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Steve P

Toulouse II

Toulouse II

  • Travel
We booked one of those around-the-city bus tours for this morning. I thought I’d be taking a ton of photos, but took none. Although we saw a lot, the bus never put passengers in a position to take photos of the things we passed.

So let me take up

Toulouse I

Toulouse I

  • Travel
We arrived at our AirBnB apartment in Toulouse after a nerve-wracking two hour drive from Rocamadour. Why nerve-wracking? Not because of the French drivers, they are on the whole much better and much more courteous than in Seattle. Not because of the Autoroute speed. One hundred thirty kilometers per hour
Rocamadour

Rocamadour

  • Travel
I wouldn’t blame you if you’re getting a little tired of medieval towns hung on cliffs. I think Rocamadour will be the last – at least for a while.

We drove an hour east to visit this place because Mary Anne read that it is the second most visited

Beynac-et-Cazenac

Beynac-et-Cazenac

  • Travel
Eleanor of Aquitaine was really something! First she marries a French king, later an English one. But she was much more than arm candy. Eleanor was a strong, smart woman who helped the Périgord region prosper, lived into her eighties (twice the average in those days) and was the mother
Sarlat-la-Canéda

Sarlat-la-Canéda

  • Travel
The hub of this part of the Dordogne region is the town of Sarlat-la-Canéda. I’ll call it Sarlat from now on. As everyone’s favorite American tourist, Rick Steves, says, there’s nothing “special” about Sarlat, its appeal comes from having a large, well-preserved medieval center.

in case you’

La Roque-Gageac

La Roque-Gageac

  • Travel
The big draws in this part of the Dordogne are the prehistoric cave drawings and outdoor activities. I’ll show you our little village which stretches right up a sheer cliff and includes an ancient cave dwelling similar to those of the natives of the American Southwest. Then you’ll
Saint-Émilion

Saint-Émilion

  • Travel
We’re in the Dordogne region now, which is to say the area along the Dordogne river. It’s famous for a number of things including great wine, ancient cave drawings, and picturesque villages and chateaux. That’s a lot to see, leaving little time to blog about it.

On

Rions and Cadillac

Rions and Cadillac

  • Travel
Let’s get one thing straight at the outset: it’s cahd-e-lach not cad-a-lack. OK? OK! Done.

Today we set forth with something of a jet lag hangover to see what was interesting in the nearby area. If your idea of “interesting” is the BIG SITES, God bless you and

And So It Begins

And So It Begins

  • Travel
Our European journey started off smoothly. Our driver showed up as arranged, the ferry to Seattle was right on time, and we sped through check-in at the airport in near record time. Then I almost caused us to miss our flight.

Things had gone so well that we found ourselves

Flying Piano (reprise)

Flying Piano (reprise)

  • News
What goes in through the bedroom, comes out through the bedroom.

And so it was for our 7’ 4” Falcone piano. The difference was that Martinson Piano Movers used a crane on the way in and a forklift-like machine on the way out.

Although the forklift seemed to be a

Clouds

Clouds

  • Photos
A cloud formation I’ve never seen before.
One More Thing…

One More Thing…

  • Travel
I didn’t mention Tumbo Island yesterday because I didn’t expect it to be very interesting. It seemed dull in comparison to Cabbage because it wasn’t covered by screaming paddle board jockeys.

Tumbo is another example of an Island who’s owner deeded his property to the province

The End, eh?

The End, eh?

  • Travel
Our six-week Canadian voyage ends at tiny Cabbage Island.

I was surprised to find so many people here when we arrived just after Noon. Because there is a sand beach and swimmable water, the place is popular with visitors from the BC mainland and Vancouver Island. They zip across the

Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars

Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars

  • Travel
Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed(ediah) 
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed, 
Then one day he was shootin at some food, 
And up through the ground came a bubblin crude. 

Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.

The Ballad of Jed Clampett

Photos from the Sea

Photos from the Sea

  • Travel
This happens every time I take a trip. Many photos fit nicely into a narrative, some do not. Here are a few that didn’t.

The Gulf Islands have become a parking lot for freighters waiting to unload at Vancouver. During the pandemic, the crew was not allowed to leave