Travels of Bill and Valerie Watts

  Concerning Hobbits… One of my earliest memories is of Hobbits. Growing up, I had a See, Hear, Read copy of The Hobbit. I have visceral memories of sitting on the floor in my room with the small staple bound book and the record playing while reading, rather listening to, the adventures of Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves. I remember Bilbo’s cleverness in his encounters with Gollum and Smaug, how he wasn’t anyone special, he was a regular person who lived a comfortable life and yet his bravery, loyalty, and quick thinking allowed him to accomplish amazing feats. It was my first introduction to the Hero’s Journey and it would create a lifelong love of a normal person leaving all they have known, accompanied by an older and wiser mentor, going through trials, tribulations, and having adventures, all to eventually return home a changed person.  The Hero’s Journey is recorded as far back as we have writings. From Heracles, Theseus, and Oddyseus, to Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and ...

10 years ago I married my best friend. Our wedding was great fun and held in a super cool location. We got married in the rotunda of the Blackhawk Auto Museum and our reception was held in their showroom filled with exotic and classic cars. I often wish that we could do it all over again because it all goes by in such a blur, but I wouldn’t trade that day for anything. On our first date we both talked about our dream vacations. Europe was at the top of both lists so that is where we spent our honeymoon. Australia/New Zealand was second on our list, but for very different reasons. I wanted to visit for the animals (kangaroos, koalas, etc.) and Bill wanted to visit because New Zealand was where they filmed the Lord Of The Rings movies. He figured if we got as close as Australia for me then we could definitely make New Zealand work. After our honeymoon, we decided to make Australia a goal for our 10 year wedding anniversary. That seemed like a lifetime away back in 2014.  The Pandemic...

Yesterday was a very cold day for us both. This is not normal for Bill as he usually runs warm and would live in shorts all year long if he could. His disdain for full length leg coverings can be comical at times. Last night when he willing put on jeans for dinner, I knew he must have been freezing. Yesterday was our first port day in a town called Dunedin. We had planned to get off the ship and do a little shopping, but the nearest shop was over 11km away. We decided to chance our luck at the shop on board instead. The atmosphere of Dunedin was nice and we actually docked next to a shipping yard which never ceases to remind me of my Dad. He worked as a mechanic on the waterfront in Oakland and so the cranes/containers have always been an image that I will forever associate with him.  Fun fact for those who are interested - the cranes at the Oakland/SF Waterfront were actually inspiration for George Lucas when we he was creating the Star Wars Universe and their influence can be see...