My father, grandpa Doc Dave turned 77 years old this week so we decided to celebrate his birthday. The furthest distance award goes to my sister Kathleen who flew in from London. My father’s sister Sue flew in from Florida, and my father’s sister Nancy flew in from Chicago. My father grew up in Chicago and is the oldest of eight siblings. He brought us to California where he practiced medicine for 50 odd years. As usual, we all sat around for hours and enjoyed great food and wine and talked about old times, new times, politics, religion, and travel. We danced a little, we sang a little, and we told a joke or two. We stayed up late and played Apples to Apples. My mom made her world famous potato salad. All is good in ... read more

My good friend Will and I headed south into Mexico this week. We were about 40 miles south of Puerto Penasco on the Sea of Cortez. Will and I met in the 90s in a series of real estate transactions. We fast became friends and have remained friends since. I also met a few of Will's new friends: Bob, Paul, and Terry. ... read more

I have been a member of couchsurfing.org since 2007. Before Berlin, I had hosted many couch surfers but I had never surfed. Couchsurfing.org is a web page for people who like to travel and make friends all over the world. You put up a profile and tell people all about yourself, and then you offer your couch to other members. They review your profile and make requests to stay on your couch or a spare bedroom for a few days. You read their profile (which includes comments made by other couch surfers), and then you decide for yourself whether or not you want them staying on your couch or spare bedroom. You can also make requests to stay at other couch surfer’s homes when you travel. I made 5 requests to surf couches in Berlin and ... read more

Sunjay and I are 4 continent friends now (4CFs). We have met in Asia, Australia, North America, and now Europe. That leaves Africa, South America, and Antarctica. Keep on trucking. ... read more

Melissa invited Cait and I to meet some new friends. It was Angie's Birthday, so everyone met out in the countryside of London. ... read more