View of the Valley from the Retreat
As you gathered from the last post, I’m off to Ecuador until December. When I get back you can look for posts on Deflation, Target Date Funds, Withdrawal Rates, running the rent v own numbers on some of the property I will have checked out in Ecuador and more on the possible Retreat/Gathering where, if you show up, we’ll get a chance to spend some time together.
Meanwhile if you just can’t wait, and you haven’t already, you can tune into my recent Interview and hear me now.
Should that not be enough, here’s some seriously cool stuff to help keep you amused until December:
One of the best things about our summer in South America was all the, mostly young, people we met on their own extended world journeys. Wonderful adventures spanning months and sometimes years. But not one single traveler had the United States on their itinerary. Some, I think, are intimidated. That’s too bad. I’ve traveled across damn near every state and these Americans are for the most part a friendly, open and welcoming bunch. But what really set me back were the people who said, “Well, there’s just not much to see in the USA.” Now that left me stunned. Not much to see??? Come along. Let’s Fly over America together for a look. It’s a little plane, so hang on!!
Pretty dramatic, eh? And just between us, they left out some of the best parts!!
Here’s some Americans having “Call Me Maybe” music fun. Wish I’d been there.
And here’s a guy sharing the love with his pet Cobra:
As it happens, I’m not afraid of snakes even if I’m not up for any Cobra kissing. But this guy sets me back:
http://englishrussia.com/2012/09/12/thrill-seeker-from-kiev/
He’d be right at home with these folks: This series of pictures will pucker ya right on up. If not, they’re still cool to view. Here’s one:
Let’s go around the world with a Brazilian beat.
Or we can run around the world with my pal Carlos.
Random Picture that Touched Me
100 Abandoned Houses in Detroit
Think you’d like to own one? Over 22,000 hit the auction block in October 2012. Minimum bid: $500. Nope, no zeros missing. Even then predictions are 10,000 will fail to sell.
These are not in Detroit, but still are haunting photos of houses in the process of returning to the wild.
Late November brings the Thanksgiving Holiday to the USA. It is a bad time for turkeys all across the country. But you can listen to one take a musical stand here:
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/05/11/egreetings/image/01.swf
Motivating French women to exercise:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=yEH4Yum4nN4
Here are some blogs that have been keeping me entertained and informed:
About 5 or 6 years ago, I was in Pie Town, New Mexico. I had driven over from Phoenix, Arizona where I’d been attending a conference to visit my pal Wolfgang who had a ranch six miles out-of-town. He flew in from Albuquerque putting his small plane down on the dirt strip he’d laid out on his land. Since I had a couple of days alone at the place before he arrived, I drove over for lunch in the Pie Town Cafe one afternoon. Pie Town is not much bigger today than in the photo above and a stranger in the local cafe still prompts curious stares. Eventually the cheerful, inquisitive waitress pried out what brought me to town and who I was there to see. Smiles all around and agreement my friend was their friend and a heck of a fellow to boot. Click on the caption under the photo for more shots circa 1940. Beginning about six down the shots are all Pie Town.
