My 2009: Fours Seasons Around the Globe

Dee Farrell currently lives and works in Australia, Canada and the US, as the weather suits. Her skirting the weather took her from New York City in one of the coldest Winters on record to Florida for one of the most hot and humid Summers ever in Fort Lauderdale.

In August, she was ticketed for Vancouver in time for a colourful Canadian Maple Leaf Fall, but by September she was unexpectedly back in Sydney for Spring time and a green instead of white Christmas.
Have suitcase, will travel.

My year in photo review includes New York, Pennsylvania, South Florida, The Conch Republic (Key West), New South Wales (Sydney), Tasmania (Hobart), Queensland (Surfers Paradise), and a new island destination for me - New Caledonia. (A French Territory in the South Pacific).

--DeeTouring Dee

THe Island Nomad resurfaces in the Island City of Wilton Manors - Florida

Funny, how I keep island hopping. Tasmania, an island off the island country and continent Australia, North Island of New Zealand, to Manhattan, to Key West (AKA The Conch Republic since it seceded from the mainland of Florida), and little ole Wilton Manors.

This tiny, tidy town is surrounded by three rivers, cutting it off by bridges from Greater Fort Lauderdale in sunny Florida. Hence the moniker Island City.

No, Wilton Manors is not the name of a nursing home, though many of us semi-retirees are not far off from moving into one. The village is populated by mature or ailing ex-New Yorkers and ex-Denverites, many of whom I knew when I lived in those states. In a sense I came here because I was ailing - for the ocean, the seabreeze, the sandy shores. Taking my scooter to the beach every day is my idea of paradise. And I'm feeling better just after three months of imersion here.

Stay tuned for tales of my next Island Dee-Tour: Little Torch Key in the middle of the Florida Keys.

The Ides of March in Florida

What happened to January & February? I haven't written since the holi-daze and looking back I know why. The Obama-rama, Valentine's and packing up a household and storage unit of my client's things bound for the Republica de Dominica. Being his Relocation Coordinator while he was enjoying the first blush of ex-pat living in the Dominican Republic, was challenging. But nothing I hadn't already done for myself to and from Australia.

So I'm taking some R&R in March in the Sunshine State. Florida is so QUIET, CLEAN, CHEAP and UNCROWDED compared to the Big Apple.

It will take a few days to adjust to the slower pace of living and breathing in the sea spray; bring it on!