Mighty Voyager Sabbatical? :)
19 Aug 2011 1 Comment
Hello readers, the Mighty Voyager is temporarily? on sabbatical. Hope to return with more adventures to write about.
I will leave you a partial quote from General MacArthur: “You do not grow old by having lived a certain number of years. You grow old by deserting your dreams.”
Enjoy the end of summer and look forward to a beautiful fall,
Terry
Thoughts on mid-life
29 Jul 2011 9 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: crisis, Life, mid-life, midlife, personal, poem, poetry
Okay, someone recently told me that I need to remember the purpose of my blog. And I agreed. The original intent was to share stories of living life more adventurously, and to inspire others to have more fun–especially those mid-life folks who somehow lost themselves while raising children and making a living.
But just when is midlife? Average life expectancy in the U.S. is 78. So the halfway point is 39. Coincidentally, in the year preceding a person’s 40th birthday is when many mid-lifers begin questioning the quality of their own lives. However, it seems to me that mid-life is not just one year or one number. There are three general periods of life: the young years, the middle years, and the later years.
If we divide 78 by three, we end up with three stages of 26 years each:
- 0-26 Young years
- 27-52 Middle years
- 53-78 and beyond: later years
So you’re saying to yourself, “27 is middle-aged?” Yes…if we divide these stages evenly. But we could look at it another way…
- 0-29 Young years
- 30-65 Middle years
- 66-78 and beyond: Later years
These numbers are presented merely to open a few eyes, when in fact, mid-life can be described as more of an attitude than a bunch of numbers. During mid-life, we gain an increasing awareness of our own mortality. We realize that someday we will not be on this Earth, at least not in the same form. We begin re-evaluating the decisions we made that created our current circumstances. Some parents, though they love their children, wonder why raising them was not as rewarding as once dreamt. We wonder why we never knew that relationships were complicated, sometimes hard work, and never like they describe in the fairy tales.
We wonder if there’s more to life than the jobs we tolerate– where we waste away for 40 hours a week just to make ends meet. We wonder if we had any impact in making the world a better place? What goals were reached? And for some, we wonder about an afterlife…is there one? And will we be punished for our mistakes in the afterlife?
I throw all of these questions out there to open a dialogue. I do not have the answers! Send me any thoughts you have about midlife, what it means to you, what concerns you have, or even if you think your life needs no re-evaluation whatsoever! Perhaps you are perfectly happy in the exact life you want and you have no worries about aging. If that is the case, I want to hear about it!
On a related note, I recently accepted a writing challenge. The challenge was to write a poem about mid-life in less than 30 minutes—no rules—no matter how messy or “unprofessional.” My result is below. Feel free to send me any of your thoughts in regular form or in the form of a poem.
Untitled
They call it a midlife crisis
I call it an awakening
A realization
That we are more than halfway to Death’s Door
And we have not yet lived.
Country Singer Keith Urban…Photos by Jasmine
26 Jul 2011 6 Comments
in Beyond Cape Ann, Contributors' Adventures, Photograpy Only Tags: country music, events, first concert, jake owen, jasmine, keith urban, Life, photography
Hi y’all. My niece Jasmine went to her very first concert recently. She saw country singer Keith Urban with guest Jake Owen. She loved it, and sat very close to the stage. I asked her to write something about it, but she is being shy…so here are her pictures! Look how close she got, and I must say, Keith Urban is a pretty good looking guy. Thank you for contributing your photos Jasmine!
Guest singer, Jake Owen…
This one is a bit blurry, of singer Jake Owen, but I thought it looked kind of neat.
and back to Keith…
A Weird & Winning Fishing Trip! Part 1
24 Jul 2011 11 Comments
in My Adventures, On Cape Ann, Uncategorized Tags: cod, family, fishing yankee fleet adam, gloucester, Life, red fish, travel
Yesterday I took my nephew Adam fishing aboard the Yankee Fleet in Gloucester, MA. Adam is turning 15 in a couple of weeks and he loves saltwater fishing, skiing, boating, hunting and just plain ole’ goofing around. The Yankee Fleet had a contest onboard to see who could catch the largest fish, and the winner would get $100 and a free trip. Guess who won? Adam! He caught an approximate 11 pound cod! Great job Adam!
The trip started at 7 AM under ominous skies, even though no rain was predicted until the afternoon…
As a matter of fact, even though its been hot as hell lately, the skies sometimes took on a strange ”wintery” look…
But the captain of our boat assured us that he would do his best to avoid the bad weather and he did avoid anything too scary. While on the water, we could hear the thunder in the distance and at one point the rain did catch up with us. But given how hot it was, it felt good. And the thick clouds kept us from getting burned to a crisp.
When we were far away from shore, the strangest thing happened. A beautiful brown spotted butterfly appeared out of nowhere. I could not get a picture of it because it would not stay in one spot for longer than a couple of seconds. We were about 20 miles offshore when the butterfly made its appearance. I have to assume it was onboard before we left, and just decided to leave its hiding spot sometime during the trip.
The picture is obviously not the butterfly I saw, but it is the closest thing I could find to what it looked like. I wanted to capture it to keep it from flying off the boat–away from a dry space, but before I could do anything, he flew away towards the open water. I hope he is okay.
The man next to me noticed the butterfly and my “worried” look about its flight and fate. He said, “Don’t feel bad, if the butterfly wanted to stay, he would have.” Sometimes I love simple truths.
Skies eventually cleared up, and we had to get fishing. I personally did not catch a thing that I could keep. I mean, it was either a fish that was too small or just not a good fish for eating. Plus I spent half my time taking pictures! But others caught legal size cod, haddock, pollock and red fish. In fact here is a ‘bug-eyed” red fish…
Well, we had a great day on the water. And Adam’s great day continued after we got to shore. He immediately took another (shorter) fishing trip in the harbor. The Yankee Fleet staff let him “cash in” his winning ticket on the spot. When I get braver, we’ll have to do an overnight trip. More about this trip in another post to come…thank you Yankee Fleet for a great day!
The start of Jasmine’s Journey
19 Jul 2011 7 Comments
in My Adventures, Uncategorized Tags: jasmine niece
Happy Birthday to my niece Jasmine who just turned 14 yesterday. She’s growing up fast, becoming more independent, and at the start to what I am sure will be a very adventurous life. In fact, I hope Jasmine will become a “junior” contributor to this blog, and perhaps write a short story about one of her adventures. She went to her first concert recently–Keith Urban! Jasmine, would you dare write about it for this blog and send a few pics?
Here’s a video and a few pics from her vacation in Gloucester, MA.
At Ravenswood: hiking and catching frogs
At Glazed, making pottery
First pedicure
At the Coolidge Reservation--big lawn
Both of us working hard
Ducktour with Uncle Paul in Boston
Ducktour, nice city view
Unglued
11 Jun 2011 6 Comments
in On Cape Ann, Uncategorized Tags: bad date, cosmopolitan, dating, Life, personal, relationships, super glue, superglue, white snake, whitesnake
Last night I made the mistake of accepting a last minute date, when I was exhausted and should have stayed home. But because I was having a good hair day, and I was already dressed I said yes and decided to make the best of it. I had a vision of myself living like the girls in Sex & the City, smoothly drinking my Cosmo, dressed in nice clothes, with my hair looking fabulous. Well somewhere between my first and second drink, things took a turn for the worse.
Two drinks of anything and I am generally done for the night, but these drinks hit me harder than most, probably because I was tired and had not eaten much all day. Luckily I was not driving. Let me share with you a few things I learned last night:
1. When you get home, never tell your date you have to check your email for something work related, and then fall asleep on the desk while checking your Facebook or surfing the web. It does not really give him the impression you’re interested. That also gives your date the opportunity to take pictures of you, while you’re asleep on your desk. This is the best of out of some pretty awful pictures!
2. Never spend two hours telling your date how much energy you have, and you are full of the joy of living, and then tell him “it’s late” and he should go home. First, check the time. It was 9 PM.
3. When your date finally does leave, and you suddenly get a second wind, don’t, do not, absolutely do not…play with Superglue especially after drinking. It cannot lead anywhere but to a very painful place. See video below so you may learn from my mistakes. Don’t even ask how this happened. If you can guess, and guess right (with the exception of those who already know), I will send you a Cape Ann tee shirt.
I actually superglued my fingers together at one point and could not answer my own phone. My apologies to my callers. More important, do you know how hard it is to scoop Pistachio ice cream when your fingers are glued together?
4. Lastly, never tell your date in your almost-drunken wisdom that “Whitesnake is the best rock band ever!” even if you believe it to be true. A comment like this can also only lead to a painful place. But, here’s a Whitensnake video link anyway…you be the judge. If your screen says the link below is disconnected, just click on the words ‘WATCH ON YOUTUBE‘ (below) and it should work.
4. Actually, the last thing I want to say is, sorry, sorry to my date. I guess I should not have said yes when I was tired and my mind was elsewhere.
Live and learn! Feel free to send me a short story on a disastrous date you had, or just a funny moment from one!
Biking, Mysteries and Memorials?
03 Jun 2011 9 Comments
in On Cape Ann, On Cape Ann, Uncategorized Tags: bike, biking, Life, mystery, personal, travel, writing
What do biking, mysteries and memorials have in common? Keep reading to find out! Early this morning I took my first bike ride of the ‘summertime.” It was absolutely beautiful, cool and windy, and very refreshing. Because I have not been biking since last year, I just did what I call the Lazy & Local Tour, stopping at Knowlton Park and Magnolia Beach.
- Sometimes you just have to get off your bike and enjoy the view.
Riding a coastal route is like no other ride, with seaside breezes, open views, and opportunities for picnics or naps along the way. But in the summertime when traffic is at its peak, your ride is best enjoyed at dawn! Yep, dawn. You could watch the sunrise and still get in a good hour or two ride before traffic gets obnoxious. If you’re interested in bike riding again, check out the new version of my Fun Ideas page to find links to biking clubs or suggested routes in the area.
When you have time available on your tour, you can get off your bike and walk the beaches. Who knows who you might meet, or what you might find? Look at these mysterious messages in the sands of Magnolia Beach.
Other messages were in the sand, but were illegible. Wonder what they said. Only the tide knows.
Waited for what?
messages this morning, and I guess that was good because the original messages were sad, like someone had lost all trust in someone they once believed in, and needed someone to talk to. But what were they waiting for? Was someone supposed to arrive at the beach at a certain time, but never did? Were they waiting for another person to change? 
Tribute to Friendship Part 1
01 Jun 2011 5 Comments
in Homeless Posts, Uncategorized Tags: friend, friendship, Life
Because I really enjoyed writing my previous entries about friends and friendship (Patio Pals, and My Adventurous Friend Kathleen), I am going to continue with my first ‘official’ tribute to friendship. I don’t think I would have made it this far in my life without my friends. They have brought me much joy, laughter, comfort, and they’re just darn good people. In fact, if they didn’t have good hearts we wouldn’t have been friends for so many years. Here’s to you guys!
Below is a short video from a few weeks ago when a few local friends came to see me.We hung out at my place for a bit, went to a fundraising event called the Taste of Magnolia, and out for a couple of drinks afterwards. I forgot my manners when they entered my apartment and I did not offer them a snack or drink. But thankfully my friend Paul S. raided my fridge and passed out drinks, cheese and crackers. He’s apparently a better hostess than me…
I love them but sometimes they are soooooooooooooooo immature…
It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter. (Marlene Dietrich)
And sometimes they are so cute and cuddly together…
And other times, you are glad when one of them drives 45 minutes to your place after not hearing from you for days, knocks on your door, and just wants to know if you are okay. (Hey, sometimes it takes me a while to return a call).
My closest friends have been in my life for years, and to them I say thank you, thank you for looking out for me, for laughing, singing and crying with me; putting up with my immaturity and peskiness; and for sharing life’s little moments.
Come back and read later about some other friends, some who live far away, some who I haven’t seen in years, but still remain in my heart. And of course, new friends–if you don’t start out as a new friend, you can’t become an old friend!
Kitchen Adventures: Braised Lamb Shanks
14 May 2011 8 Comments
in My Adventures, On Cape Ann, Recipes, Uncategorized Tags: braised lamb shanks, food, lamb, Life, recipe
Howdy! A nasty cold took the wind out of my sails last week, but I am feeling better so it’s time to get this blog up to date! Check out this pic of a lamb shank dinner I made recently for my friend GQ. The recipe is below, but best make it soon before it gets too hot to make this dish!
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound onions, sliced
- 5 large shallots, sliced (about 1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
- 6 3/4- to 1-pound lamb shanks
- all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups dry red wine
- 2 1/2 cups canned beef broth
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
Sprinkle lamb shanks with salt and pepper; coat lamb with flour. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Working in batches, all lamb shanks to skillet and cook until brown on both sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer lamb shanks to plate. Add 1 cup dry red wine to same skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour into Dutch oven with onion mixture. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups red wine, canned beef broth, tomato paste and 2 bay leaves to dutch oven. Bring to boil, stirring until tomato paste dissolves. Add lamb shanks, turning to coat with liquid.
Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lamb is almost tender, turning lamb shanks occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Uncover Dutch oven and boil until liquid is reduced to sauce consistency, stirring and turning lamb shanks occasionally, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Suggested side dishes: oven roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, sauteed green beans and garlic, mashed root veggies, Mediterranean orzo, Greek Salad, etc!
Let me know how yours turns out!
I need tickets!
28 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
in Homeless Posts, Uncategorized Tags: adele, boston, house of blues, rolling in the deep, tickets
Yes, this is a plea for tickets to the Adele show at the House of Blues in Boston. Not exactly my normal blog topic, but I really want to go to this concert. If you have tickets you want to sell, let me know. I am a huge fan!
ROLLING IN THE DEEP: A GREAT VIDEO AND SONG BY ADELE
I love the strength of her voice, the beat of the music, and the energy. Lyrics are below.
Click on the More button to see the lyrics.
Recent Comments