Travels With Charlie

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Just getting used to the format of blog entries. In 2 weeks we'll be on the way to Ecuador, my first foray into
South America, and I promised to keep friends and family posted as our adventures unfold. Or as we reveal our complete ineptness at this sort of travel and screw up royally. I'm posting some photos from a recent trip to 'the other coast'. Charlie and I live in a small, rural upstate New York town between the Catskill and Adirondack mountains, New York City to the south and Albany (the state capital) to the northeast. We're embarking on some farflung journeys to experience 'up close and personal' how the rest of the planet lives. Is it really possible to survive without a WalMart/McDonalds/Home Depot nearby? Are there places in the world where every family member doesn't have his or her own car? And so forth... Is there happiness outside of the mall? I'm thinking that the answers are both yes and no. We Americans have set the bar for consumption, and the rest of the world seems to be quickly jumping on the merry go round. I'm looking forward to catching a glimpse of other 'ways of life', doing some exploring in new places, and having fun every day in my travels with Charlie.

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