Venice and Florence We managed to sleep until 8:15, when church bells woke us up. We figured we had better get up and take advantage of the breakfast included in our room price. We had cereal, a croissant and some yogurt. But the best thing was the cappuccino that helped us go out and face […]
Italy 2004 – Day 2
In flight and Venice We woke up around 8:30am as the other passengers around us began to stir. Soon, the flight attendants were in the aisle with coffee (“Yes, please!”) and, later, a light breakfast featuring a croissant. We both had seconds on coffee and shared a third croissant. By then, we were starting our […]
Italy 2004 – Preparation and Day 1
Preparation We had wanted to vacation together in Italy for years. We had each been there, but not together. Chris had gone on business, and she hadn’t really had any time to see sights. Dale had been there for five weeks in December 1984 and January 1985. After almost twenty years, he was sure the […]
Yosemite – Half Dome Hike
Early in the summer of 2002, my then-boss, Bob, invited me to join a group planning to hike from the Yosemite Valley floor to the top of Half Dome. Bob had made the hike several times before. He had two friends, Dick and Rob, who would be joining him. I thought it sounded like fun […]
Motorcycle Trip – June 24, 2002
Monday – Gualala to San Jose Chris and I awoke about 7:30, showered, then headed upstairs to be sociable. Sus and Harmony aren’t really coffee drinkers, but when Chris asked for coffee, they were willing to provide it. Unfortunately, they were out of regular coffee, so Chris made decaf. I made a cup of tea, choosing […]
Motorcycle Trip – June 23, 2002
Sunday – Eureka to Gualala We got up around 7:30, got packed and dressed, then had breakfast at the complimentary buffet provided by the hotel. As we ate, we had to listen to a very vocal pre-teen girl playing in the heated pool next to the breakfast patio. Why – we wondered – do children have […]
Motorcycle Trip – June 22, 2002
Saturday – Chico to Eureka We had breakfast at Brunch House, a restaurant in the same plaza as Gen Kai. I had a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausage, and potatoes, while Chris had an egg and an apple-walnut pancake that was so big it had its own plate. She shared the pancake with me. It was […]
Motorcycle Trip – June 21, 2002
Friday – San Jose to Chico We started our trip at 10:10am on this Friday morning. Before leaving town, we stopped by an ATM to get cash, then headed north on I-680. We would spend pretty much the whole day on interstate highways. We stopped in Alamo (south of Walnut Creek) to stretch our legs […]
Kauai Vacation – September 28, 2001
Day 8 – Friday My alarm went off at 6:00am to give us time to pack, eat, check out, and get on the road by 8:00. We hit the road five minutes early. That gave us plenty of time to fill the gas tank, return the car and get to the terminal. At 8:30, we […]
Kauai Vacation – September 27, 2001
Day 7 – Thursday After a good night’s sleep, I woke up at 6:00. I wrote up part of the previous day’s journal, then checked the horizon to see if the sunrise would be obscured by clouds. There was a band of clouds on the horizon, but much of the sky was clear, so I […]