Grand Manan Island is the Richest Island in Canada
We’ve spent the past few days about 20 miles off the coast of New Brunswick, on Grand Manan Island, pronounced Grand Ma-NAAN. After kayaking along the shore, viewing the famous Hole in the Wall, a dramatic rock formation on the shoreline, and meeting several locals and visitors, we’ve learned a […]
New Brunswick: Where Have You Been All Our Lives?
We scrambled down a wooden walkway and across a grassy path, on our way to a scenic lighthouse out on the northern tip of Grand Manan Island. As we gazed out at the Passamaquoddy Bay, with the light glinting off the water, I turned to my partner Mary and gushed […]
Riding Off Kilter by the Ocean in Saint Andrews
We met a man in a kilt yesterday–and he made us put on kilts too! After all, we were in St Andrews, and many Scots settled here back in the day. Kurt Gumushel runs Off Kilter Bike Tours, and grew up in this small town of just 1500, so he […]
Algonquin Hotel’s Golf Club: A Swing with a View
Jason Porter has had a tough summer. The golf pro and director of at the Algonquin Hotel’s beautiful ocean front 18-hole course hasn’t been able to swing a club since early summer, due to an injury. Yet he still gets to the course at the crack of dawn and leaves […]
Eleanor Roosevelt’s Remarkable Life Illuminated Over Tea
We started our morning early in Bar Harbor because we had a date for tea….tea with two lovely women, Carolyn Newman and Debbie Mitchell, who work as docents at the Roosevelt Campobello International Park in New Brunswick, Canada. Eleanor Roosevelt was an American icon who earned her place in history […]
Ogunquit, Maine: A Beach Like No Other
We arrived at our hotel in Ogunquit, Maine tonight around 4:30 pm, and after settling in, we set out to discover what one of my friends described as “the best beach on the East coast.” A tall order to be sure, but after we had walked over a bridge across […]
Traveling by Car Has a Wonderful Simplicity: North to New Brunswick
Going on a trip to another country is way, way easier when you’re driving. As we pack up and head up to Ogunquit, en route to Bar Harbor, then New Brunswick, I feel a lighter load, and less anxiety. No flight to miss/catch, no security to go through, no worries […]
London’s Calling, and This Time I Didn’t Hang Up
You know that feeling when you are searching airfares, and get so close, and then bail out, never actually hitting the ‘buy’ button? The fares, the dreams, and your whole trip gets thrown out when you just don’t have the nerve to do it. Sometimes when you go back to […]
Heading to Maine and New Brunswick Canada on Saturday
It’s the first rainy day in many many weeks, and I was very happy inside when I looked outside to see that gentle shower. A first rainy day in a while makes me contemplative, and makes me think about which of the myriad thoughts that run through my brain are […]
In Israel, Desalinization Has a Created Abundance of Water, Even in the Desert
I just read a very inspiring article in Scientific American about how Israel has built the world’s largest desalinization plant, and they not only are water sufficient, they have water to spare. Water is the crucial battle of the decades ahead….even a short drought can have such a terrible impact. […]
Jar the Floor: With Family Like This, Would You Want to Go Home?
Jar the Floor might be a bit like your memory of going back home for a family gathering. A little booze, some awkward party gifts, and a whole lot of family disagreements and dirty laundry set to air. Bring your new gal-pal with you, you might need some help. Hopefully, […]
Field Guide to Trains is a Rail Geek’s Right Arm
I’ll admit to being a bit of a railroad geek. I am fascinated by the tracks, the signals, the locomotives, the cars and the detailed interworkings of how transit systems get people from one place to another. So you can imagine my delight when I got a new book in […]
Time Stands Still: A Powerful Story about Love, War and Life
Tonight we were happy to miss hearing Donald Trump make another speech, and instead, dove into a rich and emotional performance of a top notch play at New Century Theatre. From the opening moments when I saw the set of Time Stands Still I knew we were in for a […]
Tanglewood is the Setting. Rhapsody in Blue is the Work
On Sunday afternoon we took some relatives to Tanglewood for the first time. They have two daughters, ages 3 and 5. It could have been a cringefest but instead, the little cherubs enjoyed themselves very quietly with coloring books and some toys they brought, so narry an eyebrow was raised. […]
Restaurants Become Work Bars During the Day
I read about an innovative way to utilize the unused space inside restaurants that are only open at night on SpringWise.com a site based in London that tracks great ideas. There is a new outfit called Spacious that is organizing workers without offices who want a place besides their small […]
Norwegian Air Shuttle is Breaking Down High Fare Barriers
Norwegian Air Shuttle has a few secrets. One of which is flying very new airplanes to the most in demand destinations and points on the market. I spoke with two Norwegian executives at the IPW show recently about how they do it. Their answer surprised me. It comes down to the […]
Goodbye to Screens as the Family Heads to our Summer Retreat
This is one of those short weeks where I have so much to do that I probably won’t get that much done. It’s all crashing down as a result of being gone last week and this week, leaving Friday for a week vacation with family in an undisclosed Pennsylvania location. […]