AUTHOR’S NOTE: For those of you just catching up, I’m documenting my recent trip to the Florida Keys from three weeks ago, so if you’ve missed the first two installments, make sure to read “Part 1 – Islamorada” and “Part 2 – Key West” from the last two weeks! Not being the young, party bucks we used to be, it was slow going as we arose in the morning to leave Key West. I made one more run for Cuban…
AUTHOR’S NOTE: For those of you just catching up, I’m documenting my recent trip to the Florida Keys from two weeks ago, so if you’ve missed the first installment, make sure to read “Part 1 – Islamorada” from last week! Picking up where we left off last week, we finished up our Tarpon-feeding antics at Robbie’s in Islamorada and continued our travels southward over the Seven Mile Bridge, passing by “Fred” the tree (a rogue tree growing up out of…
Ahhh, the dream of the typical, American family. There’s Mom, Dad, the eldest son and the youngest daughter. They get the happy news in April that Dad got that well-deserved promotion at work and to celebrate, this summer they are going to pack up their suitcases and head down to Orlando, Florida for a week of fun and frolic at the most magical place on earth, Walt Disney World. They excitedly talk about it over the dinner table, discussing what…
I just got back from a wonderful beach week with my wife’s family in South Carolina. We ate well, laughed often, and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company for seven days. The only downside of the whole experience was getting there and back. Now in my younger days (as a single man), I used to enjoy a long road trip. It was a challenge to see how fast I could pound out the miles. I’d make each pit stop for gas,…
I’m currently getting ready to take a long-awaited family vacation. In just a short week, I’ll be joining all of the family (on my wife’s side) as we get together on the shores of South Carolina. All of my spouse’s siblings will be there (including her sister from Germany and cousins from far-off Norway) – about twenty-five people in total. We’ll be packed into two side-by-side beach houses, just steps away from the Atlantic Ocean, parking the cars in favor…
All over the four-state area, high school seniors are taking that inspirational walk across the stage in their caps and gowns, shaking hands with a school official as photos are snapped, and ending their high school careers with diplomas in hand. The future is full of promise and new beginnings – college for some, and work for others. But first – it’s time to party. For many high school graduates, that means only one thing. It’s time to head to…
Welcome back for “Day 4” of a recap of my recent “bucket list” vacation to the Tuscan region of Italy. I hope you’re enjoying the sights and sounds of Italy as I relay them to you each week. We’re halfway through the trip, and I hope you’ll stay until the end. Let’s get back to our Tuscan adventure! Day 4: A Tour of Siena and a Glimpse of Italian TV We awoke to another picture-perfect Italian morning. Not a cloud…
Welcome back for “Day 3” of a recap of my recent “bucket list” vacation to the Tuscan region of Italy. The memories flow back to me as I write this column each week, and I hope you are enjoying the trip so far. I hope you’ll stick around each week until we reach the end. Let’s get started on another day in the Tuscan countryside! Day 3: A Farm Tour, “Light Lunch”, and Our First Dinner in a “Real” Italian…
Welcome back for “Day 2” of a recap of my recent “bucket list” vacation to the Tuscan region of Italy. Your response so far to the trip has been extremely positive (thank you!), and I hope you’ll stick around each week until we reach the end. Let’s get started on another day in Italy, shall we? Day 2: Orientation at the Agriturismo and Our First Winery Tour The morning is overcast and cool. I’m sitting on the terrace, nursing a…
As I mentioned in the last post, my wife and I were headed off last week for a “bucket list” vacation to the Tuscan region of Italy. It truly was one of the best weeks of our lives, and I hope to relay some sense of our adventure to you in the coming weeks. I’ll focus on one day of our trip in each post, and I hope you’ll come along for the ride. Day 1: Getting There is Part…