Travels with Tam

EARTH DAY: REVOLUTION

April 21, 2015 By Tam Warner 19 Comments

We don’t think about it every day, but let’s think about this on Earth Day: our planet is in ICU, in critical condition. Watch REVOLUTION, a film by Rob Stewart, which explores the dire consequences the human race will face in the next 40 years. REVOLUTION follows up Rob Stewart’s first film in 2007, SHARKWATER, which brought attention to the fact that shark species had declined by 90%.

Revolution is a feature documentary about opening your eyes, changing the world and fighting for something. A true life adventure following director Rob Stewart in the follow up to his hit Sharkwater, Revolution is an epic adventure into the evolution of life on earth and the revolution to save us. Discovering that there’s more in jeopardy than sharks, Stewart uncovers a grave secret threatening our own survival as a species, and embarks on a life-threatening adventure through 4 years and 15 countries into the greatest battle ever waged. Bringing you some of the most incredible wildlife spectacles ever recorded, audiences are brought face to face with sharks and cuddly lemurs…the journey reveals a massive opportunity, as activists and individuals all over the world are winning the battle to save the ecosystems we depend on for survival. Presenting the most important information on human survival and inspiring people all over the world to fight for life, Revolution is essential viewing for everyone. Startling, beautiful, and provocative, Revolution inspires audiences across the globe to join the biggest movement in history that’s rising to the challenge of saving our world. Revolution premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and has already gone on to win ten awards, including the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Atlantic Film Festival, Most Popular Environmental Film Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Victoria Film Festival and the Social Justice Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Celebrate the Earth by watching REVOLUTION for less than $5.00. Find out what YOU can do…we have to do something, and soon.

Amazing Women Wednesday: Veronica Stewart James…the Gypsynester!

April 14, 2015 By Tam Warner 18 Comments

I share this sentiment! (photo from gypsynester.com)

What is a gypsynester? You can learn the full answer to that question at www.gypsynester.com, but basically, it was a couple’s decision to sell everything they owned after their last chick flew the nest, and hit the road. And along the road, tell their story. I’ve long enjoyed their blog, and now they have a book, called Going Gypsy! Look above this blog, and you will find a link to it at Amazon! The book tells the story of this daredevil couple, but for Amazing Women Wednesday, let’s talk about Veronica, one half of the Going Gypsy equation.

Veronica’s story is not a typical one. Going from a 16 year old who left home, to a wide eyed bride at 19 (yes, to the same guy!), and a soon-to-be-hovering helicopter mom at 21 is not the progression one normally expects. To make it even more interesting, her husband, David, was a working musician from the time they met, until they sold up and took off in an old RV. You have to admit, their marriage has beaten the odds.

They had 3 children whom they affectionately refer to as the “spawn”, and David worked on the road, playing with a band, and in Nashville as a professional musician. Veronica worked odd jobs and raised children while David toured. While they were living in Nashville, Veronica had learned quite a bit about computers, and she started helping people here and there with her knowledge. She ended up building quite a successful SEO business. In the meantime, for various reasons (you’ll have to read the book!) David decided he wanted to get out of the professional Nashville musician scene, and after searching for a while, he found employment playing in St. Croix (US Virgin Islands). Veronica sold her business, and they moved the family to the island of St. Croix (told you they were not typical!) where David played at various clubs on the island, and Veronica worked at her children’s school as a volunteer.

The three Spawn grew up, and by the time the last fledgling (known as “the Boy”) flew to college, Veronica and David had that moment all future empty-nesters have: now what? They did not like what they saw on the internet….empty nest seemed to bring up maudlin people who mourned the loss of their little ones and waited around to get old and have grandchildren. They did not see this as a possible “next phase” of life. So they sold everything, and started to travel, and to try things they had never considered before. www.gypsynester.com started as a way to keep friends and family informed, but has turned into an award winning blog.

I don’t know about you, but I think this is a gutsy move! The Helicopter-Mom, a self confessed hovering craft, became a gypsy, with no permanent home, traveling and experiencing life, first in the USA, and now, all over the world. They have been everywhere, trying out different cultures and ways of life, and they just keep going! Veronica has been an inspiration to many women who wanted to do something different, but were afraid to. And now, a book!

Going Gypsy is their story, from their youthful meeting to their current travels. It is a marvelous read…both David and Veronica take turns narrating their story, and it is never dull! I highly recommend reading it…it may give you a few ideas!

Randy and I toyed with this idea, but when he became ill, we realized that living on the road would not be possible for him. We, and I, travel as much as we can, and enjoy following the adventures of this innovative couple.

Veronica is an Amazing Woman because she didn’t follow the normal path…she didn’t want to sit still, looking at empty bedrooms, and waiting for grandchildren. Instead, she went off on an adventure with her man, and she has blazed a trail for others seeking something different during midlife! Kudos, Veronica!

Amazing Women Wednesday: Jane Goodall

April 7, 2015 By Tam Warner 16 Comments

It occurs to me that perhaps the millennials and younger generations are unaware of the amazing women who blazed a trail for them. I’ve decided to include some historically amazing women in my Amazing Women Wednesday series, and who better to talk about than Jane Goodall?

Like Jacques Cousteau, Jane Goodall was a part of the baby boomer and Gen X generation because we saw her on television. Cousteau’s specials were about the sea, Jane Goodall’s television appearances were always amazing because she actually lived with her study subjects (chimpanzees), and because she was a woman. Born in 1934 in London, no one could have dreamed that she would become the most famous primatologist in the world. Especially when one considers she did not have a college degree when she went to Africa.

As a young woman of 23, she traveled to Africa where she met well known anthropologist Louis Leakey. Leakey and his wife had discovered the oldest human remains known, and those remains were found in Africa. This was a surprise to most people, who thought humans began in Europe, or perhaps Asia. Without DNA or any of our modern scientific methods, Leakey believed that humans were closely related to Chimpanzees, Orangutans, and Gorillas. He chose Jane Goodall as his protege, for many different reasons. Leakey thought that since she did not have an education in animal science, she would be more likely to record what she actually saw rather than what she thought she was looking for. He was also of the opinion that women were more patient than men, and studying these animals would require patience, and a lot of time. She began in 1960, in Gombe National Park, and planned to stay a few years studying chimps. Jane Goodall stayed with these groups of chimps for two decades, and her discoveries are still notable today.

It took tremendous time and patience, but after tracking and following the animals for long periods of time, they began to allow her to get closer and closer to them. She gave them names, and noticed their differing personalities and complex social structures. They even used tools and ate meat. In 1965 she became only the 8th person to achieve a doctorate from Cambridge University in England without an undergraduate degree. Photographers from NatGeo came to photograph her, and soon they were also doing television specials of Jane’s work and research with the different chimp families.

Animal Planet recently celebrated Jane’s 80th birthday *(in 2014) with an article giving 10 Reasons Why Everyone Should Love (Lady) Jane Goodall. You really should click on the link and get a better understanding of the difference this amazing woman has made to science, to our world, and to humankind. Be sure to visit the Jane Goodall Institute online at http://www.janegoodall.org/. Read her book, Reason for Hope, and look at her many other books. She remains a pioneer, and an advocate for hope in a world that seems destined to destroy itself. Jane still has hope we can turn things around.

“If all of us would go through our lives thinking about the little choices we make each day as to what we buy, what we eat, what we wear – and how those choices might impact the environment, might impact child slave labor in other countries, might impact cruelty towards animals, we start making small changes… Billions of small changes around the world can lead to the kind of change we need if we care about future generations.” – Jane Goodall (http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/jane-goodall/photos/jane-goodall-birthday/)

Amazing Women Wednesday is a series about Amazing Women in our world, who are changing our world, or want to change it. Please check out www.blogher.com (SheKnows Media) and PRI for other stories of women and women’s futures.

A Lesson about “Normal”

March 23, 2015 By Tam Warner 19 Comments

Normal is a very subjective word. What is normal for one person is certainly not normal for another. At midlife I am rediscovering some pretty simple truths: normality differs with each stage of life. As an infant, it is normal to be cared for, and normal to reach milestones while gaining physical capabilities and life skills: sitting up, eating, crawling, walking, riding a bike. It also appears to be normal for human beings to want to hurry….when you are a child, you want to be a teenager. When you are a teenager, you want to be 21. When you are 21, you want to be a real adult and lead the life you have imagined (which will probably not be the life you imagined at all). In your 20s, you probably want to fall in love, get married, and have children. This is the “normal” progression, at least within middle class America. The millennials have been called an unlucky generation because they are unlikely to achieve more than their parents did. If the economy continues down its current path, this generation will end up with much less, through no fault of their own. Millennials have been born into a changing world, and may actually have the greatest opportunity of all. Maybe they will change everything our generation wanted to change, but did not. Millennials may be able to change “the norm”.

Not long ago I heard someone in their 20s say, “we need to have a baby soon so we won’t be “old” parents and too old to have fun after our kids leave”. Whoa. That is putting the cart far out in front of the horse. Why not do all of the things you’ve dreamed of doing, but do it now, before you tie yourself down for the next 18 years plus with children and mortgages and bills that have to be paid? Enjoy your life! Why not have kids in your mid 30’s, even at 40? You want to have kids now so you can enjoy yourself later down the road? I have to tell you, there is fault in your reasoning.

How do I know this? I know this because I have lived through everything that you have lived through, and everything you want to live through. I’ve also lived through things you do not want to live through, but probably will have to. When you get to this side of life where your kids are raised and you supposedly can do what you want? Something usually screws it up. It could be money, health, death, divorce, or any other number of things. The time to have fun and live your dreams is on the front side of life. I always knew this fact, but my husband’s illness and near death has given me a sharp reminder, so I will share this wisdom with you (though you probably won’t listen because you think I am a fossil, even though I still feel vibrant and young).

First, how do you know you will live long enough to see your kids grow up? You don’t know. Half of people who marry in their twenties get divorced, so you might have to deal with ending a relationship, though I hope not. I’ve seen a lot of people get divorced, and it does not look fun… Put kids into the mix and it becomes ugly. It is normal for relationships to fail, and it is normal for them to succeed. It is just a fact of life.

There are harsh truths to face on this side of the life cycle. When you decide it is time to go have fun, your parents will become ill and they will die. You may need to help them financially. You will watch them become frail, you may lose them far before their time, and long before you are ready to be without them. Everything you build up, everything you gain as a striving adult…must be relinquished as one ages. It is just the way things are…it is normal. I lost my father when he was young. It never occurred to me that my husband could also get ill. I should have known better and remembered what the “real normal” was like, but Randy always seemed invincible. He has gone through a life changing illness, and it has changed everything in his life, in my life, and in our family’s life. This is not unexpected…but somehow, we just never expected it to happen. How could it possibly have happened? And yet, it has, and this is “normal”.

So when I say, do it now, I mean…do it now. Tell people you love them now. Spend time with those you love now. Learn to speak another language now. Walk your dog now. If you want to travel, travel now. Now is your time. You do not have a timetable you have to keep in order to be successful. There is no longer a playbook…so I suggest you write your own. Make your own timetable, and live the way you want to. Life changes quickly, so you have to adapt. I too, have to adapt. It’s normal.

My twenty-something children are both marrying this year. I hope they lead full, satisfying lives. I hope they find adventure and value and real worth. I hope they take time to enjoy one another, to look beyond their own worlds, to taste all sides of life, and to fulfill their dreams….but remember, there’s no rush. Luxuriate in the time you have, and that time is now.

Tomorrow is promised to no one…and that is normal.

Fab Photos Friday….sort of!

March 20, 2015 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

Oy, what a trip! We’ve seen dear friends, attended a fabulous charity event, and spent time with family…all while trying to fight off illness. Today I am sending Randy home by plane…he is becoming ill, and I don’t want to take any chances. Our son is getting married in 5 weeks….Randy must be well for that.

We were hopeful that 2015 was going to be a great year….but so far….NOT. Randy has spent most of the year so far ill. sigh. But, I am hopeful things will get better. Always look on the bright side of life!

Here are some views from the last two weeks:

Randy gave me his heart...in potato chip form. — Randy gave me his heart…in potato chip form.

Savannah's Leopold's Ice Cream! — Savannah’s Leopold’s Ice Cream!

View of Wrightsville Beach, NC from our friend's home — View of Wrightsville Beach, NC from our friend’s home

Being Irish for a Good Cause!

March 17, 2015 By Tam Warner 2 Comments

The Verizon Wireless Amphitheater was Shamrockin’ last weekend….Shamrockin’ for a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis! Our dear friends Murph and Nancy have been deeply involved in the event since its inception 7 years ago. And how it has grown! Randy and I have been trying for the last few years to get to Atlanta (Alpharetta) for the event, but Randy’s double lung transplant, recovery and illness has always gotten in the way. This year, however, we made it, and we are so glad we did! What a great evening of food, music, people, and fundraising for a good cause! Generosity filled the air, and Shamrockin’ for a Cure raised more money than ever before! As the Irish say,

“Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.”

Travel Adventures!

City Pass is the Best Way to Tour a City