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Category: Favorite places

I’M DOING ANOTHER BIKE TRIP IN… BEAUTIFUL TUSCANY THIS FALL

A friend of ours who absolutely loves to travel and takes about 6 overseas trips a year recently asked if I wanted to join him on a Butterfield & Robinson cycling tour of Tuscany. I have cycled in Tuscany twice before and remember how difficult the riding was, but also…

REFLECTIONS ON THE PAST YEAR

2022 was amazing on so many levels! Wonderful moments with family, friends, and an adventure or two. After Marla’s doctor gave the “OK” for European travel we were all in for 3 weeks. It was a hard recuperation! I was overly excited and take full responsibility…

SPECIAL PLACES FOR CONTEMPLATION, RELAXATION, OR JUST READING A GOOD BOOK

Sometimes we need a break! A little fatigue has set in from the pressures of life, too much social media, Netflix/Amazon Prime, and unending emails and texts. We need and love connection but there are days when some quiet escape sounds pretty darn good! Where do we go? I…

THE LAST DAY IN THE CITY…THE TWINS EXPLORE CHINATOWN AND NORTH BEACH

San Francisco’s Chinatown has always been a favorite destination on trips with our grandchildren over the years. For the twins this was a totally unique experience. The photo above is our intrepid travelers at the “Dragon Gate” on Grant Avenue. This is a favorite bench of the…

MARLA MADE IT CLEAR,…”THE SHOW MUST GO ON! I MAY BE IN THE HOSPITAL FOR AWHILE SO MAKE SURE OUR ORIGINAL FAMILY INTINERARY CONTINUES AS PLANNED!”

After Marla was admitted to the hospital in Santa Rosa I waited in the parking lot for a few hours hoping I could see her but that was impossible due to COVID! I sadly drove back to Bodega Bay and help Stacy get everything into the car at our rental…

WONDERFUL BANDOL…A family get-together on the magical Côte d’Azur

Big trips with the family are a rare event these days. COVID-19, business commitments, daughters and sons-in law schedules, and grandchildren’s academic and athletic programs can totally mess up grand schemes and best of plans. In 2020, I saw a window of opportunity and immediately began…

DICK GENTRY:SEARCHING FOR ITALY

Many of you are enjoying “Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy” on CNN as he travels across Italy to discover the secrets and delights of the country’s regional cuisines. The show is wonderful… but a little dangerous for me. I find myself obsessively craving pizza, cacio…

HOW TO TURN THE HAPPINESS DIAL HIGHER…FOR REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS, AND INDEPENDENTS

I get it! You are mad as hell! Depending on your perspective you either feel President Trump’s conspiracy theories, lies, and dangerous actions are a major threat to democracy,…OR…you feel the election was rigged and people cheated for Biden. Our nation is as divided…

MY FAVORITE BEACHES… HAPPY MEMORIES IN THE SAND

I am just this close to having a truckload of sand dumped in the backyard,….a large mural of an ocean scene painted on a wall, and an outdoor speaker with sounds of waves playing. You think I am kidding? Well, these are strange times! This is a post…