Category: Uncategorized

A New BOLT Venture!

by BOLT, posted in Uncategorized

Living a life of retired, “home free” travel gives us lots of time for play and relaxation. Sometimes, though, you want to produce, to create. Kathy has decided to use her considerable talents in the creation of t-shirts. Right now a few of her creations are available at Amazon.com with more shirts and places to buy them coming soon. I’m excited to support her in this new venture and am looking forward to what will unfold. Check out her first three shirts then click the links for details and to order.

Qualities of a Black Woman

Kicking my Heels (great gift idea for all you grandparents)

Breathe and Let Go

RICE It!

by BOLT, posted in African American, Baja California, Black, Ensenada, family, Fun, healthcare, knee pain, Long term travel, Mexico, Old, POC, queer, retirement, rv, RVing, Uncategorized

I’m going to be down for about a week and not too happy about it! I’m very much a woman who likes to fill up her days with activities. Here in Ensenada, I’ve been going for 90 minute walks on rough roads and running and dancing on the sandy beach. I don’t know exactly how but I’ve injured my right knee. Ignoring the pain (for about 2 weeks) hasn’t helped and reducing my exercise time hasn’t helped. Finally I am paying attention to my wise wife…which always helps. Kathy reminded me that this knee thing has happened to me before (2 years ago) and the solution was RICE. No, not the often delicious grain that I love.

The combination of rest, ice, compression and elevation are what solved my problem two years ago and I trust it will do so again. So, rather than sink into self-pity or drama about it, I thought I’d do something helpful and share this solution. I also want to share gratitude that our BOLT life allows me the time to RICE and a beautiful and serene place to do it in. Looking forward to being up and about in a week…just in time for our excursion into town for Black Panther, hopefully able to do this then!

Turistas Por un Día

by BOLT, posted in African American, Baja California, Black, Ensenada, Fun, Lesbian, Mexico, Old, queer, retirement, rv, RVing, serendipity, Travel, Uncategorized, WOC, Women

Yesterday BOLT had lots of fun being Ensenada tourists for a day. While Kathy and I are enjoying the simple life here at the Mona Lisa RV Park, there is not much excitement. So, along with our neighbor we set out to have some fun. We caught the mini-bus just outside our gate and within thirty minutes we were in the center of town. From there we had a great day! Let me show you in pictures. Our first stop was lunch. We ha a delicious and inexpensive meal at Antojitos Lula. Three meals, including soup, appetizers and beverages was 300 pesos ($15) total! Definitely a place where we will return. We worked off our lunch by strolling through the busy streets of downtown Ensenada, window shopping and just taking in the sights, sounds and colors. We visited this really cool museum. The Museo Histórico Regional is a small museum set on the site of a former prison. You can visit the former cells and there are exhibits about early life in Baja. I especially enjoyed practicing my Spanish with one of the curators. We both agreed that: “En todo el mundo la mayoria de los prisioners son inocentes.” That most are imprisoned for lack of money. Our walk continued to the cruise ship harbor. A big ship was in port so there were lots of vendors out. We are savy enough to know not to buy anything, it was all overpriced but fun to see. Our last stop was the beautiful Instituto Nacional de Antropologia y Historia. This is a fairly large museum and we didn’t have time to explore it all. The part we visited replicated a cave and had anthropological finds exhibited throughout. Another place we will definitely return to. We most definitely had the perfect day of tourism and we were happy to return to our peaceful Mona Lisa home.

?Por Qué Ensenada? Cinco Razones!

by BOLT, posted in African American, Baja California, Black, Ensenada, family, Fun, Long term travel, Mexico, POC, queer, retirement, rv, RVing, Travel, Uncategorized, WOC, Women

This is our second visit in the RV to Ensenada and probably our fifth or sixth between cruises and car trips.  We never spent more than a day, usually just a few hours.  This time we’ve been here a few weeks and find ourselves loving it. What’s different? I think mostly it was our willingness to explore the city more deeply, to look beyond the smoggy, crowded big city feel or the cheesy touristy vibe near the cruise ship docks.  Here are some of the reasons  (razones) why.

Nuestro Barrio (Our Neighborhood)

We are staying well outside of the main city in the Chapultepec district. It has a very rural feeling with small tiendas (shops) and businesses that supply everything we need at very affordable prices. 

!El Océano! (The ocean!)

What more can I say? This is what we see, less than 40 feet from our RV door.  We are loving the sounds of waves crashing and seeing schools of dolphins swimming by.

Paradas Continuas (Continuous Stops)

These little mini busses are great!  For 13 pesos  (around 50 cents) they take you all around Ensenada and the surrounding areas. We’ve had lots of fun riding them up and down the hilly, small communities that surround the Big city. Soon we plan to take one into city central where we can visit the museums. 

La Marcoplaza (Grand Plaza)

Just a short bus ride away is this really cool spot with all the conveniences of any modern mall.  There always seems to be some sort of entertainment happening. There’s a Walmart, Home Depot and a really beautiful movie theater. We actually spent our first night in the parking lot here and were undisturbed. Now it’s a fun little day trip for us.

Persona Amable (Kind People)

Not just Ensenada but everywhere we have traveled we have been so blessed to meet kind and helpful people. It really does make a difference. We feel safe and  welcomed here in Ensenada and look forward to exploring more of the area. If you have any experience here we’d love to hear your suggestions. 

Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa! We adore you!

by BOLT, posted in African American, Baja California, Black, family, Fun, Gay, generational, Lesbian, Long distance, Long term travel, Mexico, Old, POC, queer, retirement, rv, RVing, Travel, travel, Uncategorized, WOC, Women

The Mona Lisa RV Park and Motel is far from the fanciest or most modern place in Ensenada but we find it absolutely perfect for BOLT! 

We are right next to the Pacific Ocean, separated by a rocky breakwater. There is a stone stairway that leads down to a clean, shell strewn beach. When the tide is out you can walk along the ocean for miles.

Of course, the ocean is beautiful, but the uniqueness of the Mona Lisa is all the art work here. There are murals and sculptures all over, many of them depicting Mexican history and Toltec and Aztec sacred figures.
All the necessities of life (groceries, laundry, drinking water) are within walking distance. Plus there is a sweet little mini bus that comes practically to our door and takes you right into Ensenada Centro.

Things are a little run down but the staff is wonderful and very helpful. We have a great spot for our Winnie. It looks out onto the crashing waves and has a little table, outdoor kitchen and a palapa  (thatched shade). There is really good wifi and our spot has electric, sewer and non-potable water hook ups. A spot like this in California would be at least  $65 a day.  Here at the Mona Lisa it is  $20 a day and a month is a huge discount down  to $330 a month. 

We are really enjoying the mild weather, relaxing lifestyle and affordable prices. We will probably be here for a couple of months. Ensenada is a less than 6 hour car trip for our So Cal friends and there’s an airport for everyone else. We sure would love to see you! 

Ready for Mexico, Again! 

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, family, Fun, Long term travel, Mexico, Old, POC, queer, retirement, rv, RVing, Travel, Uncategorized

Our time here in Southern California is coming to an end. We’ve enjoyed wonderful visits with family and friends. Now it time to hit the road on another adventure in our 1995 “Minnie Winnie” class C Winnebago RV.


We’ve decided to visit Mexico again with the intention of staying a year. We will start of visit in Baja and are looking forward to revisiting some of our favorite places and discovering some new spots. Of great help has been the newly updated book Camping Mexico’s Baja by Mike and Terri Church. 

RVing in Baja was great, lots of beautiful beaches, historic towns and kind people. We’d love visitors, please follow us and join us as we travel slowly south. Just let us know if you are thinking of coming: boltraveling@gmail.com.

We are also seriously considering traveling from Baja (by ferry) over to mainland Mexico. There are several regions we are really hoping to visit on the mainland.  Mexico has been consistently named one of the best countries for retirement.  We’d love hearing about any experience or suggestions you may have about the mainland. 

We really appreciate all the comments and support we receive on this blog. Kathy and I are so full of gratitude for our lives of love, service and travel! 

BOLT: Black Old Lesbians Thanksgiving 

by BOLT, posted in Uncategorized

Today seems like a good day to share about a few of the many things I am thankful for. Giving thanks  (along with food, family and friends) is what this holiday is all about, right?

I am thankful for Kathy, for our marriage and for the life of love and service we have built and are living. 

I’m grateful for Spirit in our lives, for God, the Ancestors, the Angels, the Orishas and the Bodhisattvas. 

I’m grateful for family, whether the connection is of blood or of love, our families are wonderful! 

I’m grateful for our fabulous friends! 

I’m grateful for our travels and all the amazing places we have visited. 

I’m grateful for nature and all the natural beauty we have experienced. 

I’m grateful for Kahlo and for the joy (and exercise) she has brought to us.

I’m grateful for our fast house, slow car and the RV lifestyle. 

I’m grateful for being a Black Old Lesbian Traveling! 

BOLT’s Top 5: Why We Love RV Life! 

by BOLT, posted in Uncategorized

It’s almost been a year since we bought our 1994 Minnie Winnie RV and began traveling around North America. While not without challenges, we continue to love the RV lifestyle. Here’s our top 5 reasons why. 


 5. No packing and unpacking! Having lived out of suitcases for a year in Asia we really appreciate having all our “stuff” with us. We don’t forget anything and there’s a place for everything as long as we are mindful about not having too much stuff.


4. Cooking! I really enjoy cooking and eating my own cooking so having an RV with a full kitchen is perfect. We are much healthier and we save money too.


3. Kahlo! Having an RV means that we can have a dog. Kahlo has been a great addition to the BOLT family.


 2. Visiting Friends and Family! While we both love meeting new people on the road, one of the biggest benefits of having an RV is that we can visit folks without imposing on their hospitality or incurring the expense of a hotel stay.


1. Travel! Winnie has now been to 3 countries and 24 U.S. states. We’ve seen so many beautiful places and met wonderful people so of course the number one reason we love RVing is because we are BOLT: Black Old Lesbians TRAVELING! 

Boundlessly Homeward

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, buddhist, credit cards, family, Fun, Gay, generational, healthcare, hospital, Lesbian, life coach, Long distance, Long term travel, Medical, Medicare, Obama Care, Old, pharmacist, POC, queer, retirement, Spain, spiritual, Thailand, Travel, travel, tropical disease, Uncategorized, WOC, Women

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In one week Marci and I will board a plane for a twenty-four hour flight back to the US. We haven’t been home in a year. As a matter of fact, we celebrated our one year on the road anniversary two weeks ago. We haven’t really yearned to return to the States. We of course look forward to seeing our family and friends but we dread the “noise” of the United States. Those conversations about who is winning as if speaking about a horse race instead of a yet still undecided national election. Or the seemingly daily shootings at schools or during unnecessary police encounters. And the ever-present advertising of fast food, fast cars, fast acting nasal spray. Everything wants to be fast in America. But Marci and I have embraced slow. We eat slow. Our food is prepared after we order it. We move slow. Most days we never use a car. We travel slow.

But we do have a plan. The fact is the US is much more than all those dreads, that have recently caused both of us to moan and doubt our ability to cope as individuals and as a happily married unit. For us, the United States is a place of unbelievable beauty. We have traveled to the Grand Canyon and Glacier National Parks. And as we find every time we travel anywhere on earth, the US is place of astonishing kindness. Like the apparenBOLT ustly homeless woman we met a a rest stop who shared her homemade jam inspiring us to share our morning coffee. We three had a breakfast picnic before Marci and I drove onward to eventually meet some friends in New Orleans for Essence Fest.

There is without a doubt a system of racist policies and racist actions in our country, the results of which slash our hearts. But we decided we were not going to allow those things to keep us from enjoying the beauty. So we are buying an RV and touring the country for a year or so, visiting National Parks, museums and chatting with women of a certain age about their relationship to our country.

This trip home is not the end of our international travels. North America is just another continent and once we are ready we will move on. But while we are home we will explore America from a black, queer and elder perspective. These things inform our choices and inspire us. We know we want to attend several women festivals throughout the year beginning with one 20160619_132905-1.jpgof our favorites the NIA Gathering. We also want to visit Underground Railroad sites. We’ve left lots of free time in our schedule so that we can take suggestions and move slowly and boundlessly.

We invite your suggestions and hope you will continue to follow our travels as we return home.

If you had a year to travel North America where would you go? What would be your first three stops. Please share in the comments.