Can you think of a better place to spend time in late summer and early autumn than the Canadian Maritimes (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia) and coastal Maine? Scenic drives, coastal hikes, historic lighthouses, fresh seafood, family-owned inns, and fall colors – oh my! With ten weeks for sight-seeing, our itinerary was packed with all of the ‘must see’ destinations.

And then, just a few days prior to departure, we received disturbing news and abruptly changed our plans. I was diagnosed with cancer and learned that I need several months of intensive treatment, including major surgery and chemotherapy. The news was unexpected and unwelcome, to say the least. BUT it could have been worse, my prognosis is good, and we’re hopeful this development is just a bump in the road.

Obviously we cancelled the Canada trip, along with three shorter excursions scheduled for late fall and early winter, including a month in warm Oaxaca, Mexico, where we were looking forward to enrolling in a Spanish language school. ¡Pero así es la vida!

We’ve spent the last six weeks in a whirlwind of medical appointments and procedures. AND we bought a house, which might seem like odd timing, but after living in a tiny condo for the past four years (because our plan was to be gone 90% of the time), we now need more space to weather the challenges of the next few months. With room for overnight guests. And a garage. Plus a nice spot for my piano, which has been well-cared for by my sister in recent years.

Thankfully, everything – medical and otherwise – is progressing nicely so far. But what to do with our blog? How do I write new travel articles when we’re stuck at home?

Well, not to worry – over the past several months, we’ve visited a number of great places that haven’t made it into any of our posts. The travel hiatus presents an opportunity to share these interesting (and often off the beaten path) places in a series of upcoming and short articles.

Here are some of the possibilities:

I hope you will join us for future posts about these (and possibly a few other) diverse places. And for progress reports on my health as well.

That’s it for now – more to come!