In my everyday life, I tend to live fairly simply. I work a great deal and when it comes to decisions of spending money on coffee, fancy clothes or extravagant dinners, I usually opt to pass. That money is then put in my “Vacation Fund” bank account (yes, it is named this on my bank’s website) so when it comes time to travel, I am fully funded and ready to go. Although I usually don’t buy Starbucks on my day off, I will gladly use the money so I can travel comfortably and enjoy my time on the road to the fullest. My brother Ted used to call it the Pamper Brendan tour. But seriously, travel for me is a priority, and this river cruise is one prime example of this in action. We had decided ... read more

After the amazing culinary extravagance of the previous evening, it was time to get down to some serious business. Shortly after booking this trip, we all agreed to that we wanted to do a cooking class. Dave, Merry Jo and I had taken a class in Jordan and loved it. Not to beat the proverbial dead horse, but as a chef, I sometimes need to remember why I do what I do. Spending a day cooking for fun while learning some new ideas and working with new ingredients is pure joy. The key to this is to find a class that is balanced between fun and challenging and shows me some dishes that I can take back to work. Several dishes from previous trips have been featured on menus, as will many dishes from this one. ... read more

Wow, it has been a long time since I traveled for pleasure. After the amazing trip to Australia, I put travel on hold so I could search for a new job in a new city and new state. (yeah, I have wanderlust in my everyday life too.) 2019’s vacation was replaced with quick trips to interview, impress and finally land the job I wanted. Happily, I moved into my new city in the Seattle area. Sadly, it was the day that that first Covid death happened in the life care facility, and the Governor announced a health emergency. Do I really need to say more?? 2020 put a halt to all pleasure travel. 2021 did not seem to hold much more, yet towards the middle of the year, things were improving. Dave and Merry Jo and ... read more

After the long day yesterday, this morning was a relief. It was a laid-back morning with nothing to do. Dave had to do some work, so Jo and I sat with our laptops catching up on sorely neglected daily life tasks. Sipping coffee, listening to the birds out on the patio, I was able to do what so many do as their vacation- nothing. I messed around on Facebook, checked my bank statements (giant lottery winnings still haven’t been deposited so I guess I will have to return to work), catch up on TravelBlogs and such. It was a most welcome morning of leisure before another afternoon full of the go go go that makes up most of my vacation. Denise set out platters of cheese, vine ripened tomatoes, basil, roasted peppers alongside toasted artisan bread. ... read more

Trying to put myself together for a 5:30 AM wake up after the glorious Sounds of Silence Dinner was no easy feat. I was able to take a quick splash in the shower, throw some clothes on and managed to look halfway presentable. Remember now, desert presentable is not the same as city presentable, so it wasn’t that difficult. Herded onto a bus, our large group headed out to see the sunrise at Uluru. The cool morning air felt nice as I walked down the path to find my perfect spot. In front was Uluru towering over everything. Behind were the Kata Tjutas, slumbering quietly in the distance. The morning light was changing quickly and as fast as throngs of tourists could arrive. Snapping pictures a mile a minute, I enjoyed the phenomena of a sunrise. ... read more