From 2015: For those of you who live outside of our country, the 4th of July is celebrated in a BIG way here in the United States. It is our nation's birthday and commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. We celebrate with family picnics, barbecues, parades, concerts, and fireworks. Many loyal Americans also fly an American flag on this day, as well as other significant patriotic holidays. In July of 1776, there were only 2.5 million people here. This July 4th we will have over 320 million people. More than one-fourth of the hot dogs and sausages consumed on July 4th originated in Iowa. And chances are, the beef hot dogs, steaks, and burgers on the backyard grill came from Texas. For chicken, it probably comes from Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, North Carolina ... read more

From 2011. The Carneros region of California includes parts of both Napa and Sonoma Valleys. The fog and breezes of the bay makes the Carneros region cooler and more moderate than the wine regions further north in both valleys. The cooler climate is particularly good for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varietals. Likewise, it is a great area for sparkling wines, my personal favorite these days. After receiving its American Viticulture Area status in 1983, Carneros became the first wine region to be defined by its climate, rather than political boundaries. History goes back to 1942, when the well known Louis Martini bought the old Standly Ranch and replanted it. By the 1970s, the Carneros region had more th... read more

Written in 2021. After numerous trips to the central coast, we have decided that Arroyo Grande is our new "go to" location. It seems to be cleaner, and less crowded than Pismo Beach. In other words, it is less touristy. Our favorite restaurant these days is Ember, also in Arroyo Grande. We have been dining at Brian's place for many years now. And he has a patio so we can bring Lexi!!! Some of our most memorable meals have been here! Just south of the town is Laetitia Vineyards, a relatively quiet little winery. We generally go wine tasting there, after buying some sushi at the California Fresh Market. The staff there will make just about any type of sushi that you request. We bring the sushi to the winery, since they have multiple picnic areas. ... read more

On a stay a few years back, to attend a special anniversary party, we stayed at the old Mayflower Park Hotel. It is situated almost perfectly, between the Nordstrom flagship store, and the old Bon Marche', then a Macy's, and now Uniqlo and office space. Here is some information about it: Still locally owned, the Mayflower Park url=http://i.viglink.com/?key=1779361d4a956134e030a7c269533d19&insertId=661d0c4bc044c18a&type=CD&exp=-100%3ACILITE%3A3&libId=jkvwyg8s01016ga7000DAjweaon1t&cuid=BBBxxQg%7Cus%7Ctra%7Css%7Ctraveltripidea&loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msn.com%2Fen-us%2Ftravel%2Ftripideas%2F20-american-hotels-hiding-historic-secrets%2Fss-BBLZ33A%3Fli%3DBBnbklE%23image%3D32&v=1&iid=661d0c4bc044c18a&out=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripadvisor.com%2F&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msn.com%2Fen-us%3Finst%3D7&title=20%20American%20hotels%20hiding%20historic%20secrets&txt=%3Cspan%3EHotel%3C%2Fspan%3E... read more

Originally written in 2017. We are here in beautiful and sunny Seattle. Locals have complained about an extremely long, dreary and wet winter and spring. It is gorgeous here this weekend, in fact, on Sunday morning at 8am, the sun was already out! We got very lucky with the weather, as I had to buy a pair of Bermuda shorts yesterday, to wear today. What is the most obvious thing about Seattle this weekend besides the sunny weather? It has turned blue, completely blue, and it is not even Seahawks season. The blue belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays MLB team, in town for a three games series with the hometown Mariners. Why so many Toronto fans? Blue Jays fans outnumbeed the Mariner fans last night by at east 2 to 1!!!! Why? It turns out ... read more