Au Canada!

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Ray began his love affair with Montreal in 1968 when international travel and cheap beer were a novelty for him. I didn’t get there until I was a TA doing my master’s in French language and literature at UCONN. I loved it slightly less than he did, perhaps because at the time Québec City was so much more charming, less… Read more »

Oregon: you’re getting to be a habitat with me!

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Ray and I have been following our son around the USA for many years as he pursued interests, education and careers across the country—Olympic National Park in Washington, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Utah and Flagstaff are on the list. And now he, his wife and their baby have settled on the spectacular coast of northern Oregon, so it has… Read more »

The big, big European Road Trip of 2017

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I have struggled with writing about such a big experience in the normal blog format. Too many photos, too many places! But I came across this travel journaling app called Polar Steps and I think it does what I need. I was not happy with the way it posts directly to Facebook but I’m pretty pleased with the embed link… Read more »

Towards a better understanding of the American South

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Always up for a road trip and not being fans of March in Connecticut, Ray and I revved up the Rav last month and headed south. The goals were to connect with friends and family, to explore new places and, of course, to sample the culinary fare along the way. We returned with a new appreciation of the South, a… Read more »

If you are crazy enough to drive cross country you might want to read this!

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From Sea to Shining Sea   From my childhood days of reading Little House on the Prairie and watching Wagon Train on a black and white TV, experiencing the endless expanses of plains, desert and mountains that comprise much of the United States has been a constant fixation, but one rarely realized due to the even more pressing  magnetic pull… Read more »

Joyeux Noël!

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Every Christmas since nineteen-seventy something I have made at least one bûche de Noel. This year possibly three. Or four. And since a few years ago I made a how-to slide presentation I thought I’d just make it available to my friends

Drama in Dijon

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The last time we were in Dijon was in 1979! Since then, we have often read what a great place it is, and seriously considered it for a longterm stay. Problem is we are such gypsies, and when it came down to it we couldn’t see ourselves staying anywhere for too long! We are beginning to reconsider now that we… Read more »

Escape from the Valley of the Temples

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Sicily has the right to be the proud of its stunning collection of ancient Greek and Roman-Hellenistic temples dating from the 6th century before the Christian era. The settings are majestic, the artistry is admirable and the colossal dimensions are a wonder. It is so cool to be able to climb through many of them and imagine what it might have… Read more »

February in Flagstaff!

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On my birthday this year, we flew out to Flagstaff to visit our son Dan and his wife Meg and spend a few days getting to know Arizona a little better. We flew out of Bradley to Phoenix via O’Hare. O’Hare is my least favorite airport, so we will try for another route next time! Where we stayed: Sonesta Suites, in… Read more »