Blogs from North America - page 17

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Wishing everyone experiences at least a single moment of Thankfulness on this special day! I often wonder how other people and other countries celebrate today? I have had the opportunity to be on foreign soil multiple years and have been pleasantly surprised by how the world really understands the thankfulness for others. The military missions never stop but there is something so very special about being deployed during the holidays. During the buildup to Operation Desert Storm (November 1990), there were about half of the 500,000 Coalition troops on ground in Saudi Arabia and in my location at the Port of Jubail, we kept Thanksgiving quite simple. President Bush, General Schwarzkopf, and First Lady Barbara Bush showed up in a Marine Corp helicopter! Quite a surprise for a young Soldier who had been ... read more

I'm afraid this blog will be going dormant for a while, hopefully not too long. We were in Quartzsite, AZ for a rally and two days before it started, Natalie had a stroke. She was airlifted to a hospital in Las Vegas and I visited her for a couple days before going back to get the rig. Now we are in Las Vegas and I will be able to visit her every day until she's fully recovered. More soon, I hope.... read more

We managed to find a cheap $700 Alaska cruise deal so fit in an extra summer vacation this year. The cruise only went one way so we used Aeroplan points to fly up to Anchorage Alaska. We got there a day early which gave us time to look around town and get a special bus out to Whittier with a bonus stop – the Alaska Wildlife Park. But to back up a bit, we had a short 3 hour flight to Anchorage, Alaska. We stayed at a cheap hotel, Ingra House with creaky beds, a separate washroom and tons of security – oh well. We walked into town down 6th street, past the cemetery, the Sheraton, the museum, the mall and made it to Resolution Park (which was under construction). We followed a trail ... read more

Today we did not have any plans in Portland so we decided to sleep in and then we headed over to “Bread and Friends,” for brunch. We tried their smoked maple rosemary latte and five spice miso caramel latte, everything pull apart, and crispy red bliss potatoes. Everything was delicious and worth the wait in line for a table. After brunch Renata and I headed over to check out the creepy Victoria Mansion before we all decided to spend our last day doing last-minute souvenir shopping. We ended our day at a portside restaurant called “The Porthole” where I tried my last Maine Lobster Roll in Portland . Renata and I then headed over to “Lincolns,” our first speakeasy experience. The entrance looked kind of questionable but once inside we were greeted by the staff who ... read more

Downtown Chicago may surprise you as much as it did us as it is an architectural wonder on one of our five Great Lakes. The confluence of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River ensures this world class city as an important cargo route. These waterways are surrounded by modern skyscrapers, well planned boardwalks and parks which lend this city to be extremely attractive and walkable. The public transportation makes it easy to visit from many of the suburbs. Nearby Union Station has amazing architecture, excellent signage as well several shops, restaurants, and vending machines. Chicago is known as “The Windy City” and many think it is due to the wicked cold winds coming off Lake Michigan…. There are some summer days that feel cold, but winter can be unbearable with the changing microclimates. In reality --it ... read more