Tag Archives: family

From Argentina to Paraguay via ferry

19 Tuesday May 2026

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“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness, didn’t know where to go shopping.” ― Coco Chanel

On our final day in Argentina we went shopping in Paraguay.  We went to a brand new shopping center called China Shopping.  It is catered to Brazilians looking for luxury items, from iPhone to all top name clothing name brands and perfumes.  One a side note, Michael was shocked to see how much Brazilian men likes to use and to shop for colognes.

We only went there because the lady that help my mom around the house wanted to get a cell phone for her son.  To me, shopping is as pleasurable as a trip to the dentist.  My mother likes to shop but she prefers local vendors with the local items.

 The highlight of the trip to me was the ferry.  Our driver suggested that, instead of taking the highway, that we take the ferry.  It was only a 12 minute ride to get from Argentina to Paraguay.  So pleasurable and definitely the right choice.

At the end of the day, we got the cell phone and everyone was happy.  A phone that would cost 13,000 reais ($2,600.00) in Brazil, in Paraguay was bought for 7,000 reais ($1,400.00)

 

 

     

“We can’t stop shopping, we must stop shopping. It isn’t only that consumption is distorting the climate, felling the forests, cluttering out lives, filling our heads with a throwaway mindset, even stealing the stars from the night sky. The worst is that it leaves us with no idea of what else to do, no belief that things can be different. Whichever way we go, it leaves us doomed.” ― J.B. MacKinnon, The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves

 

     

 

 

And now for the fishes – AquaFoz Aquarium

16 Saturday May 2026

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“I am not eccentric. It’s just that I am more alive than most people. I am an unpopular electric eel set in a pond of catfish.” ― Edith Sitwell

While visiting Puerto Iguazu in Argentina we would cross the border back and forth to Brazil.  In one of those days we visited the aquarium – AquaFoz.

This is a new attraction in the area, and so well worth the visit.  They did such an amazing job of bringing visitors close to nature.  

They have species from the ocean, as well as from the local rivers Paraná and Iguaçu.  Their aim is not only to introduce visitors to these amazing aquatic creatures, but also to educate and conservate.  They want people to realize how important it is to protect our rivers and oceans.

The more we learn and understand about all the creatures around us, the more we realize how intricate, amazing and intelligent they all are, and hopefully that will lead to having more respect and love for them.

 

“All men are equal before fish.”
― Herbert Hoover

 

     

 

 

Park das Aves – Bird Sanctuary

14 Thursday May 2026

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“Some birds are not meant to be caged, that’s all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.” ― Stephen King, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

While visiting Puerto Iguazu in Argentina we would cross the border back and forth to Brazil.  In one of those days we visited the Parque das Aves – a bird sanctuary that is so beautiful and interesting.

The story of how the sanctuary started is here:

https://www.parquedasaves.com.br/sobre-o-parque-das-aves/historia/

It was so much fun and interesting seeing and learning about all the different species of birds.  I also loved the butterflies.  I am always in awe of how rich nature is.

My favorite bird is the toucan.  We have them in my town in Brazil, is always a surprising to me when I spot them.

There was one in my mother’s balcony the other day while Michael was sitting there in the morning.  Michael was reading and hadn’t notice the toucan perched on the railing just steps from him.  Unfortunately I was so surprised by its presence that I yelled Michael’s name and that scared it away.

 

 

Mom’s 91st birthday in Iguazu Falls, Argentina

13 Wednesday May 2026

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  • “A waterfall cannot be silent, just as the wisdom! When they speak, the voice of power speaks!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

Another birthday trip was successfully completed celebrating my mother’s 91st birthday.  We had such a great time last year in Argentina that we have decided to return this year.

Last year we were there for only 3 days, so mom and I mostly stayed at the hotel enjoying the grounds and the casino.  This time we stayed 6 days and had a chance to do some sightseeing.

Some of what we did:

  • Iguazu Falls – Impressive and majestic! It is such an honor to be so close to the beauty and force of the water.  We visited the Brazilian side as it was more accessible to my mother.  You have to take a bus from the main gate, but they gave us permission to go in with our driver, so it was very convenient.  I would visit again and perhaps rent a bike or hike a trail, or take some of the amazing tours and experiences they offer.
  • Parque das Aves – Bird Park – This bird sanctuary is dedicated to the conservation of species from the Atlantic Forest. So many beautiful and interesting birds.  I would visit again.
  • AquaFoz Aquarium – This is a new attraction in the area. It is trying to show the richness contained in the Rivers Paraná and Iguaçu.  I loved it.  I would visit again.
  • Madero Tango Show – I expected a little more, but I have high expectations when it comes to shows. We chose this show because it was adjacent to the hotel, I am sure Tango shows in Buenos Aires will be much better.  It also included dinner, but the food was bad.  I would not return, but my mother enjoyed it so that was the important thing.
  • The Three Borders landmark – we visited it on the Argentinian side – it has a couple of restaurants and some little stores. I visited again for the gorgeous view of  Brazil and Paraguay, and the rivers Paraná and Iguaçu.
  • City Center Iguazu Casino – it has slot machines in 3 different currencies: The Argentinian Peso, the Brazilian Real and American Dollar. Always fun, but didn’t have a chance to spend much time there.
  • Puerto Iguazu town – walked around the stores and restaurants downtown was a lot fun.  The stores sells mostly alfajores (delicious sandwich cookies), olives and wines.  Alfajores were our gifts of choice to family and friends.
  • Spa del Paraiso – this is the spa in the hotel. We had a great relaxing massage. Very talented masseuses. I would go again.
  • China Shopping Center in Paraguay – this one I was forced to go to. I hate shopping, I hate shopping centers. The lady that works for us helping my mother wanted to get an iPhone for her son.  The prices in Paraguay are less than half of the prices for luxury items in Brazil.  The highlight of the trip was taking the ferry from Argentina to Paraguay and back, a quick and beautiful 12 minute trip that avoided the crazy road traffic.

The extra time, and there was not much of it, was spent enjoying meals at the hotel and at couple of restaurants in the other areas.  We had lunch by the pool one day.  I had passion-fruit caipiroskas every chance I had.  Caipiroska is similar to caipirinha, but it uses vodka instead of cachaça, so it is less strong.

My mom uses a wheelchair most of the time, so it is always stressful when we go to different places.  But we had no issues in any of the places we visited.

I feel so blessed to still have my mom and to be able to take her places.  She has the heart and lust for life like a teenager.

Here some pictures and video of the gorgeous fall. I will be posting other pictures in follow up posts.

Happiness and anxiety hand in hand

21 Tuesday Apr 2026

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  • “Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” — Charles Spurgeon

I am leaving for Brazil tomorrow to go celebrate my mom’s 91st birthday.  We are planning to take her to Argentina again.  She is so excited.

While I find myself happier and happier each day, I am a bit anxious as well.  I was really anxious over that ConEdison debacle, so glad that is resolved.   I am anxious about getting home and not seeing my father walking up to meet us, as he normally did.  I know he is in a better place but still there is an emptiness.

I have self diagnosed myself as having happiness anxiety.   I am always happy as I believe that happiness is a choice, but the happier I get, it also feels like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.   As if so much happiness is not possible and not sustainable, therefore something bad is coming along.

I am writing about it to get my internal dialogues on paper.

I feel better already 🙂

Now I am off to pack and finish work stuff.

So Much Happiness – Naomi Shihab Nye 1952 

It is difficult to know what to do with so much happiness.
With sadness there is something to rub against,
a wound to tend with lotion and cloth.
When the world falls in around you, you have pieces to pick up,
something to hold in your hands, like ticket stubs or change.

But happiness floats.
It doesn’t need you to hold it down.
It doesn’t need anything.
Happiness lands on the roof of the next house, singing,
and disappears when it wants to.
You are happy either way.
Even the fact that you once lived in a peaceful tree house
and now live over a quarry of noise and dust
cannot make you unhappy.
Everything has a life of its own,
it too could wake up filled with possibilities
of coffee cake and ripe peaches,
and love even the floor which needs to be swept,
the soiled linens and scratched records . . .

Since there is no place large enough
to contain so much happiness,
you shrug, you raise your hands, and it flows out of you
into everything you touch. You are not responsible.
You take no credit, as the night sky takes no credit
for the moon, but continues to hold it, and share it,
and in that way, be known.

“Anxiety is a lot like a toddler. It never stops talking, tells you you’re wrong about everything, and wakes you up at 3 a.m.” — Unknown

 

Food, glorious food!

07 Tuesday Apr 2026

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Finding Me, Food, Reviews

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  • “I was brought up to respect my elders, so now I don’t have to respect anybody.” ― George Burns

I spent a couple of weeks in NY to celebrate my sister’s and my 60th  birthday.

We took a road trip stopping in small towns in Connecticut (Niantic, Mystic and Groton)  and Rhode Island (Westerly, Misquamicut and Watch Hill).

We also stopped at a couple of casinos (Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun)

I have been to those places many times before, and go back from time to time.  It had been 3 years since we had been there.  Unfortunately, I only took a couple of pictures. Fortunately, the focus was in the moment and the people we were with.

Besides the amazing scenery, even if a bit cold to walk around by the water, we also enjoyed visiting a couple of friends, gambling, shopping and great food and drinks.  I have several extra pounds as proof of the great time we had.

Below are some of the food establishments we have visited (NY included).  I am only including the ones we would go back to.  There were many forgettable ones.

Martines Bake Shoppe – NY. Never disappoints. We love the biscuits, baguet and chocolate pound cake.

Fay Da Bakery – CT. I adore their coconut buns.  They are similar to the ones I have in Brazil.

Sonora Restaurant – NY. So many delicious things. The best Lomo Saltado I ever had.  I also keep dreaming about the Brazilian Cosmo drink. And let’s not forget the branzino and lobster risotto. I cannot wait to go back.

O Mandarin – NY. Delicious Chinese food. The crispy duck and the bubble pancakes were heavenly. Will order those again.

Colony Grill – NY. They only serve pizza.  So thin and so flavorful. A must!

Town House Kitchen – NY.  Great chicken wings.  Everything was delicious.

Guy Fiery Foxwoods – CT.  My sister adores the Bacon Mac-N-cheese burger.

Wahlburgers – CT. We had never been there before and were surprised by how good it was.  The slider flight (Bacon burger, Crispy chicken and meatball) and the fish sandwich were our favorites.

Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen – CT. The best part of the evening was the service and the sticky toffee pudding cake.

Louie & Johnnie’s Ristorante Primavera – NY. Great service and great Italian food.

Posto 22 – NY. Great Italian food

The Mirage – NY. A local surprise with great drinks and desserts.

The Ocean House – RI.  A must stop for the scenery. Rumored to be Taylor Swift’s wedding location, since her house is next door. (we ended up not staying for food)

And bagels, bagels, bagels including Sammys, Ess-a-Bagel and Zucker’s – all NY.

“I grabbed a pile of dust, and holding it up, foolishly asked for as many birthdays as the grains of dust, I forgot to ask that they be years of youth. ” ― Ovid, Metamorphosest

Quick getaway – Western Caribbean cruise

21 Friday Nov 2025

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Michael and I decided on a last minute getaway. We did a Western Caribbean cruise.  We went from Port Canaveral, FL to Cozumel, then Costa Maya, and back to Port Canaveral.

We had a great time.  In Cozumel, Michael went to the Chichen Itza Ruins.  I skipped that, as I had been there before and didn’t want to face the long trip there.  So, I had a lazy, quiet day to myself.

In Costa Maya we both went to Chacchoben ruins, it was smaller and less impressive than Chichen Itza, but still very interesting.

This was a Royal Caribbean cruise, and it was the Explorer of the Seas ship, which is a 25 year old ship.  It showed its age, but that doesn’t really bother me.

One thing I was a bit disappointed was the quality of the food at the buffet.  Even though there was tons of different ones, I don’t think the quality came close to that of the MSC Meraviglia ship.  Specially when it came to desserts, something that I really look forward to.  Some of their desserts gave me an aftertaste, which means that it had too many preservatives and food extracts and coloring. Still, I confess I overate, as I have a tendency to want to try a bit of everything.

I went to the gym a couple of times, and was really impressed with the amount and quality of the equipment.

We also saw a few shows, such as the magic, the comic, and the ice-skating.  We went to bingo and to the casino. We also played ping-pong and arcade games. And we rested.

We can’t wait for the next one.  I really want to do longer ones, to Alaska and Europe.

Have a blessed weekend everyone!!

“Every person needs to take one day away.  A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future.  Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence.  Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.  Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.” ― Maya Angelou

 

 

Sunset – Melbourne Beach, FL

02 Sunday Nov 2025

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The sunset at Melbourne Beach Pier overlooking the Indian River Lagoon is one of my favorite places.  The sunset is a great time to stop and say thank you for the day.

I don’t know where I saw the below writing, but I really like it.  If you know who wrote it, please let me know so I can give them credit.

  1. your growth comes first,
    2. be intentional with your time,
    3. forcing things does not work,
    4. being kind supports your peace,
    5. hang out with revitalizing people,
    6. let consistency help your flourishing,
    7. remember the progress you have made,
    8. slow things down when your mood is low,
    9. people pleasing hurts your mental health,
    10. seeking perfection hinders your progress,
    11. you cannot make everyone understand you.

 

 

 

 

All green and bones – Happy Halloween!

31 Friday Oct 2025

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“Most people will tell you growing up means you stop believing in Halloween things – I’m telling you the reverse. You start to grow up when you understand that the stuff that scares you is part of the air you breathe.” ― Peter Straub

When I was growing up in Brazil there was no Halloween.  Now due to globalization,  Halloween is increasingly becoming part of our culture.  In some areas we do have a different names for it, such as Dia das Bruxas (Witch’s Day) and Dia do Saci (Saci Day).

Saci is one legged black boy with a pipe and red hat from Brazilian Folklore.  He played tricks on people and was quick to disappear in a whirlwind.

I never spent Halloween in Brazil, so I am not sure about kids going trick or treating.  I know of parties, specially hosted by language schools.

I am not really into dressing up and costumes parties, but I do love seeing the kids all dressed up, and I always enjoy some people’s creativity when it comes to their costumes.  

Another thing I always loved was seeing the houses decorated for Halloween, and all other holidays for that matter.

As I go on evening bike rides, I plan on taking pictures.  But as I sit here composing this post I realized that Halloween is here and I only took a couple of pictures.

A few is better than none.

I hope you are having a grand ole time, no matter what you are doing today.  Being alive is a great reason for celebration!

 

 

“Halloween is the only time people can become what they want to be without getting fired.”
― Sylvester Stallone

It is good to be back

28 Tuesday Oct 2025

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“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” ― Maya Angelou

After one week in Chile, two months in Brazil and one week in New York, I am finally back in Florida.  I have been here for one week.

It feels good to be back and try to start a routine.  Feels good to play house with Michael.  Well, I am already looking at cruises and ski trips… I love having things to look forward to. 

Our building is finally done with the renovations.  There are still some little issues, but Michael and I are fully enjoying our apartment. 

I have so much organizing to do.  Michael returned from Brazil before I did.  He stopped in NY and picked up some more of my stuff.  So I have boxes and boxes to organize, including tons of mosaic material and mosaics pieces.

After my father’s death and watching my mother struggle with debilitating hip pain, I decided to think about my health more seriously.   I want to have a very active future, and I know I need to address issues that I have learned to live with. 

I arrived home and hit the ground running:

  • I got a gym membership
  • I got a personal trainer for two times a week (I need that accountability) 
  • I got blood tests done
  • I got a physical and wellness check (cholesterol down to 174 from 248!! yippie)
  • I got an eye exam and ordered 3 new glasses (from Costco – the best place to get glasses!!)
  • I made appointment with:
    • an orthopedic doctor (time to revisit the hip issues)
    • an ENT doctor (time to revisit the vertigo symptoms)
    • a skin doctor (a big brown spot all of sudden appeared on my hip)
    • imaging center for bone density and mammogram
  • Bought a bedroom set.  We are not picky, hate shopping, and don’t like to wait.  So we just went out on Saturday bought a bedroom set and three hours later they delivered it.  We love it!  

There is more to do, but this all feels like progress, and progress makes me very happy.  The only problem is that all these doctor’s appointments, and possible tests and follow-ups are going to interfere with future travel plans 🙂

… not to mention the little detail of having a full-time job.  Retirement? Retirement? Where are you?

 

 

My view as I write this: so grateful!!

My view as I write this: so grateful!!

“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.” ― Seneca