My website, a hobby of mine, shares the accumulated chapters of my life, spanning seven decades of living, lessons learned, country migration, and personal growth. Thankfully, it is still a storyline in progress. It is dedicated to family, friends & anyone curious about my journey.

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” — Søren Kierkegaard

The site concept is to: (1) document my fantastically varied life journey, & (2) to share my retirement experiences and observations for a tranquil life in Thailand – for those who may be interested.

It has been said that the best stories are written with a passport, so after 75 years and countless miles traveled, I have settled into retirement to share mine. Two citizenships, living in three countries, & numerous international and domestic travels, has broadened my perspective on life. It has allowed for my own personal growth, acceptance of difference & peace of mind.

What does a truly global life look like? It involves an endless string of goodbyes, beautiful hellos, fascinating experiences; however, it took three countries and countless travel miles around the world to realize that sometimes, the greatest adventure is the view from your own back porch. I find that during retirement, time in Thailand moves at a slower pace than in previous years of our lives. My reflections are shared from the vantage point of an easy-paced retirement for the past 12 years, in sunny Thailand. It’s been a wonderfully diverse life with twists, turns & great adventures all along the journey.

Creating this website

I enjoy recollecting (while I can) and fondly reminiscing about my past to capture the varied journey so far. I enjoy sharing stories of my unscripted life over the years, along with the odyessy that led me here to Thailand, & life today. This involves memoirs of earlier times in Canada, my roots, my Royal Canadian Mounted Police career & early travel adventures, as well as my experiences in Australia, another working life, & extensive travels there. It also covers my wider, worldly overseas travel explorations for work & pleasure. Then, our Thailand retirement life in the Provinces of Chiang Mai and Nakhon Phanom, building our Thai country home & simple exploits enjoying daily outings among the people, food & cultural variations of Thailand.

Pages – Explore the “site menu” for links to life’s journey stories.

Posts – “click link” – Latest Blog Posts – random posts of Thai retirement life.

After living retired in Thailand for some time, my cultural exposure suggests that some “food for thought” sayings can reflect realities of life here, & offer ideas on the way of living stress-free, such as:

• “The art of life lies in a constant readjustment of our surroundings.”
• “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, then change your attitude about it.
• “As it doesn’t get better, it just gets different.“

Understanding the following Thai cultural perspectives might assist in easier integration into Thai way of life:

• Soft Heart (Giving Nature): This aligns with the core value of Nam Jai (literally “water from the heart), which represents genuine kindness, hospitality, and generosity. This is deeply influenced by the Buddhist concept of merit-making.
• Mai pen rai” (ไม่เป็นไร): translates to “it’s okay,” “no worries,” or “never mind,”. This “never mind” attitude reflects a resilient approach to life’s trouble, choosing to stay positive rather than dwelling on problems. It reflects a laid-back, go-with-the-flow approach used to dismiss small problems, accept apologies. In my view, the use of “Mai pen rai” is a significant concept: It represents a desire to avoid conflict and maintain a relaxed, harmonious atmosphere, often summarised as “no big deal.” This concept can be misunderstood. I try to live by this to ensure my peaceful & easy retirement life.
• Surface Harmony: Thai people prioritise keeping interactions smooth and pleasant; they often use a smile to mask stress, consumption, or even anger to save face and maintain harmony.
• Cool Heart (Jai Yen): the goal is to remain calm and non-confrontational, regardless of external pressure. This “coolness” is seen as a sign of maturity and strength.
• Kreng Jai: This is a uniquely Thai trait, being extremely considerate and hesitant to impose on others, which can sometimes be mistaken for indecisiveness by outsiders.

My observations about Thai retirement living, & what works best for me & why, are shared in this article link: Art of the Pivot, An Observation of – Reflections on 12 Years Retired in Thailand

Our Retirement Location

Today, my spouse & I are living in North East (Isaan) Thailand, near the town of That Phanom, in Nakhon Phanom Province, situated on the banks of the mighty Mekong River, opposite the country of Laos. Thailand has been our home base for over 12 years. We first arrived into Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) in 2014, and enjoyed life in that popular tourist town until our move in early 2024 to the countryside in That Phanom.

We now enjoy a different lifestyle, with laid-back, slow-paced rural country days on offer, living in the small town & district of That Phanom, on the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom Province. It is well known and famously visited for the Buddhist temple, Wat Phra That Phanom.

The small town has a population of around 12,000, while the wider district has a population of 84,000. There are 12 sub-districts and 142 villages in That Phanom district. Interestingly the population of Orillia, Ontario, Canada ( where I was born & raised) was approximately 12,000/ 15,000 in the 1950/60’s. A similar size community, and might explain my easy acceptance of living in our smaller Thai town.

We are pretty well supported in town with a Lotus shopping centre, a variety of services, supply and food vendors, with most everyday needs catered for. The atmosphere is primarily quiet & rural, with Mekong River frontage. It becomes very busy during major festivals. The most pleasant time of year is the cooler season from November to February.

Thai Home Construction Adventure

The project to build our retirement home began in March 2024, was completed and we moved in just before Christmas 2024. We have named our home – R/Ace (Ron & Ace) Country Cottage. It sits on 3.7 Rai (1.5 acres) of rural countryside, a few kilometres from That Phanom. We are pleased with the results of our design planning, the construction phase, fit-out and landscaping efforts. It is:

My Retirement Destination; A Sanctuary: sheltered, serene and where I belong; Finally Home

YouTube Channel – I was a hobby “YouTuber” during the 9-month building period, reporting weekly construction progress on my channel. If house construction & building experiences in Thailand interest you, more information is available in the “menu link” (Thai Home Build) above, or watch the full build series on this “YouTube link”.

Retired Tranquil in Thailand –

The outlook from our home is peaceful, with a nicely landscaped yard & gardens with views to rural bushlands & banana plants.

A Bit on Our Backgrounds

Web Host – I am an Australian / Canadian expat, enjoying life after retirement from a variety of interesting careers:

• Family Business – Service Station/Garage during my growing up/teen years
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (a Canuk Mountie for 21 years),
• Australian Government Protective Security (Aussie public servant 10 yrs)
• Sydney Airport Security Manager ( aviation security specialist 13 yrs) & finally
• Australian Honorary Consul Chiang Mai (Aus Hon Con 8 years) – & my farewell to a working life.

My Spouse – & I have been together for 26+ years. He is a dual Thai/Aussie citizen having lived 20+ yrs in Australia with careers in restaurant hospitality & the medical laboratory industry. He enjoyed living in Sydney, travelling to many parts of Australia & joining me on enjoyable overseas trips. While happy to be back in Thailand, we consider ourselves as  being fairly well-traveled and live a “life less ordinary”.

We take pleasure in our Thai country property, where life is slower, and enjoyment comes from a rural lifestyle. It well suits our retirement. There is no shortage of activities to keep us busy around home, like maintenance & improvement projects, planning, creating & caring for landscaping & gardens, pet care, along with exploring the local food scene, touring the Isaan Region, and broader Thailand when we can. We also keep in regular contact with my family in Australia (son, daughter & grandkids) & the USA (son), as well as Ace’s family in Thailand.

Our Family Pets

While in Thailand, we have been accompanied by lovely pets. When relocating here from Sydney, Australia, we brought our two Burman cats, who had been with us for many years. Their airline journey was successful. Once in Chiang Mai we adopted a wonderful English Cream Golden Retriever (Lex) from a breeder in Korat. Then we added to our pet family by adopting a lovely Pomeranian, Izzy, from a Chiang Rai breeder.

We were a family with 4 pets until 2018 when Lindsay, one of the Burman cats died of kidney failure. Unexpectedly, on 21 July 2025 our beloved cream golden retriever of nearly 12 years, LEX, passed away while boarding with a Vet Clinic in Nakhon Phanom, while we were in Bangkok.

To view information on our pets’ stories here.(click link). The pictures are of Lex (Retriever), Izzy (Pom) & cats Lucas & Lindsay (Burman), along with AI portraits made from these photos.

Local scenery along the Mekong River.

One only needs to venture a short distance to take in the lovely scenery along the Mekong River. A short drive away allows us to explore and enjoy the infrastructure aspects of the larger cities of Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan & Sakon Nakhon.

BIO of LIFE REFLECTION – Here is a “YouTube link” for a video that is a snapshot of my life’s journey, careers, & family – up until my Sydney airport retirement, before our move to Thailand in 2014. It was shown at my retirement farewell function.