July 2025
Travel has always been a way for me to shift gears when I either need to reset; to move on to a new era, a new project, or to practice self-care. In July, while I waited to retire, I took a long weekend to shake things up with a trip to New York City. This awe-inspiring trip of art immersion reignited my creativity. It reintroduced me to the lifetime of delayed possibilities now possible in retirement. This photo of me sitting and studying Michelle Obama’s portrait by Amy Sherald, was one of my trip’s many highlights, along with Sherald’s entire mindblowing exihibit. The absolute arc of my weekend in NYC however, was watching Alicia Keys Off-Broadway production, Hell’s Kitchen. I sobbed with joy throughout much of it. Her memorable songs broke me open. What a gift that trip was!
February 22, 2026
Writing retirement road trip reflections: From January 13th -February 19th, I took to the road in my Toyota Rav 4, packed with everything I may need while traveling across part of the southern United States in the middle of winter. I had emergency gear, charging systems, plenty of water, coffee, food, vitamins, clothing, shoes for all conditions, two books, my journal, laptop, 2026 planner, a large jar of dried lemon verbena tea from my garden to give out to my future hosts, and a variety of sleeping options should I need them.
My goal for this road trip: To take time to think and listen to my inner voice between destinations, to get clarity on how I wanted to design and prioritize my retired life when I returned, and to see a lot of family members and friends I hadn’t seen for quite a few years, while enjoying some of my favorite places and bucket list destinations.
How did it go? In the long list of my life’s dreams, it was another goal satisfied! Yet, like so many journeys, it was much, much more. The stillness of the open road was like nourishing compost, germinating a host of ideas and new projects. To learn more about my road trip, visit my social media pages and look for my Writing Retirement Road Trip vlog and more trip photos. For those ideas? Stay tuned!
As I wade in the memories, box of books, and the few memorabilia I returned with, along with the photo and video records of my trip, I am thrilled to be back to start this next era of my life!
Nepenthe sunset – Big Sur, California
Hauli Huvila – Finnish Camp – Reedley, California
Joshua Tree, California
Mission Xavier – Tucson, Arizona
Mural at Pearl entertainment district – San Antonio, Texas
Hotel Emma historical library – Open to hotel guests – San Antonio, Texas
Southfork bathroom – Dallas TV show – Parker, Texas
The Mighty Sagauro – Tucson, Arizona
Sunrise while leaving Tucson
_________________________________________________________________________________
Circa 2024. First post on this blog, but not my first blog post. For others see links on the right (coming soon). Every year on my birthday week in early November, I reignite my commitment to writing by taking myself on a retreat to hibernate without distractions. It might be Italy (very distracting, of course, but a pleasant view from the local stay can hold me for at least 5 hours a day), or Mount Madonna south of Santa Cruz, California, or many others. This year, as I count down the year to retirement from my day job, I upped my game and sought a writer’s conference. This meant I was ready to be vulnerable after a scarring experience at my first writer’s conference about 15 years ago, when I really did not know what I was doing. Today, I know better.
The only conference available during the week I was also was the Hampton Roads Writers (HRW) Conference near Norfolk, Virginia. Time to visit the east coast. It became the ideal experience to launch my journey to publishing in a warm, supportive environment among fellow writers and a few literary agents. I learned a lot, made some friends and treasured the connections between fellow writers.
Sadly, it was the last conference for HRW after an 18 year run. But fortunately, the other writer communities like The Muse Writers Center will live on in the Norfolk region.
My takeaway: There is nothing more affirming that you are not alone than when you surround yourself with like-minded, supportive peers, no matter what your interests or passions are. This is especially true if it has been a while since you have recommitted to a passion or you want to move to the next level to increase more soul satisfaction in your life. This was my intent, and the outcome was much more meaningful than I envisioned. Absolutely no regrets; only fire in my soul!
P.S. I am now on BlueSky and no longer on X.
Happy Trails,
Christina
