6) India (27) Indonesia (10) Instagram (1) Internet (326) IP (24) Ipoh 2019 (3) Istanbul 2022 (6) Italy (21) Italy 2008 (23) jackfruit (10) Jay's Surgery (30) Joel (86) Juneau (1) Kenya (6) KIA Niro (7) kid's story (9) kitchen counters 2024 (5) Kiva (8) KL is ... (3) Krabi 2019 (3) Kraków (1) Kuala Lumpur 2019 (75) Kuala Lumpur 2020 (47) Kuwait (29) Langkawi (4) Laos (10) Las Vegas (28) Last Will and Testament (2) Laurie (37) Laurie's Visit 2024 (15) LED Strip (6) library (24) light bulbs (5) Linux (2) lists (33) living room furniture (8) London (8) Los Angeles (14) Lowe's (8) Luxor 2014 (7) Lynn Canyon (2) Machu Picchu (1) maintenance (139) Malacca 2019 (4) Malaysia (16) mattress (5) Mavic Mini (42) Mazatlan (51) Mediaplayer (29) Mediterranean Cruise 2017 (35) Metrotown (8) Mexican Cruise 2008 (14) Mexican Property (19) Mi band (26) Midjourney (7) Mini-Road Trip 2014 (8) Minuwangoda (41) money (218) monkeys (9) Moon Bugs (4) Moorebot Scout (2) Mother (9) motorcycles (18) mountains (33) movie musical (20) Movie Night (1) movies (194) MS Teams (2) Mt. Baker (12) Museum of the Future (2) music (80) musical theatre (10) My YouTube (56) MyEV (79) n (1) National Geographic (11) NE/Canada Cruise 2019 (3) Near East Trip 2014 (33) Near East Trip Planning (9) Nearby Neighbourhood Parks of 2020 (21) Nepal (10) Net apps (93) netbook (20) Netflix (25) New 7 Wonders of the World (1) New Caledonia (3) New Westminster (876) New York City (32) New Zealand (8) NewWest filming (12) NH Trip (10) Niagara Falls (2) Nikon P900 (16) Nikon S9900 (21) Nile Cruise 2016 (4) Novus Internet (2) Nvidia Shield TV (9) NYC2005 (17) NYC2009 (10) Okanagan (27) OnePlus (12) Ooma (8) opinions (272) Our 10-Year Plan (14) our ashes trip (1) Our Cruise History (2) Our Sri Lanka 2021/22 (1) Ozempic (10) Panama 2018 (10) Pandora (7) paper (1) parade (6) Paris (12) park (2) Parks in the BC Lower Mainland (25) passport (10) Pattaya 2018 (13) Pattullo Bridge (29) PBS (15) peeps (2) Penang 2011 (5) Penang 2017-18 (88) Penang Thaipusam (2) Persian (1) pets (58) Photo Sphere (20) Phuket 2019 (5) Pier Park (94) Pier West (19) pig (8) Pinterest (30) Pinto (10) Pixel 5 (2) Pixel 7 Pro (3) Pixel Watch (17) podcasts (47) poem (1) Port Moody (2) Portland (15) Portland Pride 2009 (6) Prince Rupert (1) printers (14) privacy rights (12) PS3 (30) Puerto Vallarta (46) Puerto Vallarta & Guadalajara 2010 (24) Puerto Vallarta 2012 (8) Puerto Vallarta 2013 (8) Puerto Vallarta 2023 (12) PVR (14) QR Code (7) quarantine (10) Quay (30) Queen Victoria (14) Queen's Park (97) quotations (150) Qurna Market (7) Ranger (59) RC vehicles (9) relaxing (27) review (55) Riga (3) road trip (106) robovac (1) Royal City Mall (29) Royal City Star (10) Royal Columbian Hospital (4) RSS (22) Russia (2) San Francisco (19) sandals (12) Saudi Arabia (48) Scandinavian Cruise 2016 (24) scanned snapshots (18) sci-fi (23) science fiction (2) SE Asia 2013 (53) searching (16) Seattle (27) SF Pride 2018 (1) sharing (31) shaving (9) Siem Reap (11) Siem Reap 2018 (34) Sigiriya (7) Simcoe Park (3) SIN-BKK 2024 (20) Singapore (5) SkyTrain (45) smartphone (117) social networking (141) software (64) soursop (6) South Eastern Europe Trip 2025 (4) Southwest Road Trip (8) souvenirs (18) Sri Lanka (121) Sri Lanka 2004 (54) Sri Lanka 2006 (29) Sri Lanka 2009 (35) Sri Lanka 2012/13 (95) Sri Lanka 2019/20 (88) Sri Lanka 2021/22 (79) sri lanka 2023 (1) Sri Lanka 2023/24 (54) Sri Lankan food (90) Sri Lankan Property (20) staff (4) Stanley Park (5) stars (34) Strata BBQ (11) Street View (36) students (102) Summer Lovers (5) Sunapee (71) Surf Internet (13) Surrey (67) T&T Supermarket (18) tablets (54) Taipei (5) technology (113) TED (1) telephone (46) television (176) temple (32) Tesla (2) Təməsew̓txʷ (1) Thailand (19) Thanksgiving (13) the French Riviera 2023 (38) The Happiness Series (2) The Harbor Gameroom (16) the Maldives (1) The Wedding Weekend (6) the Wenas (29) Then and Now Images (3) thrift shop (26) Tile Trackers (3) Tim (73) Time Machine (2) Tipperary Park (53) to (1) tour (2) tourist shots (43) train (22) transit (62) travel planning (230) TRS-80 (6) Tulum (4) TuneIn (2) Tunis 2016 (6) Turkey (Country) (9) Vancouver (199) Vancouver Island (25) Vegas 2024 (5) Vietnam (9) Viking Passage Cruise 2022 (30) Villa Diletta (27) Vilnius (4) Walmart (61) Warsaw (10) Washington DC (16) weaather (1) weather (562) webcam (25) Week in Montreal 2019 (9) Weekend in Winnipeg 2022 (6) Window (1) Windows (63) winter 2014-15 (151) Winter 2015-16 (161) winter 2015-16 (planning) (17) Winter 2016-17 (planning) (16) winter 2017-18 (planning) (7) winter 2018-19 (152) winter 2018-19 (planning) (14) Winter 2019-20 (136) winter 2019-20 planning (11) winter 2020 (3) Winter 2020-2021 (159) winter 2020-21 planning (11) winter 2021-22 (113) winter 2021-22 planning (17) winter 2022 (2) winter 2022-23 (104) winter 2022-23 (planning) (9) winter 2023-24 (67) Winter 2023-24 (planning) (13) Winter 2024-25 (6) winter 2024-25 (planning) (15) World Vision (17) zip.ca (20)