Blue Heron Capital

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Linda Gardner, CPA and financial advisor, in her Denver Tech headquarters. Gardner is Co-Founder and CEO of Blue Heron Capital, LLC. Her company includes  nine full-time professionals who offer a wide range of retirement and financial planning, investment management services and advice.  They also offer a variety of helpful resources for those approaching retirement, as well as those who are already living their retirement adventure. 

Those resources include several easy to read brochures: 

Claim Smart -- a modern and comprehensive guide to Social Security

Tax Explorer for people who have more things to do in retirement than worry about taxes

Your Money--Your Retirement (Linda's Book)

You've reached the Retirement Summit--Now What?

More resources can be found on their website: YourMoneyYourRetirement.com 

Every Saturday and Sunday, Linda has a radio show called Your Money Your Retirement wherein she discusses retirement choices and provides valuable and informative advice. Listeners can call with questions and concerns about their savings, retirement planning and how to protect their investments. In fact, I will be a guest on her show this coming Saturday, Nov 7, AND for this show she has a special surprise for the first ten listeners who call in for advice. 

You can hear her radio show on the following:

Saturday, Nov 7 - 850 KOA at 8:00 am

Saturday, Nov 7 - 630 KHOW at 10:00 am

Sunday, Nov 8 - Freedom 93.7 fm and 760 am at 9:00 am. 

Linda had read and enjoyed my latest book, 30 Exceptional Places to Visit in England...off the Beaten Track, very much and wanted to share it with her listeners. During the show, you will learn about people and places that few visitors would ever know unless they'd actually grown up in the country...including some of the history of  the Washington, Sherman and Penn families. We are connected to England via our ancestors; we have a lot more in common than most people know. 

To learn more about Elizabeth's books...please go to: evwbooks.com.

Red-footed Boobies of the Galapagos

 

Photo courtesy: Isabella II

Unlike their Blue-footed cousins, the Red-footed Boobie appears to prefer a tree branch instead of the rocks of the Galapagos Islands. They also appear to be more solitary in nature, at least we only saw single birds perched in trees. According to the ranger, the two do not mix socially and seem to be perfectly happy on their own specific islands. 

The red footed birds can only be seen on San Cristobal island. It is only one of the 120 islands that make up the  Galapagos. We bounced across the waves in a Zodiac and very quietly approached these beautiful birds to take our photgraphs. Absolutely magnificent! 

As previously mentioned, the name "boobie" loosely translated from Spanish means, "clown-like large, awkward..." while we of course use the term completely differently.

Blue Footed Boobies of the Galapagos Islands

 

Photo courtesy: Mick Billstein

Having only seen images such as these Blue-footed Boobies in magazines such as the National Geographic, they were a sight to behold. These beautiful birds, flocking together on the rocks were amazing. I'd always wondered how they got their strange name "Bobbie" so asked our guide. He told us the Spanish word roughly translates to "clown feet, clumsy, but funny..." Now I know.

One thing I will mention about our fabulous trip. I should have been better prepared. For instance, I'm not as young as I used to be (even though quite fit) my knees could have had some help on the hikes. If I had used walking sticks, they would have greatly helped me on the trails. 

The islands are very, very carefully monitored, controlled and protected (as they should be to maintain the invironment). A visitor will get roughly 60 to 90 minutes per island visit, so be prepared for strenuous climbing into --and out of a Zodiac several times a day. This is of course wearing a life vest for either a wet or dry landing. Remember to take a special bag to keep your phone dry as most of us use our phones for taking photographs.

To actually walk and see what Darwin saw in 1835, was a true gift. After months of sailing on HMS Beagle, one can only imagine how he must have felt seeing the islands. It is an exceptional place to visit and one I will remember for the rest of my life.   

The Galapagos Islands

 

On a recent trip to the Galapagos Islands, I had the privilege of getting up close and personal with this magnificent tortoise. He or she (never did find out--but it has something to do with their tail) is one of the Big 15 animals on the islands. I was amazed that I was able to get so close to this wonderful animal. We had been advised by the ranger we should only approach from the rear and gradually move around so as not to scare the tortoises in their habitat. This beauty was roughly 500 lbs.

Visits to the islands are carefully controlled and monitored. The guides and rangers kept everyone organized and safe. Often, we were given one hour to visit and leave...take nothing and leave nothing accept our footprints. It was such a special time to walk in Darwin's footsteps. What an adventure!  

An Untitled Piece of Art

This large original piece of art is just waiting for a suitable home. It sits in a 51" x 41" frame so it's a heavy piece. It began life as a drop cloth used for probably hundreds of paintings, most of which have been sold over the years. When I spread the cloth on the ground and stepped back, certain colors, shapes and images appeared. I concentrated on those images and expanded most of them allowing the original shape to determine where I should take the painting. The colors are subued with occasional blue, white and taupe highlights. There's also some use of permanent markers for added effect. 

Untitled is for sale at $1000 in the frame plus packing/shipping. Or $500 plus packing/shipping rolled into a tube.  For more information please contact: 

For more information go to:

Instagram: @stu_art_wall_ace

and

@groundedcafeinc

Art Sale --- 25% Off!

 

Even while working for Fortune 500 companies most of his life, Stuart Wallace has never stopped painting. His work has been exhibited in London, New York (DUMBO) Seattle, Los Angeles, Kansas City and across Colorado. Stuart's abstract paintings explore tension between raw and refined, often drawing on organic forms, physical structures, and fractured patterns. His process in rooted in movement, material and a sense of visual rhythm shaped by his own unique sensory experiences. 

For more information go to:

Instagram: @stu_art_wall_ace

and

@groundedcafeinc

30 Exceptional Places to Visit in England...Off the Beaten Track

The concept for this book began many, many years ago. As an Englishwoman living in the USA, I was often asked the question, "I've visited all the usual places of interest...I'm ready to explore the real English countryside...what do you recommend?" That question led me to collect an extensive file on the places I know best (and some I discovered for the first time) that I believed would be of interest to a visitor. Stories of Kings, Queens, Norsemen, ghosts and witches, including The Witch Finder General who became wealthy because of his special ability to find witches (for a fee from the Crown) sometimes just because they owned a cat! 

The book begins with a story of Reverend Lawrence Washington, great-great grandfather of our first President in the sleepy little hamlet of Purleigh, Essex. How the Reverend Washington lived and died both of which led to his two sons, John and younger brother, Lawrence, disgusted by their father's treatment, left for the New World. The rest is American history. Six members of the Sherman family also left seeking a new life along with the Penn family. They are all included in 30 Exceptional Places to Visit in England...Off the Beaten Track.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZS1DP1Z