Today started out as a beautiful blue-sky Monday morning.
But by this afternoon I realized it was really a black day.  Or perhaps a black & blue day?
The bailout plan went down to defeat, as did the stock market. Shock waves are circulating.  For many, it’s a day of profound uncertainty. Insecurity. Doubt. [...]

The old tow truck, as opposed to the new tow trucks that the other drivers got to drive. When you’re the new driver at the company, you’re stuck with the oldest truck. Just one of many things I never expected to learn this day!
I set out from Phoenix with a song in my [...]

The famous, historic resort on Orcas Island - Rosario Resort - is up for auction this month. We were just there last month as part of our San Juan Islands tours.
There’s a beautiful mansion built by retired tycoon Robert Moran back in the early 1900s, that’s the heart of the resort. It’s well worth [...]

I just ran across this post from Wanderlust and Lipstick, where Beth talks about some of her favorite foods in Santa Fe.  Pictures, too — it’s enough to make me hungry!
Wanderlust & Lipstick:  Santa Fe foodie
People in Santa Fe take their food seriously, and with good reason!  It’s a distinctive regional cuisine, and you’ll find [...]

Friday adventure photo:
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Caracol was a major Mayan city, that today lies in ruins in the jungles of Belize. This was a booming metropolis, and it shows how advanced the Mayan civilization was.
At its peak (around 650 AD, well over a thousand years ago), Caracol had about 140,000 people (more than double the current capital, [...]

Friday adventure photo:
When we were up in Haines, Alaska, there was a little store with wonderful gifts inside, and the most remarkable garden outside. While others were buying artistic souvenirs, I couldn’t help snapping some photos of their amazing flowers. Even in a chilly place with a short growing season, somebody has a very [...]

We just wrapped up a couple of women’s tours to the San Juan Islands. As always, we went orca whale watching as part of the trip.
Every trip is different, and you never know what you’re going to see, but this year our two groups were fortunate to see a couple of very special things.
On [...]

Friday adventure photo:
Click for larger image
When you go to Killarney, Ireland, be sure to go to the National Park. There are some very cool things there, including Ross Castle (absolutely fascinating, and deserves a post of its own), Inishfallen Island (ruins now, but a place for scholars and princes in its day), and fancy-schmancy [...]

Friday adventure photo:
Click for larger image
This is hilarious! Or sad, depending on how you look at it…
The photo is from Tortuguero, on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. This is an area where green sea turtles come to breed every year. It used to be that people killed them by the thousands, [...]

Friday photo:
It’s almost time for our San Juan Islands trips this year, and I’d be wiling to bet that we’ll see bald eagles, orca whales, and foxglove (digitalis). We often see them when we’re hiking on Orcas Island. (The foxgloves, that is, not the whales!)
One of the cool things about this flower, [...]