Heading for Alaska August 27 I flew from Atlanta to Los Angeles. I was supposed to go on to Portland, but our plane was too full, so I spent a short night in a hotel in LA and flew on early the next morning. I took the MAX, the Portland light rail, to my friend’s condo. My friend, Mariana, called me with the idea of taking an Alaskan cruise, at the end of the summer. “Let’s get the discount for the last cruise.” Her aqua aerobics partner was a travel agent and recommended Holland America. I know nothing about cruises, so I was glad to take advice. Soon we were booked on the August 31 cruise on the Westerdam, a new ship in the Holland America stable. “It will be about 1,000 people,” I was told. ... read more

PARIS, FRANCE After 6 days in London, we took the Eurostar train to Paris. It is really amazing to be able to travel from London to Paris in less than 3 hours, no stops, no transfers, no airports far from the city center. When we arrived at the Gare du Nord, we went to the tourist information booth, where a very pleasant man got us ready for Paris. We got a bus-metro pass and found out the exact location of our hotel. It was on the Left Bank, only a few blocks from Notre Dame. We checked in and then walked to the cathedral. The experience of visiting it was much better than I remember from previous visits. Someone had the brilliant idea of piping in Gregorian chants and lighting the place to simulate a medieval ... read more

Some more London Photos-- London was wonderful, so I want to show you more of the pictures. ... read more

January Trip to Cardiff, Wales My short trip to Wales began January 13, 2008 after the Delta TransAtlantic flight, Atlanta-London. It was the start of a month in Europe with two friends from China, Dai Lejuan and Linell Davis. Dai is doing research for her Ph.D. at Cardiff University in Wales. Linell is on her long winter vacation (the Lunar New Year break) from her job as a professor in Nanjing. We have been planning this trip for about six months, when we learned that Dai would be in Europe. We are all meeting in London on January 15. Since I’m part Welsh, I decided to meet Dai in Cardiff and see a bit of Wales, even in the worst, winter weather. It rained every day, but not for long. I didn’t mind. Dai is living ... read more

FAMILY REUNION IN LEWES DELAWARE. Not quite all of my family got together for not quite a week at the beach. I love family gatherings, formal and informal. (Also, apparently with all your help, all my blogs are back online and all is well in the technical world for the time being. I will make my own back up again. Thanks to everyone who helped.) I just got back last night from Philadelphia. I've been traveling with my sister around Phila. and then spent a week at Lewes, Delaware at a Teller family reunion. It was wonderful. I've avoided organizing any of these wonderful events, but I've been informed by my siblings that I can't avoid it any longer. It's my turn! We rent four cottages a block from the bay and a short distance from ... read more