Istanbul: the WCERE conference (World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists). June 26 & 27, 2014. Our trip started off from Ron's apartment in Brookline on a humid morning, catching the T with him as he went to work. We continued on to Logan after saying goodbye at South Station. Things did not bode well for an easy trip when the wheel on my duffle bag split open at check-in! I envisioned myself (or more likely, Wayne) dragging a crippled bag all around Istanbul and Switzerland. More on that later. We flew to Toronto first and had three hours sitting in a waiting area (with free iPads at each seat!) where we could watch the US lose to Germany in the World Cup in Rio. At about 4 pm we boarded the Air Canada flight to ... read more

Another beautiful day in paradise! Our morning exercise consisted of an hour's hike up and down Bear's Hump, which provides a panoramic view of the whole Waterton Lakes area. At 6:30 am we had it all to ourselves - O, Canada! The climb is a steep ascent over railroad-tie steps placed by someone who had very long legs, I think, but the reward is definitely worth the brief effort. Another breakfast buffet back at the hotel, a quick packing job, and we were off to see a buffalo herd just outside the park. Perhaps it was a bad idea to admire the majestic bulls and the cute little calves immediately before our next stop, the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a World Heritage Site built into a cliff over which the Native Americans drove buffaloes to their death. ... read more

Waking up to bright sunlight in our room we looked forward to Colleen's breakfast at Highwood Views B&B. We were not disappointed. Fruit, yogurt, French toast, and even a homemade grape syrup along with the traditional maple. All while enjoying the view of snow capped mountains behind the grazing cattle just outside our window. As we were packing up the car to leave, we noticed other things moving among the cattle and realized they were three coyotes, distinguishable from dogs by their kind of skulking gait. While we were still celebrating this find, we noticed that the grass in the foreground seemed to be moving rather oddly. In fact, it was teeming with prairie dogs dashing this way and that, fighting and tumbling, and stopping to stand up and scan the area. Adorable! Especially if we're ... read more

Whew, 22 hours transit time is a long poke, especially when it starts at 5:30 a.m., so you aren't able to sleep for the long leg across the Pacific! Looking back, it is all a blur of airplane meals (six of them?) and movies. The best I saw was The Joy Luck Club, culturally appropriate for a trip from China. But here we are back in Maine, having been picked up at the airport by Erika. We find that in our absence Dayton was in the news for having a domestic shooting incident and a 4.0 earthquake. Good thing we were away in the relative safety of China. Now we are reveling in having (1) western bathrooms, (2) drinkable tap water, (3) sheets on the bed as opposed to hot comforters, and (4) peanut butter. We're ... read more

Oct. 13 Hong Kong Disneyland!! Those who know us will not be surprised that we succumbed to the lure of Disneyland on our free day, being frequent visitors to Disney World and California Disneyland, as well as one-time EuroDisney visitors. The opportunity to compare was just too enticing to pass up. Warning: if you are not Disney fans, this will probably not interest you! The metro ride from our hotel in the center of Hong Kong Island to the gate took about one and a quarter hours but was very easy to navigate using the station maps. This was a Saturday, so we expected crowds but were pleasantly surprised to walk right up to a ticket window with no line. The daily pass cost about $50 US. Opening time was late, 10:30, so we were there ... read more