personal travel: Wordless Wednesday: Al Fresco Dining at Lake Tahoe
- 08/16/17 11:26 AM
Al Fresco Dining at Lake Tahoe
The food wasn't fancy, but the views were stunning, and the company was excellent (my wife) for this casual al fresco lunch a few years ago at Lake Tahoe. We spent several days at a house there, courtesy of a buyer client as a thank you. No reservations were needed and we were the only ones dining there at the time.
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personal travel: 75 Degrees to 107 Degrees in Just 2 Hours – Crazy!!
- 07/20/17 05:06 PM
75 Degrees to 107 Degrees in Just 2 Hours – Crazy!!
I was again reminded about how dramatically the temperatures can vary from our coastal area here in Carlsbad to the California desert. We enjoy visiting the desert cities from time to time, even when it’s warm, and just returned from a quick getaway. The shift from 75 degrees the other morning when we left, to 107 degrees 2 hours later when we drove down the mountains into Palm Desert, was a bit of a shock.
The nice thing about visiting at this time of year in the desert is it is not … (24 comments)
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personal travel: Wordless Wednesday: Big Sur Coastal View
- 05/10/17 03:24 PM
Big Sur Coastal View
It's pretty hard to be wordless when driving the Big Sur coastline, and if you enjoy taking photos you spend a lot of time exclaiming, and stopping to take pictures of this extraordinary area.
This was taken back in 2007, on one of our several trips up the coast to Monterey, San Francisco, and finally wine country. I'm ready to go again, although with the storms this past winter, landslides, and issues with the road and a bridge damaged beyond repair, I understand the area south of Pfeiffer Canyon (which includes the posh Ventana Inn and Post Ranch Inn, … (22 comments)
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personal travel: Throwback Thursday: Goofing Around on the Hanapepe Bridge
- 04/13/17 01:09 PM
Goofing Around on the Hanapepe Bridge
Hanapepe is a very cool, artsy town in the south central area of Kaua'i. It's a neat place to stop for lunch and to tour some wonderful art galleries and other shops, on the way to Waimea Canyon, or heading home.
The Hanapepe Swinging Bridge was built in 1911 and used by residents to cross the river. My understanding is it took quite a beating with Hurricane Iniki but underwent restoration. It really does move quite a bit when you walk on it and one can't help bouncing around a little bit...as long as no one else is nearby!
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personal travel: Wordless Wednesday: Not So Wordless Kauai Rooster
- 03/15/17 04:32 PM
Kauai Rooster
Kauai is famous for its chickens and roosters - or perhaps that's infamous.
These feral chickens are everywhere, including running around the grounds at the Princeville Westin Resort Villas where we have stayed a couple of times. They are not, as those of you who have been to Kauai likely know, wordless by any stretch of the imagination. While the official state bird of Hawai'i is the Nene, the joke seems to be that the real "official" bird are the wild roosters and chickens on Kauai.
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personal travel: Throwback Thursday: Paraty Brazil
- 02/02/17 12:49 PM
Paraty Brazil
We spent 8 days in São Paulo Brazil back in 2003 when our younger daughter was there at the university for a year. It was an amazing city, of many contrasts, with about 12,000,000 people and it made for many hours of interesting exploration.
We also spent 2 days in Paraty, a charming and historic coastal town about midway between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The town is an old port with cobbled streets and buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, many of them now hosting restaurants and retailers.
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personal travel: Throwback Thursday: Cattle Egret on Kauai
- 12/22/16 01:09 PM
Cattle Egret on Kauai
On one of our recent trips to Kauai we stumbled upon a very pleasant, easy and beautiful hike through the 500-acre Wai Koa mahogany plantation in Kilauea, not far from where we were staying in Princeville on the north shore.
We spied this cattle egret sitting at the very top of a tree who didn't seem the least bothered by our presence. He, or she, was apparently surveying the kingdom in search of some tasty morsel.
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personal travel: Throwback Thursday: Lombard Street in San Francisco
- 10/20/16 01:52 AM
Lombard Street in San Francisco
Sometimes it's really fun to be a tourist, whether you are out to see all the recommended touristy things, or just let things unfold as you wander.
San Francisco is a favorite city of ours to visit for a host of reasons - great food, beautiful views, plenty of things to see and do, including being a tourist.
Back in 2008 checking out Lombard Street on Russian Hill, reportedly the crookedest street in the worldwith 8 hairpin turns, was on the list. I drove it, walked it, and of course photographed it. Can you imagine living along this tourist-infested road?
While … (35 comments)
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personal travel: Wordless Wednesday: Tuscan Countryside
- 10/12/16 12:41 AM
Tuscan Countryside
We spent 8 days in Tuscany a couple of years ago, about 45 minutes outside of Florence. In contrast to many other vacations where we spent so much time bustling around trying to see as much as possible, this trip was far more relaxed...and badly needed.
The focus was on relaxation, enjoying beautiful scenery, and exploring some of the small towns nearby including some fabulous restaurants at our leisure. I don't even remember specifically where this was taken, but it doesn't matter, does it?!
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personal travel: Throwback Thursday: The Big Sur Coastline in California
- 08/18/16 06:30 AM
The Big Sur Coastline in California
California has some really beautiful coastline, about 800 of miles of it. The Big Sur area in Monterey County is spectacular and a beautiful drive on a 2-lane road that will have you oohing and aahing at every turn..and boy, are there are lot of them.
This is one of many vistas from our drive from Carlsbad to Napa along the coast back in 2012.
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personal travel: Excellence Up Close and Personal in Idyllwild CA
- 08/14/16 12:06 PM
Excellence Up Close and Personal
You might be thinking this is about the Olympics. But it's not.
We just spent a long weekend in Idyllwild, a mountain town about 2 hours from Carlsbad filled with art, music, good restaurants, and an alpine feel, at over 5000 feet above sea level and a haven for hikers and those who love the outdoors!
We had two terrific dinners, but our best experience, Saturday night, was at Fratello's in the downtown area.
It was a beautiful warm evening, with a lively crowd, and a terrific jazz band ("Umlimited") on the outdoor patio. We were treated to wonderful … (15 comments)
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personal travel: Throwback Thursday: A Trip to Sao Paulo Brazil
- 08/04/16 04:59 AM
A Trip to Sao Paulo Brazil
We spent 8 days in Sao Paulo, Brazil, along with a side trip to Paraty (south of Rio) back in 2003.
It's an amazing, and surprising, city in many ways, and one of the world's larger cities with over 20 million people. The gap between the rich and the poor is staggering, and crime is rampant, yet the technology, fashion, dining, shopping, and museums present a side of Brazil's largest city that one is often unaware of until you experience it.
These views are from a restaurant at the top of a 40+ story tower, with the city, … (37 comments)
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personal travel: Throwback Thursday: Taro Fields, Hanalei Valley, Kaua'i
- 07/14/16 10:07 AM
Taro Fields, Hanalei Valley, Kaua'i
I must be on a Kaua'i kick and ready for a vacation.
I suspect most of you who have visited Kaua'i on the north shore have stopped to take in this view of the taro fields in the Hanalei Valley just west of Princeville. You can't miss it.
There's not much going on in Princeville, although the St. Regis is a pretty cool place to hang out (the Champagne Ritual at Sunset overlooking the bay is magnificent), but on the trip to Hanalei (don't miss visiting this charming and picturesque little town) you pass these beautiful fields.
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personal travel: Almost Wordless Wednesday: Waimea Canyon on Kaua'i
- 07/13/16 08:51 AM
Waimea Canyon on Kaua'i
I doubt anyone who has been to the Grand Canyon for the first time has stood there, wordless. How could you?!
The same might be said for Waimea Canyon on the island of Kaua'i on the west side bordering the Na Pali Coast. While not as dramatic, Wiamea Canyon is described as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It's well worth a visit on this beautiful island if you haven't been. This was back in October 2013.
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personal travel: Ka'anapali Beach, Maui at Sunset
- 07/10/16 11:50 AM
Ka'anapali Beach, Maui at Sunset
I was reliving our October 2015 trip to Maui by looking at some photos and this one grabbed my attention. I always seem drawn to sunsets no matter where I have traveled, and Ka'anapali Beach has some spectacular ones. There's something special about being at the beach watching the sun set over the water.
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personal travel: Throwback Thursdays: Cancun Hurricane 2009
- 07/07/16 05:30 AM
Cancun Hurricane 2009
It was supposed to be a very special vacation week around my birthday in Cancun, our first trip there and a brand new Westin Lagunamar Resort on the ocean. Hurricane season was officially over. Ha!
The first 2 days were terrific - very hot and humid but great times at the pool, beach, exploring the town and wonderful dining.
On Day 3 word came that Hurricane Ida was brewing in the Caribbean and they expected it could hit the area or nearby within a few days, but the weather started changing soon after, and before long there was constant rain, increasing … (18 comments)
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personal travel: Almost Wordless Wednesday: Italian Bottles at Sunset
- 06/29/16 04:16 AM
Italian Bottles in the Sunset
There were several sets of these large and beautifully shaped greenish bottles scattered about the property at this villa/condo we stayed at in Tuscany. Not sure if they served a useful purpose in the past, perhaps for wine or oil, or not.
This collection at sunset was particularly striking. Of course it could have been where we were that made the difference!
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personal travel: Orlando Memorial Sand Castle in San Diego
- 06/21/16 10:35 AM
We took a day and a half to enjoy being tourists in San Diego, and spent some of the time on Coronado Island on Father's Day in the town and at the Hotel Del Coronado.
We stumbled across this amazing sand castle memorial to the horrific shootings in Orlando on the beach in front of the hotel. It was very moving, to say the least, and amazingly detailed.
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personal travel: 30 Hours as a Tourist in San Diego – Little Planning Needed
- 06/20/16 01:55 PM
How to Spend 30 Hours as a Tourist in San Diego
A Photo Journey
I wrote yesterday, on Father’s Day, that we were taking off for about 30 hours to be tourists in America’s Finest City. It wasn’t clear how the time would unfold since we were just going to go where our moods took us.
30 hours later we’re back after having a wonderful time and seeing some sights in San Diego. We did little planning except to make the hotel reservation for last night in the Gaslamp District in San Diego, and to set up a dinner reservations at Osteria Panevino, a few … (12 comments)
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personal travel: How Will the Day Unfold?
- 06/19/16 02:08 AM
We're taking off for a Staycation here
in America's Finest City
It's Father's Day, but we decided also, rather last minute, to just take the next 24 hours or so and see how things unfold. Sometimes it's nice to not have everything all planned out and just see where the inspiration takes us. And to play tourist in the city where you live. Who knows what we will discover that was previously unknown. I'll have my camera in tow, too!
The hotel in the Gaslamp District is confirmed, as is dinner at a terrific Italian restaurant in that area, Osteria Panevino, but apart … (30 comments)
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Al Fresco Dining at Lake Tahoe
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