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Pender Harbor Layover

Pender Harbor Layover

  • Travel
Another out-of-order post, sorry. While we waited out the weather in Pender Harbor, we used our “day off” to do a few boat chores, then took a walk around the area.

Here’s a nearby lake with a simple resort offering cabins and RV parking. Everyone seems to be having

The End of the Road

The End of the Road

  • Travel
Unless a road is a loop, it has to end somewhere, right? Well, Highway 101 which runs from California to Oregon to Washington to British Columbia ends here, in Lund.

Want to drive further north along the BC coast? Tough luck. It’s all boating from here on.

We’ve

The Merits of Opportunism

The Merits of Opportunism

  • Travel
If you try to plan a boat voyage like you plan most other trips, you will probably wind up very unhappy.

Like an early start? Too bad, you’ll be fighting the current for four hours. Like to sleep in? Too bad, the wind will be howling by 11:00.

Anchors Aweigh

Anchors Aweigh

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When I was a kid, I thought it was “anchors away”. It makes as much sense, don’t you agree?

We left Anacortes this morning in dead calm bound for Ganges on Salt Spring Island. Salt Spring is the main commercial center of the Gulf Islands. These, in turn, are

A Preview of Coming Attractions

A Preview of Coming Attractions

  • Travel
Some time in early July – as soon as we can get ourselves organized for another trip – we’ll be heading north from Anacortes into the Salish Sea for about four weeks.

We plan to blow through the San Juan and Gulf Islands quickly as we head toward the Broughton Island

Ponds, Pads and Paintings

Ponds, Pads and Paintings

  • Travel

Monet was famous and going blind from cataracts when he came up with the idea of creating a set of huge paintings inspired by his “water garden”.

Monet Slept Here

Monet Slept Here

  • Travel
I was going to title this post “Monet-land”, but decided that it sounded snarky. My point is that Giverny is a perfectly pleasant small village, but no one would visit if Claude Monet had not come here to paint. The aura of his presence, and the ability see the pond
Two Nights in a Brothel

Two Nights in a Brothel

  • Travel
Here we are, at the end of our five week ramble through England, Germany and France. Before taking the Eurostar back to London to catch our flight home, we thought we’d spend a couple of days in Paris.

On previous visits, we’ve stayed in small, usually friendly, hotels

Io Amo Leonardo – Bien Sur

Io Amo Leonardo – Bien Sur

  • Travel
Leonardo, a son of Tuscany. Proudly claimed by Vinci, his home town. “Leonardo da Vinci”, get it?

So how did Leonardo come to be buried in France? Why did he bring the Mona Lisa with him when he moved to Amboise a few years before his death?

Before answering those

Le Pont Canal

Le Pont Canal

  • Travel
As you may know, France is criss-crossed by canals. These were originally used to transport goods, but are now mostly used by recreational boaters.

At the end of the 19th century, officials were unhappy with having the main north-south canal cross the flood-prone Loire, so they decided that a bridge

Nan-see

Nan-see

Departing Strasbourg with some reluctance, we made a short drive to Nancy (see pronunciation, above). This much smaller city turned out to have a beautiful central core. Left unphotographed is a large and popular park with the usual French compliment of strolling paths, ponds, and places to drink wine.

Maybe

Which is Better?

Which is Better?

  • Travel
Most churches are inarguably better decorated on the inside than the outside. After all, that’s where God and the parishioners money reside. But Strasbourg Cathedral calls that conventional wisdom into question.

Sure, the interior is fantastic, including a set of organ pipes that have been affixed high on the

Crossing the Frontier

Crossing the Frontier

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We’re in France! Specifically, Strasbourg in Alsace. I love France and the French. How can you not love people who value art, cuisine and leisure and put philosophers, musicians and scientists on their currency?

I have a huge post coming up on the Cathedral, but first a few photos

Baden-Baden

Baden-Baden

  • Travel
During our two and a half days in Baden-Baden we did a couple of walks through the town and surrounding area. As a spa town, Baden-Baden attracted more than its share of major and minor nobility, and wealthy commoners. As the photos show, they built some pretty nice homes for
Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?

Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?

  • Travel
Wait, I’ve already done a Blood, Sweat and Tears pun in my Winston Churchill post. Forget that you read this title.

Today, we left Baden-Baden and drove south on Highway 500 right down the middle of the Black Forest (think cuckoo clocks) to Furtwangen. Should you find yourself here,