Life has been moving very, very quickly the past two months in ways that are not at all visible from the outside. I’ve been putting together the next year of my life one tiny piece at a time – meaning, I’ve been meticulously planning a new life of Slow Travel – within very strict parameters and with seriously high stakes. I really love the research and development part of a new adventure, so this has been my idea of a very good time. In that Type 2 intellectual, stress headache often not really sleeping sort of way. It’s like putting together a very complicated 3D puzzle and some of the pieces are hidden behind doors that require a secret password that I have to go on a scavenger hunt to find a hint as to what they might be. I’ve been shuffling dates and locations and dollars and learning about Schengen area rules and expat health insurance and debit cards that refund overseas ATM fees but require a prodigious amount of paperwork and proof of existence to even apply for. Proof I don’t seem to have? Like a mortgage or a utility bill or mail sent to me by the government within the past two months. Serious gatekeeping here!

When I make a promise, even (and especially) to myself, I do my best to keep it. So based on the heart to soul conversation I had with myself in my tent up in Wisconsin, I really am heading off to see more of this gloriously diverse planet while I still can! This coming year, God willing and the world doesn’t implode, I’ll be spending time in Albania, Morocco, Tunesia and Sweden. All places I’ve never been. Two of which I had barely heard the names of and couldn’t find on a map before the trip planning started. Different pulls to different places. One giant gap in the middle that I have yet to fill with anything but hope. I’m planning on keeping up with my blog as I go, so stay tuned for stories and pictures from different sorts of roads!

Right now I am very short on pictures. In my head or on my camera roll. What I have at this stage are plans – and reservations! So many reservations – of both kinds. I have a plane ticket booked for the 23rd of September. One week and one day from right now I plan to be on a plane which will (God willing) fly across the Atlantic Ocean land me in Southall, London, England. I will spend two days and two nights recovering from jet lag and “oh dear, what have I gotten myself into this time” shock – in the cheapest hotel I could find that is within walking distance of a restaurant with takeout Lamb Saag (greens and protein!) That’s meant to be the soft landing. The UK is an English speaking country and I’ll be able to read the signs and communicate with the cabby. I know words like pound and pence and I’m not planning on driving myself anywhere so the whole “which side of the road” thing is somebody else’s problem. I’m expecting to be exhausted after 18+ hours of travel with my mask on, trying to stay hydrated and awake the whole time. Books in my Kindle, games on my phone, snacks in my bag, sippy cup with retractable straw – I’m prepping like I’m a cranky toddler – haha.

By Saturday evening (if all goes well) I’ll be landing at the Mother Teresa International Airport in Tirana, the capital of Albania, at 6:05pm. Fun fact: Mother Teresa is Albanian. Albania is north of Greece and east of the boot heel of Italy. Fun fact: the studio apartment I’ve rented for the month is a 3 hour drive away – in a little mountain town called Corovode, population 4000. A river runs through it and it’s a gateway to “the Grand Canyon of Albania” – the Osumi Canyon. Apparently once I clear customs and collect my luggage I can just walk out to the yellow taxi line and find a cab who will drive me to my door for 14,000 Lek. I’ve never seen or heard of a Lek, but that’s what magically pops out of the ATM machines in Albania. To put that in perspective, my monthly budget is around 40,000 Lek. Good thing the return taxi will be on the next month’s budget! It’s going to be dark, I’ve gotten 3 different versions of where the apartment is from my Airbnb host, it’s unlikely that my taxi driver and I will have a language in common. So this is where the “real adventure” begins!

Meanwhile, back in Delmar, NY I have a big box of books – my Free Range Rodeo (Long Ride) memoir – that I originally ordered to sell from the Mustard Seed. I honestly don’t want to leave them all here in a box at my folks’ place. I’d really love to sell them before I leave on this big adventure. I have about 2 dozen books available and if you want a copy, or want to support my adventures and writing, or want to buy one as a gift, or any other reason you can think of, this is your last chance to get a book directly from me! Begging, not begging, 24 books looking for good homes in the next week. Autographed and personalized – the last 2 dozen books I’ll likely ever sell this way. If you do want one, $20 and your mailing address is all I need. If you want to add a little for postage or travel grace, huzzah – but not required. You can text me at: (518) 336-5596 or email me at: Sea@freerangerodeo.com – my Venmo is @FreeRangeRodeo and my Zelle is my phone #. I’m trying to make this as easy as possible! If you’d rather use PayPal it’s: freerangerodeo@gmail.com Tuesday the 22nd is my last trip to the Post Office – but maybe not wait until the very last minute?

One other ask in book world: apart from buying, reading and telling your friends about the book (suggesting it to your book club maybe?) the single most helpful thing you can do is to write a review – on Amazon, on Barnes and Noble, on GoodReads – on all of the above – but Especially on Amazon if you can. I have 9 reviews so far – and each one feels like a giant boost of encouragement and love. From what I understand, at 10 reviews, Free Range Rodeo starts becoming eligible for promotional placement. At 25 reviews it starts to show up in “customers also bought” and at 100 reviews it starts to drive “organic growth” – and I’m all about organic!