myretroperspective

Remember last night when I mentioned I was a little nervous about the ice maker in the fridge?  Well, my worst fears came true last night.  Not only was the fridge not making ice, but the temps were creeping upwards.  Along about 10:00 pm, I emptied most of the food from the freezer that I had been stockpiling for my journey and took them up to the bunkhouse freezer section of that refrigerator.  I’m sure glad I did.  By this morning the freezer was at 50* and the fridge part was at 70*. I’ll be doing battle with Samsung once again.  It is almost two years ago that the same thing happened to me while I was traveling.  At least this time, I’m at a place where I could move my freezer contents to a safe place.  I called Samsung this morning, and they are supposedly finding someone to repair it.  Of course it will take up to 2 days for them to get a hold of me to set up an appointment.  If I receive no contact, I’m to call Samsung back....

Sometimes living in a different country you forget that some of the very odd and different things around you are in fact...odd and different, they instead become a 'new norm' of sorts. So here are a few things that when I first came to Korea seemed odd but now are overlooked. .being treated differently because we are foreigners. Now, this isn't always a bad thing and I really can't complain about ever being treated badly because we're foreigners. And every once in awhile, we'll get a special treat only available to us. Like at a local Italian restaurant, we get free drinks on certain nights with the purchase of a meal. How this is allowed and the restaurant doesn't get in trouble for being discriminatory...I have no idea but you won't hear me complain about it. Pass the wine please.  .there are...ahem... different snack options at the local convenience stores. I don't know about you but when I'm hungry and we stop for food, I'll choose the ch...

There was fog when I woke up this morning, but the power of the sun with no clouds in the sky soon burned it off.  Hot dog!  I hung out a load of laundry, and then got ready to greet my morning visitors. Bridget and John of Travels of John and Bridget….and Fred , finished their camp host volunteer assignment in North Dakota and stopped by for a visit while spending some time in Detroit Lakes.  What a beautiful morning we had for a tour of the refuge. My friend, the young bald eagle, was perched as if on cue by the Chippewa Picnic Area.  I parked the refuge truck, and we were able to walk right under its favorite perch without it spooking off.  It only screamed at us a few times.  We even witnessed a small kettle of northern harriers catching a thermal to spiral up over the Otter Tail River so they could attain altitude to continue their migration south.  It was a stellar morning to be out and about.  We could hear the far off guns of the...

Right now we're saying goodbye to Tokyo and Jeremy's family and getting ready to head back to Korea. It's been such a great trip with his family seeing as how Jeremy and I dated long distance until our wedding and then moved across the world four months after that. So it's safe to say it's been nice to spend some time and actually get to know my extended family a little bit better.  Today I have the ever so lovely Dee from  Deecoded  filling in for me today. She's talking about her trip to a beautiful spot in the Philippines. We've only visited this country once but it's one that once you see it's simplistic beauty, you can't help but want to hop on the next plane out! Don't believe me? Keep reading. -------------------- Hi there, Lost in Travels readers! I am Dee and I blog over at Deecoded . Like Chelsea, I like to travel too, and I thought I'd share one about one of my travel experiences in my own country, the Philippines. Now most p...

I had my scissors ready for cutting this morning as I headed for work.  Last Monday, during the rain, I spent the morning finding good pictures on the internet of 10 different bird species.  The Tamarac Fall Festival will be happening about a week after I leave here, but one of the activities for visitors will be to learn to identify these ten species.  After Janice, the volunteer coordinator, printed my found pictures off, it was my job today to cut all their silhouettes out and then laminate them.  They’ll be posted in trees and grasses at the festival site.  Visitors will be given a pair of binoculars and asked to find these breeding birds of Tamarac at one of the activity stations. After I got them all cut out, Janice gave me a run through on how to operate this large laminator.  Most of the laminators I’ve used at other refuges have been little desk top models that are quite easy to use. One of the challenges of using this bigger model is its l...

I was off early this morning to get the new tires on the toad.  I only had to wait about an hour or so, and I was back in business. One of the forecasts I read said it would be bright and sunny today.  So much for the weather guessers.  This is Balsam Lake that is a pretty good size, and you can normally see the treed far shore.  I took care of several other chores in town, and then headed back home. By the time I got back, it was noon and those sunny skies surely hadn’t shown up yet.  Believe it or not, there are five trumpeter swans and a couple of ducks on this pond.  They’re hard to see, but they’re there just right of center. Can you see the visitors center and headquarters through the fog where I was watering the sod last weekend?  I kind of enjoyed this softer view of the refuge. About a week ago, while I was out checking signs for painting, I came upon some trash at one of the boat launches.  It seems some boaters left a six ...

Dear Seoul,   I'm such a sap but every time we leave you, I well up a little bit. Seriously. I'm not sure what it is but I've grown attached to the city and I can't wait to call you home this spring (more on that announcement later, I promise).   Dear Spring,   hurry up.  Dear Shoe Shopping, I don't think I've ever hated you so much as when I have to go with my husband. But I think that's only because the prices here are sometimes twice as much in the states, there's no discount shoe stores, and we are only guaranteed to find 'large sizes' (aka anything over a US size 10) in one area of Seoul and most of the time they are sold out. Dear Rant, I'm now finished. I realize this is only a small annoyance in comparison to all of the positives to living in this country. Dear Readers, I know I've been quieter than usual in social media this week. I'm spending some time away from the computer as much as I can to enjoy time with family and ...

Paris is definitely the place for inspiration and fashionable creativity. It's also the place for an amazing photo shoot with the luxurious Shangrila Paris Hotel's $30,000 a night suite highlighting the best landmarks of Paris in the distance... and Cafe Marly to add extra hauteness to the equation.  My French Fashion Photographer Stephane Mounet is absolutely amazing; and my dear friend Fashion Designer Kate Mack made it all come alive!

The original Chanel boutique on Rue Cambon in Paris is a must-visit for the girls who love all things CoCo! While in Paris, my hotel was right next door and that made it all the more inviting to stop into the boutique to browse the collection. Once I hit the street out front; I was inspire to get some photos wearing a scarf dress that I found in a boutique in Atlanta, while carrying my favorite Chanel tote and wearing the Chanel J12! 

When it comes to travel, I always op for colors that pop! I'm trying hard to stay away from black so much, therefore, when I add color; I add something HAUTE! I found this little blue dress and wore it to dinner, while jetting from one place to another in Paris. It's stretchy fabric makes it easy to pack... and pull out when I need something that doesn't require ironing or steaming.

Some rain, some brisk winds, and overcast skies have prevailed for the last five days.  Makes for pretty boring days here.  I worked on the computer for the refuge on Monday, and then spent the last two days doing not much of anything.  It’s a string of days like this that makes me wonder why I write this blog.  There’s really nothing interesting or exciting to report. In desperation early this evening, I decided to gather the trash and take it to the dumpster.  Exciting, right?  Well, when I pulled the garbage can out from underneath the sink, I noticed a puddle of water.  Nuts!  So I bent over to check the trap fittings under the kitchen sink.  One was wet, so I tried to tighten it.  I have always had trouble with that ‘Lefty-Loosey, Righty-Tighty’ thing.  Seeing as I was essentially standing up side down, of course I loosened it instead of tightening it.   You can guess what happened to that little leak.   ...

Hello! Right about now we're probably eating some fresh sushi, indulging in some Okonomiyaki drinking some Asahi and enjoying Japan with Jeremy's family...I can't complain. This is Jeremy and I's second time to Japan and we've loved this opportunity to explore the country a little more! So filling in for me today is the sweet Alex from  Our Lives Are An Open Blog . I love hearing from other expats and their transition to their new home. We all have such unique stories and perceptions and I feel that so much can be learned from each other about this experience. So whether you're moving to a new country, or just visiting a new place, I know that these lessons will come in handy! Go check out Alex's blog where she talks about life, love and the ever changing life of an expat.  ---------------- Aloha to all the lovely readers of Lost in Travels! I am so excited to be taking over Chelsea's piece of the web while she is off exploring for the week. My husband ...