Alexis Hartz, Author

Hello,  Please check out my latest video: Are You Travel Ready? on my YouTube Channel to learn more about this post.    https://youtu.be/8Lh62gv4RcM And for those who watched, here's the Packing List as promised.   Have a GREAT ADVENTURE!

This is reposted from my Wordpress Blog (https://wordpress.com/post/alexishartz.wordpress.com/531). It's one of my favorite experiences, and I think everyone's world is a little bigger knowing that the Flowage Trifecta is a thing! My work schedule lands me in Minnesota days before the Fourth of July weekend so I hit the first and nearest attraction prior to meeting up with my brother and his wife who live in the area. Mall of America . Ehh, same ol' shops with a few amusement park rides thrown in, most likely a draw for parents cooped up in the house on sub-artic winter days. I skip the rides, cruise the mall floors for an hour and purchase some squishy balls (which I paid way too much for) from a kiosk vendor. Turns out the squishy balls provided hours of entertainment for my Colorado granddaughter. They were worth every penny. A quick look around at the artwork at the Mall's entrance, a snapshot at the "Star" and I'm on my way to my brother's home ...

  Hi there! Here we are in the Golden Years diving into dating with the zest of a teenager (sometimes with the same awkwardness ). Whether you're freshly single or have been wading in the dating pool for a while, navigating the waters after 50 can be intimidating. Fear not, though! These questions from my most recent YouTube video will help you keep the conversation going so you can move on to a second date and beyond!  When dating a woman aged 60 and above, it's important to ask thoughtful and respectful questions that show genuine interest in her experiences and values. Here are some questions a man might consider: Personal Interests and Hobbies 1. What are some of your favorite hobbies or activities? 2. Have you picked up any new interests or skills recently? 3. Do you enjoy traveling? If so, what's the best place you've visited? Life Experiences 4. Can you tell me about a memorable experience from your past? 5. What is one thing you’re most proud of i...

What was I thinking? Today is the day. It’s a gorgeous fall day in Arizona. It’s 6am on a Friday morning and the highway traffic noise is already humming up through the neighborhood like a faulty air conditioning system. Sitting on the patio with coffee in hand, legs propped up on one of the southwestern carved chests Hank rescued from his last hotel’s renovation I consider again my plans for the day. Soon I’ll join the frenzied highway traffic heading south on the loop around the city, past the Buckeye exit and around the Estrella mountain range where the landscape and traffic clear. It’s a straight shot to Tucson from there, passing exits connected to pain points in my past. Still beautiful, but prickly like the cactus. Wild Horse Pass, Eloy, Picacho Peak National Park, Pinal Air Park, Tucson Outlet Stores, Saguaro National Park, and the Tucson exits to historic El Charro Café and the La Paloma Resort are all bookmarks to chapters of my Arizona life. Passing Tucson, I venture...

I’ve tried various brands and types of travel pillows ---from the inflatable kind that you have to inflate prior to every flight to the squishy bulky kind that is less than inconvenient to keep clean and available during your travel day. But, the first time I tried the Trtl travel pillow I knew my search was over. Think about it. How much does your head weigh? Most estimates say about 10 pounds. That explains why my neck is so sore after I sleep on an airplane. Ten minutes into my nap my neck muscles relax and forget their job of keeping that 10-pound noggin of mine in place. That’s when the painful snap of total relaxation sends a shooting pain down the base of my neck and instantly wakes me from my resting experience.s What is the best way to sleep on the plane? In first class of course. But even if you do splurge and buy a first class seat, you’ll still need to figure out how to keep your head and neck aligned for rest and comfort. You’ll need a pillow of some ...

Don't want to deal with the crowds and traffic of these final days of Christmas shopping? Check out these last minute gift ideas for everyone on your list. (Not the usual) Gift Cards Options: I love giving gift cards that people can do instead of buy. Here are some of my go-to’s. Fitness Center Bowling Alley Skating Rink Amusement Park Museum Zoo Laser Tag Miniature Golf Skydiving Ziplining River Rafting Local Tourist Activities Check out these websites for more great ideas: http://www.cloud9living.com/ http://www.giftcards.com/gcgf/best-experiential-giftcards Rentals Did you know you can rent wives? I’m not saying that they are an appropriate holiday gift, just letting you know that you can rent just about everything -- camping gear, textbooks, even garden space. Rent a Kayak or canoe Rent a Bike Rent Snow Skis Rent Jet Skis In addition to what’s listed here, check out these options: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/money/advice/g2210/rentin...

I'm a Gingerbread Master and it's gingerbread house season so I'm  perusing the internet for ideas and came across these real-life gingerbread houses in Martha's Vineyard. Click here to learn more about this unique neighborhood!

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas Target Attraction: Pinnacle Mountain On my way from the airport to the hotel I asked my Uber driver,”What’s the best tourist attraction in Little Rock?” He piped up right away, "Pinnacle Mountain! It's the highest peak in the state, right next to the river. There's a great hiking trail to the top, not too strenuous either."  (Hmm, what's the "not too strenuous either" part about. Do I look old to you sonny?) The next morning I googled "things to see in Little Rock" and Pinnacle Mountain State Park topped the list. A good hike is a rare find on any city attraction list and with two recommendations I planned my outing for Sunday prior my 3pm work start time. Shoulda… set my alarm. Normally I don't sleep past 6:30 am but this Sunday morning I roll over in my bed, grab my phone from the bedside table and do a double take when I check the time. NINE FoRTY Zeven? I haven't slept that late in ...

Sunday I celebrated a solstice of sorts. Twelve weeks until Christmas. The glorious season of HallowThanksmas is upon us.  In addition to the usual slurry of advertisements to over spend and over eat, this year we’ll participate in an important election. I’ll experience the birth of another grandchild and take a trip to Spain. Halloween. Thanksgiving. Christmas.  It’s going to be quite a season. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I love that a day (and usually an entire weekend) is set aside to give thanks in our country. In our family we gather at my ex-laws home to celebrate with a prime rib dinner. Yup, prime rib with the ex-husband and his wife and the rest of the clan. The die-hard turkey eaters could really balk at the menu alone. But that’s not our priority on this day. Being able to set aside our differences and sit around the table together is. Just like every other family we have our fair share of family disharmony, but we choose not to let it interru...

Before becoming a full-time workamper I was focused on being the best corporate employee that I could be. Once I got on the ladder I climbed it as fast as I could. Within a few short years I doubled my income and received some pretty great perks for climbing the rungs. But that climb came with a price that surpassed what I was earning. The stress that came with it affected my health and my spirit.  I stepped off the ladder when I became a workamper living in a motorhome. I traded the corporate package benefits for a grand lifestyle, with grand vistas and even grander personalities in the transient world where I lived and worked.  Now I have a position that pays like a corporate job but allows me the freedom of living on the road. I found it by leveraging all of the talents I have developed from every job I have ever had and even then I still had to put hours of time and effort into training for my new position. Our jobs are so much more than just a conglomeration ...

In my last post I spoke about "simply living". It's a phrase that resonates deep within me. However, it's just a couple of words to most people that see it in my writing or on my business card. The two words melded into a way of life for me in 2002 when my entire life dissolved. Yes, dissolved, liquified into a state of chaos and nothingness simultaneously. Within a few hours I lost my home, my job, my car and everything I owned. It was a horrific experience. It was also a godsend. The greatest gift ever. The first night was the hardest. My mind wrestled with the grief of my losses, and then the anger that it happened to me . That little voice in my head spewed out survival options. Then it argued that I didn't have the resources or the strength to put any of those ideas into action. And finally it pointed to the source of all this calamity --- me. You see I had taken a step back from my faith during the two years prior to this day. Before then I truste...

Now stick with me here. We're going to talk about spiders. Yes, one of my least favorite things on this planet....or so I thought. I rarely saw spiders in the 20 years I lived in Arizona. And in Colorado most spiders that I came in contact with looked totally harmless. So it was easy to "live and let live". But, that's not the case here in North Carolina. Not only do the spiders here appear more frightful, they are far more plentiful than any other place I have lived. And, they aren't the only insects here either. There are beetles, and roaches, and inch-long thick , slimy, curly worms that crawl into the apartment at night, birth inch-long skinny , slimy, curly worms during the night. In the morning there's a community of these little guys inching their way around the apartment, only to dry up, die, and curl into Cheeto puff-like shapes all over the floor by noon! (Imagine taking a quick trip to the bathroom in the dark with that going on under your fee...

It's a dreary day here in North Carolina.  Not as dreary as South Carolina where residents are facing another day of unprecedented flood conditions. Not as dreary as the Bahamas where residents are cleaning up the mess left from Hurricane Joaquin.  Not as dreary as Oregon where families and friends are mourning senseless losses. All of that dreariness dampens my spirit. Writing about it floods me with guilt. There's enough sadness in these stories without me bringing attention to them in yet another blog. But I am compelled to write.  I see the bad news on television, the reporters perfectly dressed and prompted to present the dreariness with poise and professionalism. Their program is dotted with commercial breaks advertising products that will make our skin prettier, our bowels more regular, and our sex lives more active. Later in their program those same reporters will laugh about the entertainment headlines or show us the latest decorating trends to ma...