Lady Traveler's Lazy Days of Summer

Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending.

May you live all the days of your life happily.

Days of Summer
in my own backyard

Summer is here.

The days seem to fly by.

That is why we have to purpose to slow them down.

How?  By doing those special things that we love.

Reading.  Walking.  Writing. 

Having coffee with a neighbor.

Sharing a glass of wine with a friend.

Days of Summer
Traveling...
...this time to Paris 2014

Taking that long-awaited holiday, whether near or far.
Watching a favorite summer movie.
Inviting family over for a BBQ
(it's called grillin' here in the south)

Days of Summer
Playing...
...Surfside SC 2015

Wearing your favorite flip-flops
(mine come from Walmart).
Cotton tops.  White shorts.  Swimsuits
(come on, gals, forget about looking perfect, and
put that swimsuit on and enjoy every warm minute!)

Days of Summer
Flowers...
at our first home in South Carolina

Working in your garden.

Stopping to smell the roses.

Watch out for those bees.

We even have wasps, not to mention the mosquitos!

Days of Summer
Swimming...
...Tuscon, AZ 2016

Swimsuit. Check.

Sunscreen.  Check.

Sunglasses.  Check.

Beach towel.  Check!

Hello Beach!  

Hello swimming pool!

(in-ground or plastic)

Days of Summer
Biking...
Huntington Beach CA  2016


Summertime, and the livin' is easy...
Don't let it pass you by.

Well, Robinski and I hit the road next week,
so I'll be writing from Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

Until then ...

I wish you oceans of happy summer blessings!

You will show me the path of life;
in Your presence is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11

www.sharonleaf.com

Lady Traveler's Travel Tips wherever you may wander

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money,

Then take half the clothes and twice the money.

One of my favorite summer shirts you'll see in many of my RV travels
(Kentucky Lakes, Kentucky 2016)

There are hundreds of websites, U-tubes, and such
that focus on various travel topics.
but I thought I'd share a few of my own personal thoughts to make
packing a little more personal.
Today I'll write about wardrobe tips for your upcoming summer trips.

When packing clothing for a long or short trip,
take a look at what you packed, then cut it in half.
I promise you won't wear half of what you packed so no need to
add work to the process.
When there is climate changes involved, packing can be a bit more challenging.

A favorite t-shirt-- wash-N-wear items to throw in the washer-dryer in our 40' motor home
(Aspen, Colorado 2016)

We drove our motor home to California last September,
so shorts, a few of my favorite t-shirts, and my favorite pair of 'safe' sandals
were my priority wardrobe.
Fortunately, the weather was warm and beautiful on our 6,000 mile, 2-month journey.
(In colder weather I pack a sweater, a pair of jeans,
and a pair of boots incase the weather turns cool).

The most important thing to wear everywhere is your
SMILE!
Your smile will outshine anything you will wear.
So don't forget to pack it!

See? I wear the same t-shirts over and over and over.
 (in Zion, Utah)

My only piece of luggage when traveling international to warm countries such as
Belize and Costa Rica is my faithful backpack on wheels.
For cooler countries, such as Paris, London, or Scandinavia,
I roll everything in a carry-on, take a large purse, dress in layers,
carry my coat on the plane, and wear my boots.
Look for websites and u-tubes for packing information.

My very favorite shirt; I wear it everywhere.
I love Paris! (2014)

I wear and pack very little make-up.
I use facial wipes to cleanse face every night,
smear on lots of lotion, and drink gallons of water.
We love to eat at local restaurants in every town and country,
so I keep my Isagenix shakes and vitamins nearby to keep me on the straight and narrow.

I love Paris when I eat!
(Dreyer Island, SC)

So whether you love to travel,
enjoy watching TV travel programs,
or just enjoy reading about traveling on blogs, hopefully mine,
I'm happy to have you on board.

We'll soon be heading to the beach for two weeks.
I'm looking forward to relaxing days of reading, wRiting, walking, blogging,
eating, swimming, meeting new friends ... sound fun?
Please come along!
You can find more about my travels on my website
www.sharonleaf.com

A few more important tips:
#1: Before we leave our house, we call our local police department.
They'll drive by our house several times a day or night, at random times.
#2:  We contact our local post office to hold our mail.
#3:  We have a trustworthy neighbor that keeps an eye on our home.
Now, we're off to a great start!


You gave me life and showed me kindness,
and in your providence watched over my spirit.
Job 10:12

Whether you travel around the world or around your block,
I wish you oceans of travel blessings!

Lady travels across America, one state at a time ... Part 1

California, we're coming ... after we stop in Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Utah!

My bionic knee is well enough,
so I'm taking my E-ped bike to California!
August 2016

To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.

Happy September!

Let me begin by reminding you that

my iMac went kaput,

so there won't be many recent pictures on this blog.

But I'm still in good working order so

I shall write on Rob's laptop.

Finally, the day has arrived and we 

have hit the road to California.

We spent the first night at 

The Walmart Resort

in Cookville, Tennessee.

Such entertainment at that place!

Sunset at Kentucky Lake

Day two we arrived at the KOA 

Kentucky Lake campground.

Oh, so beautiful and peaceful.

AND a large swimming pool

all to myself.

I've already swam twice 

(my bionic knee is rejoicing!)

and I'm getting ready to trek over in about an hour.

Poolside at Kentucky Lake campground

We will head for Springfield, MO tomorrow

where we'll spend a week visiting

with our son, Shawn,

and his beautiful wife of 20 years,

Frances Watson,

journalist and anchor for

ABC news, Springfield MO.

Yes, we are very proud of her.

This is a short blog.

Don't sound so happy.

I shall return,

and hopefully I can figure out 

how to post the pictures from my iPhone.

Until next time ...

Light is sweet and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

However, many years a man may live,

let him enjoy them all.

Ecclesiastes 11:7-8

www.sharonleaf.com

Travelin' north to North Carolina

Joys come from simple and natural things; mists over meadows,

sunlight on leaves, the path of the moon over water,
water fights with the family.

Aiming at my granddaughter!

We laughed so hard we cried!
(Granddaughter Destinee)

I apologize for my absence from Lady Traveler,

But hey! it's summer!   

I'll make this short and to the point because

 I'm having a wonderful fun-filled summer.

I'm not taking much time to sit in my office

at my desk on my iMac.  My choice.  No guilt.

Instead, I'm spending an hour a day at the clubhouse pool

getting in my hour swim.

No lounging because I get enough sun swimming; 

the sun's reflection doubles my tan

so I make sure I put 70Block on my face). 

Sun block and an umbrella

 I'm also volunteering a few hours a week at our church office, going to visit Gi-Gi (Rob's Mom),

assisting Rob in business matters,

writing, and going on fun outings with family and friends.

Road trip vehicle, Rob's baby.
Ford Edge Sport with paddle shifters & 22" rims

We'll be taking a road trip to Winston-Salem, NC this week-end

to see our daughter.

We haven't seen her or her hubby in a year

so we're looking forward to our reunion.

In the midst of our sunny summer, lets take time to pray

 for those who are going through hard times, for our country, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  

Shout and sing for joy, you people of Jerusalem,

because the Holy One of Israel does great things before your eyes.

Isaiah 12:6 NCV

I wish you smooth summer sailing and oceans of blessings!

www.sharonleaf.com

Summer's Past, and Summers Past

Flying to Belize

One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach.
One can collect only a few,
and they are more beautiful if they are few.

I usually travel during the summer, but this year I told Rob that I wanted to hang around Leaf's Lake House and relax.  I made a commitment to myself that I would spend August relaxing, reading, wRiting, and swimming.  And of course visiting Rob's mother who has been in the hospital, now in physical therapy, soon to be admitted to a nursing home.  Through it all, she keeps her sense of humor and love for God.  But now that summer is winding down, I'm feeling a little sad because I've enjoyed these past weeks so much.

The weather here in the south has been unpredictable with more rain, clouds, thunder, lightning than usual.  But each time I'd glide into the swimming pool, I would look up--eyes protected with UV sunglasses--into the cloud-filled sky to find the sun shining through, right over the pool.  Smiling, I continued lapping.  One afternoon there came a cloudburst, but no thunder and lightning.  Swimming in the rain with my sunglasses protecting my eyes from the pounding rain felt like a delightful outdoor shower.  My summer of tenacity voted me Esther Williams of Golden Hills.  Like I always say, it's never too late!  Sixty-four-year-old Diana Nyad can vouch for that! (she just completed swimming from Cuba to Florida!)

Summer is winding down, but I'm feeling invigorated as Autumn breezes slowly approach.  I will replace swimming with long walks and SaSuBe dance classes.

A Tip to all of you out there in Lady Leaf Land:  take care of your body, soul and spirit.  You'll feel--and look--much better when you do.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

We're I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.

Psalm 139:17-18

I wish you smooth sailing through Fall and oceans of blessings!

Brother's house in Zion

Ahh, Zion National Park

U.S. Whitewater Center
Charlotte, NC

www.sharonleaf.com

Lady Leaf the Traveler Is A WINNER!

Lighthouse on Tybee Island, SC

I'm thrilled to announced that I'm the winner of My Gutsy Story contest for July!  It was a close call because all five stories were inspiring and gutsy.  I want to thank all of you who voted for my story, "I Sailed the Seven Seas on a WWII ship and Lived to Tell About It."  I pray that this story will encourage readers to find faith for those forgotten dreams, whatever that dream may be.

I admit that I don't spend a lot of time marketing my book, Lady and the Sea.  I have a hard time sitting at my iMac for too long.  I was diagnosed last week with arthritis so I need to keep the old body moving as often as possible (thank the Lord for swimming and my SaSuBe class!).  So Lady has been mostly word of mouth, book signings, and speaking engagements.  I'm always delighted when someone tells me they found my book in their local book store. *smile*

Go to the link below to read my winning announcement from author Sonia Marsh.

www.soniamarsh.com

Our road will be smooth and untroubled no matter what care life may send; 

if we travel the pathway together, and walk side by side with a friend.

I wish you smooth sailing and oceans of blessings on this rainy day in South Carolina

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, 

binding yourselves together with peace. 

Ephesians 4:3

 www.sharonleaf.com