I have returned to Boston from my little junket down to Panama. It is official – I have established my residency in Panama. When I stated in my Facebook post that I was going to Panama on personal business, the business was to establish my residency and that was accomplished. I am now the owner of a shiny new, temporary residence card for Panama and the permanent one will be available in three or four months, at which time I will zip down to Panama again to pick it up. After that, I can stay in Panama as long as I like – or not! One of the attractive things to me about the residency visa in Panama is the simple fact that as long as I visit the country for a couple of weeks out of every two years, I will be able to maintain my residency. The other attractive thing about Panama is there is a way I can get a visa for my daughter, Jordan, should that need, or desire ever arise. A visa for her is a little more difficult than mine, but it is doable, nonetheless.

The process for getting my “Pensioners Visa” was simple and straightforward. The requirements are minimal. It requires a verifiable monthly income of at least $1,000 (which presumably most Social Security benefits would meet) and a clean FBI background check. That’s it! I worked with a law firm in Panama that I met through the International Living organization that I belong to. Their fee was $2,450. And while that might seem high, I assure you, it will make your life so much easier. They have been in the business of doing visas in Panama for years and they were a pleasure to work with. If anyone is interested, I can certainly provide their contact information.

For me, I just wanted to put an option in place should the need or desire ever arise to live somewhere other than the United States. I had originally set out for Portugal (and that could well be my next project) but there were some issues and requirements for going that route which made it not the best choice at this time. Panama was far easier. The way the world is going these days, I’m a great believer in having options.

Now, my impressions of Panama. First of all, the biggest challenge for me is simply the hot humid climate. It is, after all, in the tropics. It reminded me of when I was living in Hawaii but without the fairly constant trade winds. There are places in the country where the climate is a bit more temperate. There is a very large (about 5,000 people) expat community in the city of Boquete up in the mountains.  The town is only about 25,000 people so 20% of the population there are expats from various places – U.S., Canada, Europe, etc. I hope to visit the next time I’m in Panama but its about 300 miles from Panama City – either a long drive or a short flight to a nearby city.

Once you get used to the weather, it is very livable. The currency is the US dollar. Panama has their own coins which are equivalent to US coins, but they don’t even issue their own paper currency. If you go to an ATM, you get dollars out. If you go to the supermarket, you pay in US dollars and get change in US dollars. There is no currency exchange. Likewise, the power grid in Panama operates on 110 volts, 60 HZ just like in the US. They use the same plugs. If you can plug it in here, you can plug it in there.

In Panama City, the traffic is like in any large city and can get congested at times. It is certainly not a place to drive if you are a timid driver. And there are small motorcycles and scooters everywhere! That said, Uber is alive and well in Panama City and is efficient and reasonable. In addition, they had a nice security feature which I’ve not seen elsewhere. When you order an Uber on the app, you are not only told the make, model, and license plate of the car, but are also given a 4-digit PIN number. When the car arrives, you need to give the driver the 4-digit PIN. That way, the driver knows they have the correct passenger, and you know you have the right car. I thought that was pretty cool.

Taxis are available but they have a reputation for taking advantage of gringos who don’t speak Spanish. I did use a taxi once returning from the US Embassy, but I followed the rule – make sure you agree on the fare BEFORE you get in the car. My Spanish is minimal, but I was able to communicate enough with the driver to agree on the fare. I knew about what it should be because I had taken an Uber out to the Embassy. Once we agreed, the driver took me directly back to my hotel.

One can get by without Spanish in Panama City and probably in most resort areas but the more Spanish you know, the easier it will be. Like I said, my Spanish is minimal, but I got by just fine. However, I intend to continue to try to work on my Spanish (and my Portuguese and French!)  I know just enough to squeak by.

Everyone is always interested in the question, “Is it safe?” Panama City and the country, in general, are just like other places in the world – you just have to be street smart, know your surroundings, and understand there are places you don’t go. That is true in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and most major cities around the world. Panama is no different. The fact is, I walked around the neighborhoods where my hotel was located, and I never felt uncomfortable even walking up the street at night to go to a restaurant or an ice cream shop. And, trust me, as a 6’2” white guy, I did not blend in at all. I stuck out like a sore thumb, but I never felt uncomfortable.

Many North Americans retire to places like Panama and Costa Rica because the cost of living is less than in the US. International Living has stated many times that a couple can live quite nicely in Panama for $2,500/ month. I didn’t personally verify that, but I will simply pass along that I stayed in a nice hotel that had a very good restaurant and I paid $98/night – a varying sumptuous breakfast buffet included every day.

Panama is clearly a country in transition. They have some spectacular modern architecture and places where sidewalks are crumbling, and buildings are clearly old and in need of repair. Will things look and operate exactly as they do in the US – sometimes yes and sometimes no! You’re not in Kansas anymore!! But if you can adapt to the climate, it is certainly possible to live nicely.

Next time I’m in Panama I hope to visit an area up near the border with Costa Rica, Boca del Toro, which has become a resort hot spot. Crystal clear water, great scuba diving, beautiful beaches – sounds like its worth a look!!

I set out to create options for myself and my daughter and I have done that. Should the need or desire ever arise to live somewhere other than the United States for whatever reason, I have done that. Will I ever live in Panama full time? I don’t know. However, it is nice to have the option. And now I do. And I can put another pin on the map!

And speaking of new pins on the map, in about six weeks I am off again to a place I have never been. Stay tuned! This one is likely to be a real adventure!

Friday will mark two weeks since I first arrived in Boston. I am finally getting settled into my apartment. My furniture was delivered last Saturday, and I have finally got everything reassembled and almost all the cardboard out of my apartment. The Wi-Fi is operational, and the TVs are functional, so things are shaping up. I like the neighborhood and you can’t beat the view. I will never tire of looking at the boats in the harbor and watching the planes at Logan Airport across the harbor.

The biggest issue for me is the traffic and parking. I have ventured out with my car to a few places, and it seems like it is always an adventure. I lived in Los Angeles for about 40 years and have driven in many different countries, including a month in New Zealand driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, so I know I will adapt. The good thing for me it that I am not on a time schedule and can plan my trips at non-peak hours, so I just try to go with the flow. The most frustrating thing about Boston traffic is that the street layout is like someone threw a plate of spaghetti against the wall and deemed that to be the optimum city plan. Thank goodness for GPS!!

Parking is also a challenge – and expensive! Even in the garage below my apartment building, the spaces were not designed for ‘Montana sized vehicles’ and are quite tight. One gets a lot of practice backing into very tight spaces!!  My hat is off to all the truck drivers that operate in this city!! 

I intend to begin exploring the public transit system here. It isn’t as robust or extensive as the subway system in New York City, but I’ll give it a try. Like New York, as a senior citizen I am eligible for a discount card which I will obtain shortly. If I can take advantage of the public transit system for some of the places I need to go, I will.

I have been walking between three and five miles a day just for exercise and to explore. The fact is, almost everything I need is within a mile and a half walk. (Including the famous Mike’s Pastries in the North End!)  There are also tons of Blue Bikes (the city’s bike share program). There seem to be quite a few bike lanes and one of these days, I will get my bike out of storage and give that a try. Unlike many of the people I see riding around town, I always wear a helmet when I am on my bike and will certainly do so here!

Right now, the Northeast is under a ‘heat dome’ so we are experiencing record high temperatures. Today it’s supposed to get up to 95 and the humidity is about 70 percent!!  I am right on the harbor so there is usually a breeze to help mitigate this, but it is still hot and humid. I think the heat index today is going to get to 101 degrees. Needless to say, there won’t be a lot of outdoor activity for me today although I did go out for a walk first thing this morning!!  [ I clearly need a boat!!  :0)  )

Jordan is off today because it is Juneteenth which is a Federal holiday and MIT observes it. We will see what kind of mischief we can get into without having to spend too much time outside this afternoon!! 

I am leaving for Panama for two weeks next month, so I just look at all this heat and humidity as ‘training’ for that trip! It is only a 5 ½ hour flight from Boston, although I am connecting through Miami so it will take just a tad longer. I am looking forward to seeing what it is like. I am staying in a nice hotel for two weeks in the Punta Pacifica area of Panama City for the same price that I paid for three nights at a hotel here in Boston when I flew out here earlier this year to sign my lease. I’m always up for an adventure so we’ll see how things go in Panama. I will report on that trip next month. In the meantime, the exploration of Boston and New England continues!

This is the view from my apartment in Boston. Boston? How did I end up in Boston when I set off from Montana last fall headed for Portugal via Arizona? It’s a little bit of a complicated tale but the bottom line is that the timing to move to Portugal was not right and I felt like I needed to be closer to my daughter, Jordan, who lives in Boston – so here I am. This is why one should be very careful about using the word ‘never.’   I ‘never’ thought I would be living in Boston and yet, look what happened? Years ago, after believing I would ‘never’ live in New York City, I found myself living in the middle of Manhattan for several months. As I said, ‘never’ is a very dangerous word!

I was unable to sell my house in Bozeman last fall because of the high interest rates and because I got tied up in a contingency sale with a buyer who was unable to sell their house. Fast forward six months and the same buyer still wanted my house, was able to sell their house and made the same exact offer on my house they had made six months earlier, without the contingency.   I agreed and found myself facing a closing date of May 30^th. After closing, I embarked on a 2,600-mile drive to Boston after having shipped my stuff via two U-Haul boxes.

I have driven across the country to New York and Boston before so this time I decided to swing up through Canada and come back into the country at Niagara Falls since I had never seen it. I went through North Dakota and Minnesota and then headed north and crossed into Canada near Thunder Bay. I spent the next two and a half days driving the Trans-Canada highway (which is generally in excellent condition). I did run into some challenging weather – rain, fog, wind – from time to time but the scenery was great, including seeing a moose standing alongside the highway!

I stopped for one night in Niagara Falls and took the requisite pictures. I didn’t feel the need to take the boat ride down by the falls and, truth be told, I was tired of driving and wanting to get to Boston so wasn’t really interested in anything that would delay my onward journey. The falls are impressive for sure so I’m glad I checked that box!

I have not written off Portugal and who knows what the future holds but for right now, this is where I need to be. When I decided to make this move and leave Montana, I had a short list of ‘must haves’ for my new life in Boston. I wanted to be within walking distance of Jordan. I wanted to have a view of the water. And I wanted a neighborhood that was walkable. I found my current apartment in the Seaport area of Boston, and it checks all the boxes. I’m on the 19^th floor of a nice building and overlook the harbor which is just across the street. Across the harbor sits Boston Logan airport, and I can sit in my living room and ‘help’ the air traffic controllers with all the aircraft departures and arrivals.

The downside, if you can call it that, of being this close to the water is that I feel a compelling need to get a boat! I did sell my Harley because riding a motorcycle here in Boston would be like harboring a death wish!!  The streets and drivers here are ‘challenging’! And that’s from someone who lived in LA for 40 years!! And then, of course, there is the parking issue. The bottom line is that it just wasn’t worth it to ship the HOG out here so now I am turning my attention to the water. I signed up for sailing lessons since the harbor is literally across the street and we will see where this all leads.

I am still getting settled in and expect to get the rest of my furniture on Saturday. After that, I will undertake the ‘job’ of exploring my new environment (including some serious ‘leaf peeping’ this fall) while taking the opportunity to spend more time with Jordan who is currently working full time at MIT. That is, until I head off to Panama for two weeks next month. Stay tuned for more on that and some other adventures planned for later this year.

I wrote this post three years ago today! Three years ago!! How long will it take to drive a stake through the heart of this Trump nonsense? The only thing I got wrong when I wrote this was the statement, “another run for political office is not in the cards for Trump.” I naively thought Trump would be so busy fighting legal battles he wouldn’t have the time or inclination to run for office. Of course, that was before I realized the only way he can escape accountability for his actions is to re-occupy the White House. “Raise the shields, Scotty!” (for those of you who remember Star Trek!). It is a very sad commentary on this country that it has taken this long to even begin to hold Trump accountable for his actions, let along the fact that he is the Republican front-runner for the nomination. The real question we should all be asking is, “Where will we be three years hence?” It’s a very scary prospect! Enjoy the trip down memory lane. “The ‘Big Lie’ won’t die! You have to ask yourself why this widely debunked myth of ‘widespread voter fraud’ won’t die. Multiple courts, both Republican and Democratic election officials in all 50 states and even the DOJ have stated that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. So why won’t this big lie fade away? The sad fact is, it’s useful for those that continue to propagate it, although some will find out that it does have a cost. Trump continues to push this big conspiracy theory for two main reasons. There is, of course, his fragile ego that won’t allow him to admit any kind of defeat – ever! However, and probably more importantly, he has found that it is a very useful fundraising mechanism.  Trump will be speaking at the CPAC (Conservative Action Political Convention) this weekend and he will certainly continue to propagate this lie. He will even tease about a potential run for the 2024 election, even though I think he has no intention of actually doing it. The fact is, he needs the money and, as long as he can perpetuate ‘the big lie’ and a new lie about a potential presidential run in 2024, people will continue to fill his piggy bank. It was P.T. Barnum who is alleged to have said, “Many people are gullible, and we can expect that to continue.”  Trump has proven he is one of Barnum’s biggest disciples. What I was having a really hard time understanding for a while was why a lot of other Republicans continue to push ‘the big lie,’ as well.  And then it dawned on me. As long as the Republicans can get people to believe the big lie, i.e., that there was widespread voter fraud, the easier it will be to pass laws to restrict voter access in the name of ‘voter security.’ There are currently multiple efforts in multiple states to pass laws to ‘enhance voter security’ which are really designed to restrict voter access. And these laws will, in many instances, disproportionately affect people of color. This is not a coincidence. This is by design. If the Republicans admitted that the election was conducted legitimately and there was virtually no evidence of widespread voter fraud, then it would make zero sense for them to be passing the laws they are passing. However, as long as they keep ‘the big lie’ alive, they can justify what they are doing in the name of ‘election security,’ even though it really has nothing whatsoever to do with election security. It is, quite frankly, a fraud being perpetrated on the American voting public. And speaking of fraud, it seems like the emperor might soon be looking for something to wear. Yesterday the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s last bid to keep his tax returns and associated documents from being turned over to the Manhattan District Attorney in his ongoing probe of Trump and the Trump organization. If Trump has nothing to hide, one has to wonder why he has spent the last four years desperately trying to keep these documents hidden. I doubt we will have to wonder for much longer. I suspect several things will ultimately be revealed. I think it is a near certainty that Trump is not nearly as wealthy as he has claimed to be. I think that he could very well be the first ex-president indicted for financial crimes such as – tax evasion, bank fraud, and potentially even money laundering. He has already been named as an ‘unindicted co-conspirator’ in the crimes for which his former attorney, Michael Cohen, went to prison. He will probably be named now. He is going to be paying a lot of money in legal fees to defend himself against the numerous legal actions headed his way. These include: 1. The New York attorney general’s office is looking into how the Trump organization valued its assets. 2. Defamation lawsuits from E. Jean Carroll and Summer Zervos. 3. A fraud lawsuit filed by Trump niece Mary Trump. 4. A possible charge of incitement by the DC attorney general for Trump’s role in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. 5. Two investigations into Trump’s attempts to pressure Georgia elected officials to overturn the state’s election results.¹ Since Trump can no longer use the presidency as a legal shield, I believe that his retirement is going to get very complicated very quickly and which is why I think another run for political office is not in the cards for Trump. Not only will Trump be busy fighting a lot of legal ‘alligators’ but some of his most ardent and dedicated supporters will also be donating large sums of money to their legal counsels. Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and now, Mike Lindell (My Pillow guy) has all been slapped with $1.3 billion lawsuits by Dominion, the company that manufactures voting machines. Giuliani, Powell, and Lindell were among the most vocal propagators of ‘the big lie,’ and now they will be paying a price. Do you think that Trump will use some of the millions of dollars he has received via his leadership PAC to be used to help these supporters with their own legal bills? Fat chance. They will join the long list of former Trump supporters who have either been cut loose and disavowed or are viewing the world from under the bus.  In Trump world, loyalty is a one-way street. While the Trump presidency wasn’t very good for America in general, when you look at all of the people around Trump and Trump himself, it has been a huge boon to the legal profession.  I wonder how much money has been spent by Trump and all his corrupt cohorts on legal fees during the last five years. I’m sure the number would be mindboggling. What a legacy and what a waste. 

 

This post falls under the “When we make plans, the universe laughs” umbrella!  The last time I posted something it was all ahead full for a temporary move to Phoenix followed by an exploratory trip to Portugal with the hope of finding a place to lease.  I had my house on the market and had sold, donated, or pawned almost everything I owned.   I had driven my pickup to Phoenix, flown back to Bozeman to complete purging the house, loaded my Harley on a trailer and headed back to Phoenix.

That was the plan – and then the universe and life stepped in.  The contingency deal for my house fell through.   Coupled with a continuing rise in interest rates, although there were some interested parties, no one pulled the trigger and the house continued to sit on the market.   The house was completely empty and the thought of it sitting empty all winter continued to grate on me.  Given a combination of the problems in the real estate market and facing winter, I decided to pull the house off the market.  My realtor told me that I was not alone in making that decision as several of her clients had made a similar decision.

I did contact a company that would ‘babysit’ the house for a fee but, even with that, I wasn’t really comfortable.  I also did not want to become a landlord.  In addition, I encountered some personal problems, and, in the end, I decided to return to Bozeman and put off consideration of Portugal for the time being.  That’s the second time I have planned to go to Portugal and the effort has been torpedoed for one reason or another.  Perhaps the third time will do the trick or perhaps the universe (see above) is trying to send me a message! Time will tell.

In any event, I am back in Bozeman for the winter and plan (there’s that word!) to put the house back on the market next spring.  I found out that a house must be off the market for 6 months before the ‘days on market’ clock resets to zero.  I am currently in the process of trying to refurnish my house although I don’t intend to fully refurnish it.  I don’t expect any company over the winter so I will make the house comfortable and functional for me and leave it at that. 

On the positive side, I will hopefully get in some skiing this winter and be able to make a trip or two back to Boston to visit my daughter.  And, I have all winter to think about ‘Plan B’, whatever that is. 

Since I will have lots of time on my hands, I am hoping to finally get my other blog ‘musingwith mike.com’ up and running.  There is certainly no shortage of news going on in the world so there should be a lot to ‘muse’ upon.  I will continue to post to this blog from time to time as life events or various trips arise.  Once ‘Plan B’ begins to gel I will post those plans here.  In the meantime, I am back in Bozeman!

I have already had one interesting wildlife encounter.  I left the house a couple of days ago before sunup to grab some coffee at Starbucks since I don’t yet have a coffee maker.  Right on the edge of town, I came across a good-sized black bear lumbering along the road.  It was pitch black out, so I only saw him because of my headlights.  I continued driving and about a block and a half away I saw a lady jogging in the direction of the bear.  They were on a collision course!

I whipped my car around, stopped the lady and told her about the bear.  She thanked me and promptly headed back the way she had come. 

We’ve already had one bear alert in my neighborhood as the bears are foraging to get ready to hibernate for the winter.  They are definitely around so one needs to be ‘bear aware’ when you head out in the dark in the morning!!

I thought I would post this update so anyone expecting to see pretty pictures from Portugal would understand why that isn’t happening right now.  Like I said – life happens!!

Triumph!!  After three very frustrating days of trying to book appointments at the VFS office in San Francisco to submit our visa application and accompanying paperwork, we finally cracked the code this morning and have booked appointments on January 11^th.   This will allow us time to get our documents in order, get a lease for a place to live in Portugal and then cross our fingers that we have everything we need for the visa application. 

Needless to say, the VFS website is not the most robust and user-friendly website in the world, but we finally were able to book appointments.  The first hurdle was just getting an account set up so that we could log in.  Once that was done, it was frequently the case that after one or two tries, the system would kick you out, tell you to come back in a couple of hours after clearing your cache files!! 

Once we were finally able to log on, we could never get the appointment calendar to fill out and show available appointments.  We had been trying to book appointments together because the system seemed to allow more than one person to apply at the same time.  After many failed attempts over the last couple of days, I decided to try to book individual appointments this morning and voila!!!  I was able to secure an appointment and then I ran and got Barb who after a couple of tries was able to book an appointment on the same day but a couple hours later!!  I’m thinking that because our last names are different, the system would not allow us to book appointments together.  Maybe not, but as soon as tried the ‘individual route’, everything worked.

So, the bottom line is we are now going to San Francisco in January.  That gives you some idea of how far out they are backed up for visa applications!!  In any case, we have now secured our appointments so the next big hurdle will be to secure a lease when we go over in November!  I am certainly learning a lesson in patience and perseverance! 

In addition to securing a lease, we also need to set up bank accounts in Portugal and have them funded with a few thousand dollars prior to securing the lease and submitting the visa.  We have already gotten our ‘NIF’ which is essentially a Portuguese tax ID number but now we need to actually set up accounts and transfer money into the country.  Prior to our trip last year, we established accounts with ‘WISE’ which is an international money transfer organization and that worked great.  It makes it very easy to transfer money between dollar denominated accounts to Euro denominated accounts (or many other currencies).  I even have a WISE debit card that allowed me to make purchases in Euros while we were in Portugal last year.

This whole process is one big learning experience for sure.  Fortunately, there is a Facebook group of expats who have moved to Portugal that is filled with useful information from those who have already trodden this path.  Even so, reading about it is often not the same as actually doing it.  It’s almost like reading about how to drive a car but until you actually hit the road, you don’t learn about all the little subtleties involved. Not to mention the fact that rules and organizations change as do the people that you deal with sitting across the desk.

The visa application has an accompanying checklist that is straightforward.  However, we have read numerous accounts from people submitting applications at the three different offices across the US who have had totally different experiences and been asked for things that weren’t on the checklist or had things on the checklist totally ignored.  We have already decided that if they ask for three months-worth of bank statements on the checklist, we will go in armed with 6 months – just in case.

Now that we have appointments to submit our visa paperwork, we are trying to think through the logistics of getting ourselves and the dogs over there. We will hopefully sign a lease in November but must be back in San Francisco in January.  Once we submit our paperwork, and assuming we can retain our passports, we may go back to Portugal as tourists to live in our newly leased place for a little while until our D7 visas are approved.  Once they are approved, we either need to physically go back to San Francisco to have the visas placed in our passports or send our passports to San Francisco and have them couriered back to us. 

This is where it gets sticky.  They will only courier the passports to somewhere in the United States.  So even if we get second passports, which we are thinking about (it’s legal!), we somehow have to reunite with our passports with the Portugal visa in them somewhere outside of Portugal.  The only way the D7 visa is validated is to show entry into Portugal from outside the Schengen Zone.  Up to this point, we could figure out a way to make all of this happen.  But we have the two dogs to factor into the equation!!

If we take them over when we first go back in January, we will be faced with the question of what to do with them when we have to come back to the US (or somewhere outside the Schengen Zone) to get our passports with the D7 visas so we can re-enter Portugal to validate the visas.  If we choose to just stay in the States until our visas are approved, we will be paying rent on a place in Portugal for three or four months!!  Like I said, reading about how to do all these things is one thing but when you start working through your own personal situation, it becomes a bit more complicated! 

So, that’s where we are now.  We have our visa appointments – step one accomplished!!  We have begun the swim across the pond and so far, the bureaucratic crocodiles are still sunning themselves on the beach and haven’t entered the water yet. Although we did have the nasty encounter with the VFS website crocodile but ultimately beat it into submission.  The name of the game is to get ourselves and the pups to Portugal without being eaten alive by the various bureaucratic crocs we will encounter along the way!!  And that’s why they call it an adventure! Stay tuned!

As I write this at 7 am in the morning in the office at Barb’s house in Phoenix, it is already a balmy 76 degrees which is pretty much the expected high temperature in Bozeman today!  The expected high temperature in Phoenix today is 101!  The mornings here are actually quite pleasant and the daytime highs seem to be dropping from the extremes witnessed during the summer.  On Friday, it’s only supposed to get up to 93 – yahoo!

Needless to say, it has been a bit of culture shock for this Montana boy!  I am settling in and finding my way around.   Barb got me a sunshade for my windshield, and I have learned the fine art of trying to park under trees in parking lots!  My Harley is parked in the garage, and I have not yet taken it out but as the temperature continues to get more reasonable, I will give it a try.

All my remaining worldly possessions arrived and are now packed into a climate-controlled storage facility near here.  That includes my road bicycle which I will get out soon and start riding around on all these nice bicycle paths and lanes – in the morning when it is still cool.

Barb is a free woman now.  Her official last day was last Friday so she is free to do what she wants when she wants now.  She sold her CPA practice a year ago but there was a one year ‘tail’ when she worked for the purchasing company and helped with the transition of clients.  That chapter is now finished, and she is free to go on about her life.

We are trying to switch gears and start to focus on the move to Portugal and are learning that patience will be one of the most important things to remember during this process.  We are obligated to submit our applications for our visa through the VFS Global office in San Francisco since they handle most of the West, including Arizona.  We know that it takes a while to get an appointment so we decided to be proactive and book our appointments now, so that when we return from Portugal in November with our hoped-for lease, we can be all ready to go.  Great theory!

We have found the VFS Global website to be extremely frustrating and after trying to book an appointment online since last Friday, have not yet been successful.  We know we are not the only ones as we have read several accounts of others trying the same thing and running into the same types of problems.  Years ago, when I was working, I remember using the VFS office in Washington DC to process our visas for Saudi Arabia and other places.  That was before the internet, and it was often frustrating then.  It doesn’t seem to have improved much.

One would think that, given the amount of business they do, they would be able to put together a website that is more robust and user friendly.  It’s almost like using one of the old dial-up services.  Very frustrating.  We are actually contemplating flying to San Francisco for a day (or two) for the express purpose of going to the VFS office simply to see if we can book an appointment in person for some time down the road.  That’s how ridiculous things have gotten.

I am sure this is one of the many, many challenges that we will face in trying to navigate the bureaucratic maze that lays before us.  I will continue to post on our progress.

In the meantime, I will continue to settle into life in Arizona.  As a bonus, my daughter, Jordan, is flying in on Wednesday for a few days and I’m really looking forward to seeing her.  We have a couple of fun things planned in addition to jumping in the pool and staying in the air-conditioned house.   The adventure continues!

It’s been quite a while since I posted anything, so I thought I’d fill in the timeline a little.  The primary reason I haven’t posted anything is due to the fact that I was up to my neck in trying to get the house emptied out.  As with so many things I undertake, it was a much bigger job than I anticipated.  As I stated previously, although moving is always hard, trying to get rid of almost everything you own is harder. 

The secondhand furniture store arrived with two trucks on August 29^th and virtually emptied the house of almost all of the large things and even some of the home décor items.  Once they were all loaded up, the owner handed me a check and off they went.  I was left with things like a washer and dryer, mattresses, plants, a couple of filing cabinets and the two desks in my office.  And I was relegated to a hotel for the remainder of my stay in Bozeman.

My pickup was baking in the sun down at Barb’s house in Phoenix, so I had reserved a 15-foot U-Haul truck for the following day to be able to dispose of everything that was left.  During one summer in my college years, I worked for a moving and storage company and put all of that knowledge and skills to good use as I loaded up the truck with the appliances, mattresses, etc.  In any case, I made trips to various places – Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill and the dump. 

I had planned to finish things up and leave for Washington for my bike ride in the San Juan islands but life has a way of laughing at whatever plans you make.  I came down with some type of upper respiratory virus as I was working on the house and felt worse and worse.  Two days before I was due to leave, I didn’t feel like I could ride my bicycle around the block, let alone over hill and dale day after day in Washington so I pulled the plug on the ride.  It was already paid for, and I was well beyond the refund date so it was a painful decision, but I really had no choice.  I went to an urgent care clinic, and they gave me some antibiotics and it helped a bit, but I was just feeling pretty exhausted.

I finally got the house cleaned out and had my neighbor help me load the Harley onto the U-Haul motorcycle trailer to get ready for the drive to Phoenix – again!  On Thursday, Sept 7^th I hitched up the trailer, loaded my bicycle onto the bike rack and with the car packed to the gills, headed south.  I had planned to take three days driving down to Barb’s just because I was pulling the trailer and I was exhausted. 

Given the rough roads we encountered three weeks earlier between Henderson, NV and Phoenix, I decided to try a different route through Page, AZ near Lake Powell.  On the second day, about 15 miles south of Beaver, UT, I turned off of I-15 and headed off to Page.  It turns out that it was a great decision.  In general, the roads were better, the scenery was better, there was less traffic and it was just a lot easier drive.   I still encountered a few rough patches but, by and large, it was a much better drive.  And I got to see a part of the country I’d not seen before!!

When I arrived in Phoenix (actually Chandler is where Barb lives), it was a balmy 112 degrees or so!  I got the Harley offloaded in short order (although Barb had to put of towel on the seat because it was so hot!!) and put it away in the garage.  After a break in the nice, air-conditioned house, we finally got the trailer returned and the car offloaded.  I was absolutely exhausted and spent most of the rest of the day parked on the sofa having all of the personality of an amoeba! 

Yesterday, I did absolutely nothing and today I’m starting to feel more like a human being.  I have started making ‘to do’ lists as I adapt to my new temporary life in Phoenix.  Barb keeps telling me it will cool down which it slowly seems to be doing.  The morning temps next week will be in the 70’s so that is a good indication. 

As I get settled in, we will be turning our attention to getting ready for our trip back to Portugal in November to find a place to lease.  Once that is done, we will submit our application for our long-term visas and let that process play out.  It is our hope that in about 6 months or so, we will be moved or in the process of moving to our new place in Portugal. 

I never thought in a million years that I would be living in Phoenix but here I am.  Fortunately, I have lived in many different places during my life and have adapted pretty well to wherever I’ve ended up.  I’ve already found the nearest Starbucks and we’ve joined a nearby gym.  As soon as it cools down a bit, I’ll hit the roads on my bicycle to do some exploring and take the Harley out as well.  The adventure continues!

Well, here we are!  We spent much of yesterday packing and getting ready for the caravan down to Phoenix starting Friday.   There is still a lot to do but we are making progress.  I will make a few more trips to my favorite places this week – the pawn shops, Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill and, of course, the dump!

I have also become proficient at using Craig’s List and have moved several of the larger items using that website.   I just have a few things left that I will need to get rid of, but I think it’s all doable. After the furniture is picked up next Tuesday, I have a U-Haul truck reserved for Wednesday to make one final delivery round (Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill, dump) for anything that is left. 

I will then turn my attention towards getting my bicycling gear and bicycle all packed up for my ride in the San Juan Islands.  It has been challenging to squeeze in my training rides, so I’d say I’m in average shape versus great shape.  That said, the daily mileage is not super onerous.  I think the longest day is 44 miles and we have all day to do it.   Most of the days are 25 to 30 miles.  I’ve ridden several 30-mile rides with my fully loaded bike, so I’ll manage.  I’m sure I’ll be grunting like a steam engine on some of the hills, but I don’t intend to set any speed records.  I have a T-shirt that says, “Member of the sloth cycling team – I’ll get there when I get there,” which pretty much sums up my attitude.   I intend to enjoy the scenery, stop frequently and take lots of pictures!  I’m also hoping to do a little kayaking along the way somewhere, so we’ll see what develops. 

When I get done with the ride, I will return to Bozeman to finish up a few things, load my Harley onto the trailer and head back down to Phoenix!  Hopefully by then, Phoenix might be a tad cooler!!  In addition, Barb will be fully retired by then and a free woman. We’ll then turn our attention towards getting ready to go back to Portugal in November to find a place to live and start the process of applying for visas, etc. 

It will be a busy few weeks, as we are planning a few trips/visits.  I’m hoping my daughter, Jordan, will be able to fly out to Phoenix over the Columbus Day weekend and then Barb and I are going to Denver for a family event for her cousin in mid-October.  Somewhere in there we are hoping to get to Southern California for a few days, but we will see.  Given that we will be gone the entire month of November visiting Portugal, Boston, and New York City, by the time December rolls around, I think we’ll be ready to just relax for at least a few days!!

Yesterday, seven bucks stopped by to say farewell while munching on the apples from my trees.  I probably won’t be anywhere any time soon where I will get pictures like these.  It’s been a good ride here in Montana, but time for the next chapter and whatever that brings!!  Stay tuned.

It’s hard to believe that 10 days have passed since I last posted anything.  The time is just flying by and the ‘to do’ list continues to be a bit intimidating.  The timing of everything is a bit problematic but it is what it is.  I am trying to squeeze in training rides for my bicycle trip over in the San Juan Islands while also trying to purge the house and get ready to move!  As I said last time, the chaos continues.

One week from tomorrow, we will be heading out on our three-day trip down to Arizona or as I call it ‘hell’ when I read the weather forecast showing yet more days for 100-degree heat!!  But Barb reminds me that ‘it’s a dry heat’ like that is going to make me feel better!  :0) In any case, I will only be there for one night before I jump on the plane and return to Bozeman to finish emptying out the house.  Once the house is emptied out, I’ll pack up my bicycle and head for Washington to do the ride in the San Juans.

As I said before, trying to get rid of almost everything you own is harder than just moving.  By the time all is said and done, whatever is left of my 3 bedroom, 3 bath house and all its contents will be condensed into one U-Haul shipping box that will make its way to Arizona.  It’s been quite a process.

I have become very familiar with the local pawn shops.  I used one to sell my guns – it’s an interesting place!!  I used another for my larger power tools and then a third for my smaller tools and whatever other miscellaneous stuff I have.  It’s been an interesting experience.  I have also been using Craig’s List which is also an interesting experience.

In addition to taking stuff to the pawn shops, I have been donating heavily to the Gallatin County Food Bank, Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity and making occasional trips to the dump.  You don’t really understand how much stuff you accumulate until you try to get rid of it all!!! 

We did take a break from the chaos to drive up to Glacier Park this past weekend and drive the Going To The Sun highway.  The scenery is spectacular and the Going To The Sun highway is an interesting and beautiful drive – definitely not for the faint of heart drivers or those subject to getting car sick. 

We had the house inspection at the beginning of the week, and it doesn’t appear there were any major findings so we are hopeful the process of selling the house will continue to progress.  We are in a contingent sale so we don’t yet have a closing date but hopefully that will get nailed down soon. (Fingers crossed!)

We have been keeping an eye on a website geared towards long term rentals in Portugal and are encouraged that there are some nice places coming on the market.  Once we get somewhat settled in Arizona, we will begin trying to nail down some visits so when we go over in November, we can sign a lease.  (Again – fingers crossed!).  That will be step one in getting our long-term visas. 

So, progress on this little adventure continues.  I’ll leave with a few of the pictures from Glacier.