Well, I'm Back

Well Hello.

Hoping you haven't forgotten me. I used to come around here quite a bit, but times took a different road than I expected. but I'm back and wow has it been an interesting few years.

Earlier this year I retired from what was a particularly stressful job. Actually, let me amend that. The job wasn't particularly stressful, though it had its moments. The people I worked directly for were stressful. In January my wife and I took a trip to Hawaii for a week and I was startled with how badly my physical and mental health were doing, and I made the fateful decision that despite having two more years to gain full social security retirement benefits, I was pulling the trigger at 65.

And now, having walked away from full-time employment on May 7th of this year, I am five months into what is becoming a comfortable rhythm. 

I have taken two trips this year, so far, both of which were to Hawaii. The aforementioned was to my favorite island, Kauai. The second, just a few months later, was to the Big Island. Both afforded me time to stop and reflect on what I want to accomplish and how I want to handle my semi-retirement going forward.

And a major component of that plan involves getting back to writing and photography. And travel, of course. Over the last eight years in which I've been badly remiss on writing my two blogs (this and the A Bartender's Tour blog), and need to resume both. I love doing it, it's simply tearing myself away from the unfamiliar pleasure of being a couch potato and watching too much tv.

Another motivator is a work associate who is himself starting to write. And several of my writer/artist friends have all had success at getting their words and art "out there" for people to read and see. 

So between lots of stories to tell from the last near decade of travel (and previous to that!), to motivation at not wanting to be lost in the pack while watching my friends produce, I'm back and raring to go. Between two blogs and studying for two different wine certification programs (for my "day job), that should sufficient to keep me away from the idiot box most days.

Anecdotes and other tales to come. 

And thanks for dropping by!

MEMORIAL DAY 2018

With sincere appreciation and humbleness for the sacrifices of so 

many soldiers on behalf of their fellow Americans.

They served with honor for us all.

VIEW FROM ON HIGH

We're on the road for my wife's birthday celebration. Given her choice of possible locations, designed to burn as many hotel and airline Frequent Traveler points as possible, she settled on San Francisco and the California Wine Country.

We're not meeting up with friends (sorry guys!!!), nor doing any really touristy things. This is her birthday week and so we're doing things quietly and to ourselves, save for one or two work-related things I'm going to be doing. Fun stuff.

Last night we took in a play, and tonight it's a late-night dinner at a jazz joint.

Slept in to 8am, myself. That's three hours after my usual morning rise.

I'm taking the lazy morning as time to get some writing done on the book and update various websites. I could get used to this.

The view from our window....

CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY

Will be in the Bay Area for the next few days. San Francisco and the Sonoma and Napa Valleys. (Burning off tons of frequent traveler points.)

For real-time updates, follow our Twitter and Instagram feeds.

One of our global favorite destinations. Wine Country, here we come!

TIME FLIES

I *did* say it was one of those weeks. Let's see if I can get back on schedule this week.

Glaciers seem to be massive, immovable and permanent. 

Nothing could be further from the truth.

South Sawyer Glacier, Alaska. c2004

IT'S ONE OF THOSE WEEKS

The calendar is getting away from me. We're almost in May??? Criminy.

So noted, here's the famous Steam Clock in Vancouver's wonderful and eclectic Gastown district.

Time is fleeting...

MONDAY PLANNING

In two weeks we venture to the wilds of Northern California for a stop at Safari West, as well as swings by the Napa Valley and San Francisco.

Excited to get back on the road.

Welcome to Monday! Here are some giraffes to make you smile.

FRIDAY MARTI...HOLD ON...

What fun is life if you don't shake things up every once in a while?

So, instead of the Friday Martini we're headed for Ile St Barth and an ice cold rum on the shores of Saint Jean Beach. The famous Hepy Bar at the beautiful Hotel Emeraude Plage.

Escape with a taste of the Caribbean.

BREAK TIME

Sometimes you've just got to get away from the desk and take a few moments for yourself.

Break time.

(London)

SEEMS EASY ENOUGH...

I'm not a rocket scientist, but this seems relatively straightforward...

THINK TROPICAL THOUGHTS

Spring is having a hard time getting started in a number of places. While the weather may sometimes take a turn for the worst, I'd rather be in a Hawaiian tropical storm than a frozen midwest. 

And I know I'm not alone.

Just sayin'.

MONDAY WALKIES

For your Monday start. A little walk the dog on a chill Spring morning.

Vancouver, BC.

Make it a great week.

THE WEEKEND QUOTE

THE FRIDAY MARTINI

Once again it's Friday and time to begging thinking abut the weekend.

Today's concoction is in Long Beach California in honor of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, being run whiz weekend.

What do you have planned?

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

I was asked, recently, about the reference to "Street Photographer" in my bio on Facebook.

To me, this represents a particular aspect of photography, particularly Travel photography. It's much more a candid sort of work rather than posed shots or shots which have been carefully considered and made. Lined up to a specific angle before the shutter is triggered.

With street photography the world becomes a series of patterns and cues, of events which must be observed then caught at a moment in time that essentially tells a story.

I teach this in my Travel Photography classes. That while some travel photography is, of course, capturing someone's presence, and perhaps the face or actions of an adventure, or maybe a static shot of a monument or geographic feature, some other and equally interesting images are those which are essential "Street Photography". Capturing life as it happens.

Britannica.com describes it as "a genre that records everyday life in a public place." 

One of the masters of the genre is Henri Cartier-Bresson , who dragged his trusty Leica and heavy gear into the streets of the city and recorded life as he saw it. I commend his work to you on this page. He put it, much poetically, this way:

Accordingly, this quote is what changed my, ahem, focus as a photographer, away from taking static travel shots and towards attempts to capture places and people as I find them.

GETTING 'ROUND, 'ROUND, 'ROUND

Cities around the world deal with the traffic crunches in their areas in different ways. New York has its subways, Paris has Le Metro, New Delhi has a bus and taxi system that defies pretty much all known laws of physics.

Amsterdam employs a very effective and environmentally-friendly tram system.

The problem, of course, is deciding where you want to go....

MONDAY, MONDAY

It's Monday. Time for work.

Grab a big cup of coffee and head out. Maybe a double.

Make it a good week.

Coffee on 6th, Midtown

BODIES OF WATER 4 - THE ATLANTIC

(This is how themes get started. Post a shot one day, and then realize four days later you've got a theme. Who knew?) 

The Atlantic Ocean, formed as the African and European continents splits from the Americas millennia ago. It is certainly more turbulent than its larger Pacific cousin, with a dramatic history and influence on the human world.

This is the coastline of North Carolina, on Emerald Isle. A cold Autumn squall is headed in.

THE GULF

To continue the unofficial theme of the week, today's coastline is the Gulf of Mexico.

Pensacola, Florida, to be precise. Gorgeous wide and white sand beaches, so bright they almost hurt the eyes. And in Summer time the weather is hot, humid and unpredictable. Shortly after this shot a squall moved in sending beachgoers fleeing for cover.

Unless they brought their own, of course.

BUNBURY BEACH

Monday we visited Venice Beach, California.

Today it's taking a dip in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean in the sun-drenched town 

of Bunbury, Western Australia. In the southern outskirts of the Perth metropolitan area.

Not as well-known, but certainly a much more serene locale.