Category Archives: Travel

2006, fifteen years ago.

One of the most glamorous cities in the world! Well, they want you to think that. 24/7 glitz, glamour, bright lights, action, activity, shows, and gambling, gambling, gambling!

Of course, Las Vegas.

We were there on our 5th anniversary, staying at the Bellagio. Plenty of pictures of the fountains out in front, the extravagant displays along The Strip, the wonderful facades around every corner in every hotel. (I take a lot of pictures!) Gorgeous, all of them!

But the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas are only skin deep, a veneer. That’s not necessarily bad and it doesn’t necessarily make it a place where you can’t have fun. But don’t forget, and remember why that entire fake place exists – to separate you from your cash.

And in back of the veneer… Even if you’re there for your anniversary and want it to be special… When you’re staying at one of the really nice, new hotels… But maybe got the discount room…

You might find that it’s a twenty minute hike from the front desk to your hotel room, and you can only just see the fountains by going waaaaaaay over into the corner window and peeking around the two other towers between you and the show, and about 90% of what you see looking out your window is not neon or fountains or pirate ships or roller coasters, but instead is really, REALLY LOUD construction equipment about 18 hours a day.

Maybe that’s why I liked this picture so much more than all of the expected ones.

The seed thought for tonight’s random photo generator brainwave was, “What was I doing ten years ago?”

Wandering around down by the waterfront at a UC Berkeley facility after a storm, apparently.

WHY was I at Berkeley? That’s a long story. Let’s say that I was chasing wild geese and still getting a pay check for doing it. But it was interesting.

Have a safe Thanksgiving tomorrow if you’re in the US. I hope you’re able to stay home if possible. Missing Thanksgiving dinner sucks. But not nearly as much as being intubated, being a “long hauler,” or being a statistic.

The WWII memorial in Washington, DC. Seems appropriate today.

Jeez, it’s been 14 years… Okay, 14 years and 9 days, give or take a time zone.

I always figured I would be back long, long before now.

We were talking about this the other day re: COVID and being in lockdown for coming up on seven months. It was regarding baseball, how we hadn’t been to an Angels or Dodgers game in a couple of years because we always just assumed that we could go whenever we want. Until we can’t.

So after this is behind us and the world returns to some semblance of “normal,” we’re going to not take for granted things like ball games and little trips and big trips. My daughter referred to it as something like a “rush of FOMO” – pretty much!

The setting should be familiar, even if you’ve never been there yourself.

American Falls on the left, Horseshoe Falls in the distance in the center-right.

It was an okay day, we had fun. One of those places that I spent a couple hours at where I wouldn’t mind going back for a day or two to explore more.

Leaving Essex, New York, heading across Lake Champlain.

I’ve only been on a ferry once or twice. This was in June – I kept wondering what this trip would be like, if they can do it at all, in January or February. Their web site says that it’s all-year – weather & ice conditions permitting. The lake does free over, although these days (climate change, like it or not!) it’s about three times a decade instead of seven or eight times a decade.

I’ll guarantee you won’t see this guy out here in mid-winter. I’m just glad that he saw us and we saw him.

Pulling into Charlotte, Vermont, just south of Burlington, where we were flying out of to get back home after a week in Vermont and New York.

I do think about being there all the time and then coming back to LA for a week or so every couple of years instead of the other way around. I always seem to be happier arriving there than I do getting back here.

That might be a sign. If happiness counts.

As always on a crisp, cold morning, when the contrails are razor sharp…

…I wonder where they’re going and wishing that I was going along.

Christmas with family? A holiday getaway from the daily grind? A honeymoon? A funeral?

Off they went to their adventures. Off I went to my routine.

On general principles, I started the day behind on points.