Below is everything (newest at top) with "life OR health OR covid OR travel" in its title or subcategories. For a strict listing (matching all categories and subcats), click hereGOING FOR A RIDEfrom 2024 in ( culture / writing / travel / usa )
I went for one of my weekend drives. I almost said Sunday drive, but it was a Saturday. Anyway, I brought our dog, Cleo, with me this time. I never used to, but nowadays I take her almost everywhere because she and our newly adopted Yorkshire terrier, Lily, don't like each other. I'd been online just prior, looking at nearby hou... read more NOTES FROM THE ROAD TO DOUG'S HOUSE... AND MARK TWAIN'S BOYHOOD HOMEfrom 2024 in ( life / travel / usa / missouri )
Just past Jackson, Tennessee, after getting onto 412, a trucker had some fun at my expense. I had just passed him and am 99% sure I hadn't merged back in front of him too close. Drivers around here are offended easily. He then came up fast behind me and got right up to my rear-end before finally getting into the left lane to pass me. He ... read more A BRIEF HISTORY OF MY HOME TOWN, FOLSOM, CALIFORNIAfrom 2024 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
Prompted and edited by Bill. On a whim, I asked Bing Copilot (AI) to write a blog post about Folsom. Here's the result... If you want to know more about the history of Folsom, California, you might enjoy this. Folsom is a city in Sacramento County that has a rich and diverse heritage, dating back to the Native American tribes, th... read more GREETINGS FROM SAINT SOMETHING, MISSOURIfrom 2023 in ( life / travel / usa / missouri )
I was in no rush to leave and didn't hit the road until 9:30 on my drive from middle Tennessee to Saint Robert, Missouri. I could never remember that name, calling it Saint Something in my head. Even now, I wanted to type Saint Thomas. How many saints are there, anyway? The drive was blissfully uneventful, with the highlight being Sh... read more REDDING IN APRILfrom 2023 in ( life / travel / usa / california )Friday, April 7, 2023 Elizabeth and I were on our seemingly annual trip to California. This time, it was a gift for her 18th birthday. Years ago, I thought we might be flying to /pages/family/adoption/holmes/Astrakhan, Russia , for this birthday, but things are a little dicey there now. Besides, you need a... read more ROADS LAST TWICE AS LONG WHEN MADE WITH RECYCLED TIRE RUBBERfrom 2022 in ( life / travel / roads / recycling )
I like this! /images/recycled-tires-d796614950a82d9d3af73b316d037fe7-730x553.webp Reduce, reuse, recycle, as they say.Engineers at the RMIT University in Aust... read more 7-FOOT ROBOT AT DALLAS LOVE FIELD AIRPORT WATCHES FOR UNMASKED TRAVELERS, WILL NOTIFY LAW ENFORCEMENT OF POTENTIAL CRIMESfrom 2022 in ( life / travel / usa / tyranny )
Remind me never to use that airport. A 7-foot robot at Dallas Love Field Airport is watching for unmasked passengers and will notify law enforcement of potential crimes. What could possibly go wrong? The robot, dubbed SCOT, was installed last month to determine if they are capable of efficiently supplementing current...... read more THINKING OF LEAVING THE USA, EVEN TEMPORARILY?from 2022 in ( life / health / covid / travel )
If you, being a sensible person, refuse to get the covid shot but have been dreaming of visiting a foreign country that does NOT require said shot, you WILL be required to get one upon your return. Yep. And you thought this was a free country. Sorry, no such luck.: travel.sta... read more BNA TO SMF (2022)from 2022 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
Elizabeth and I returned home late Tuesday night after a few days in California, visiting family. I still despise air travel, and the mask requirement only makes it worse, but a couple of our American Airlines crew members were happy to tell us it expires next month. Using Doug and Jana's house in Sacramento as my home base --... read more AMERICAN MAN WALKS THROUGH MOST DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOOD IN ROSARIOfrom 2022 in ( life / travel / americas / argentina )
In the past few decades, one city in Argentina has begun to develop a rather unsavory reputation for criminality. Rosario, which connects the north of Argentina to Buenos Aires through the Parana River, is actually a fairly beautiful city. But as with many places, there are two different sides to it. On the outskirts was a very diff... read more FROM HILL TO VALLEY, A LONG-WINDED POSTCARD FROM THE ROADfrom 2021 in ( life / travel / usa / southeast )
/images/welcome-valley-al-sign-578732e6a0e5c7c65a9b874e705a43cc-1024x768.webp The drive from Spring Hill, Tennessee to Valley, Alabama was uneventful.... read more EXECUTIVE ORDERS ARE NOT LAWSfrom 2021 in ( life / travel / vaccines / legal )Legally, they apply ONLY to that executive's employees and any property under their legally-limited purview. Here's an open letter to all airlines... I thought I would educate you on the federal law you cite as justification for your mask policy.Are Executive Orders Law? The Short Answer: No, they are... read more LOOKING TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL, PERMANENT-LIKE? HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONSfrom 2020 in ( life / travel / advice )
If you're looking to get away from it all, here is some hopefully useful information. If you're primarily English-speaking (maybe looking to move permanently), here's a list of countries (whose primary language is NOT English) ranked by ef.com/wwen/epi/English Proficiency Index for their Eng... read more FAMILY MEMBERS SURVIVE THE MIDDLE EASTfrom 2020 in ( life / travel / middle-east / planets )
My brother and his wife just returned from their 16-day trip to Dubai, Egypt and Jordan. It was a great trip and at no time did we feel unsafe (except in the crazy traffic). In Egypt, we had a tour guide and a security guard with an Uzi at all tourist areas. Jordan and Dubai are pretty safe anyway, so no security guard was needed. Today, we ... read more USDOT TO BAN DOG BREED DISCRIMINATION ON AIRLINESfrom 2020 in ( life / travel / airlines / pets )
The regulation is set to put an end to airlines discriminating against service dogs based on their appearance or breed, particularly pit bulls. : goodnewsnetwork.org/department-of-transp... read more COST OF LIVING COMPARISON (SACRAMENTO VS. LISBON)from 2019 in ( life / travel / economy )
Cool international cost-of-living comparison site: expatistan.com/cost-of-livingexpatistan.com/cost-of-living . If you're thinking of moving from Sacramento, CA to Lisbon, Portugal, for example, go to: expatistan.com/cost-of-living/comparison/sacrame... read more HOW TO TAKE YOUR OWN PASSPORT PHOTOfrom 2018 in ( life / travel / photography )
I was having a hard time converting a digital photo down to the correct 2x2 physical size. Then I found this article: cnet.com/how-to/how-to-take-your-own-passport-photos/take your own passport photos . At first, I was thinking Tell me something I don't know. Then I saw the link to the State Depa... read more HOW DID MOSCOW'S STRAY DOGS LEARN TO NAVIGATE THE METRO?from 2017 in ( life / travel / russia )Interesting Of Moscow's 35,000-odd stray dogs, about 20 are thought to travel regularly on the city's underground rail system. These dogs seem to be able to identify which trains to board, and where to alight. It appears that they can recognise humans who will give them a treat or a pat -- and avoid those who won't. ... read more GREG AND JUNE'S TRIP TO EUROPE (2013)from 2016 in ( life / travel / europe / italy )
Our Trip to Europe (2013) By Greg, with Help from June June and I started out at LAX after getting a ride from Aileen. Thanks, Aileen! Our flight to Rome on Alitalia was delayed by about an hour, for some reason. Before boarding, we ran into a friend on the same flight who was with another friend and her friend's husba... read more SIGHTS AROUND THE WORLDfrom 2013 in ( life / travel )
A list of must-see sights around the world. Less obvious places, such as benjerry.com/scoop-shops/factory-tours/Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory in Vermont, or the en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MuseumofDecorativeArtsinPragueMuseum of Decorative Arts in Prague , etc.... read more BEST PLACES TO GO (2013)from 2013 in ( life / travel )
Nashville made the list! Here's what they say about it:The new Nashville offers two things worth traveling for: a hot, trendy cntraveler.com/food/2012/11/adam-platt-food-tour-of-the-south-charleston-nashville-north-carolina new food scene and its famous, funky music s... read more THINGS TO DO IN NASHVILLEfrom 2011 in ( life / travel / usa / nashville )
Actually, in and around Nashville. adventuresci.org/Adventure Science Center alphamom.com/family-fun/activities/50-things-to-do-with-kids-in-nashville-before-they-grow-up/Alpha Mom... read more TOUR OF NASHVILLE (2011)from 2011 in ( life / travel / usa / nashville )
/images/e-laughing-pumpkins.webp Elizabeth and I played tour guide to my sister harmonyhaven.wordpress.com/author/jeanniewomack/Jeannie , her daughter Tiffany,... read more TSA MISSES LUGGAGE THAT EXPLODES AFTER FLIGHTfrom 2011 in ( life / travel / government )
Despite a $98 million infusion for state-of-the-art baggage screening machines, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) somehow missed a suitcase filled with explosives that blasted after a three-hour domestic flight. The shameful gaffe is simply the latest of many for the beleaguered Homeland Security agency charg... read more TSA MISSES GUNS, BOMBS IN TESTSfrom 2011 in ( home / travel )TSA Misses Guns, Bombs In Tests TSA Misses Guns, Bombs In Tests by bill - 2011-01-27 05:00:00 ( in life, travel, harassment) php version rebuild While the government agency responsible for securing the nation's transportation system harasses honest citizens with in... read more PREIKESTOLEN, ONE OF NORWAY'S MOST VISITED ATTRACTIONSfrom 2010 in ( life / travel / europe )
Preikestolen is one of Rogaland county, Norway's most visited attractions, and one of the country's most spectacular photo subjects. It has been named one of the world's most spectacular viewing points by both CNN Go and Lonely Planet. It rises 604 metres above the Lysefjord.... read more RIDING THE METROfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're going to attempt to ride the Metro subway to history.com/topics/red-squareRed Square today. Wish us luck. The exits aren't numbered, they are listed by name ... in Cyrillic. Of course, the overhead announcements are in Russian. One helpful thing is that the announcements are in a male voic... read more STILL IN MOSCOWfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're in a different hotel, the ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/Moscow/mowso/hoteldetailHoliday Inn -- Moscow Sokolniki , for the rest of our stay. This is the one that was originally reserved for our return from Astrakhan. It has a reliable internet connection, costs less per night than yesterday... read more TO THE EMBASSYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Our last stop before the airport on the magical mystery tour is the Google.com/maps/place/EmbassyoftheUnitedStates/@55.7560229,37.576976,17z/data!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x46b54bcacb7fc963:0xc2075a0e27388e24!8m2!3d55.7560199!4d37.5791646US Embassy . They will make Elizabeth a US citizen and a registered Repub... read more UPDATE TO THE UPDATE'S UPDATEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I went ahead and paid for the 24-hour internet connection from the room. It wasn't even double the cost of one hour. I also swapped out the flaky cable and that seems to have fixed the connection problem. Wrong. I had to call the techs back to fix it. The hotel sure did send up some techs quickly to check it out. Tara and Elizabet... read more RIDING THE METRO, PART DEUXfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )All three of us went to history.com/topics/red-squareRed Square this time. I'm glad Tara was able to see it. Elizabeth was fascinated, too, but probably won't remember a thing. We then had lunch at sbarro.com/Sbarro in the ht... read more JUST ANOTHER WEEK TO GO...from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )... maybe less! That cheers me up. That's assuming everything goes as planned ... and it WILL. I believe in positive thinking (when I'm desperate, anyway, because it leads to positive actions, which lead to positive results, or at least your chances are better). I don't always practice it, but I try. It doesn't always work, but i... read more PICTURES OF OUR LIFE IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Tonight is our last night in Astrakhan. So, I thought I'd post some pictures of where we've been living for the past 19 days. We've had many battles over clothing. She thinks I put too much clothes on her. In the hotel room, she wears her thermals. But, she loves her boots. So, she often walks around in her thermals with her snow ... read more BACK IN MOSCOW (12/18/2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We made it this far! The plane ride was terrible for several minutes when we had to fasten our seat belts, which Elizabeth did not want to do. She SCREAMED loudly for quite a while, ticking off everyone nearby. Luckily, part of it was drowned out by the sound of the jet engines revving up and taking off. After that, she pooped her pants (I think... read more SLEEP, WHAT A CONCEPTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I slept on the floor most of last night. It's a little after 7 a.m. here. Elizabeth refuses to sleep in her crib, even though we're told that's what she slept in at the orphanage. So, she sleeps with us in our bed. That bed is barely big enough for just me and Tara. Anyway, Elizabeth can go to sleep in the bed, but whenever she wakes... read more NOTHING MUCH TO UPDATE ABOUTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )She's just driving us crazy. Luckily, Tara is taking the brunt of it. I had to get out and walk around town in the freezing cold, just for the sake of getting out. I was at least useful, coming back with some groceries. Elizabeth's sweet as can be and very playful most of the time, but she turns on a dime. The main problem is just kee... read more THE FIRST HOURS OF PARENTHOODfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Oh my gosh! She's a handful!Well, we left the orphanage without much incident. She told the orphanage staff that she wanted to leave in the car. But, she refused to let me or Bill hold her hand or touch her other than put her snowsuit and boots on. The orphanage director walked her out and then Vika, our interpreter took her from there. S... read more PICTURE OF US BEFORE COURTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
titleBill and Tara before Court href/images/bill-and-tara-before-court-ce4654969ca069c70e624f0b52e53253-1229x938.webp ...from several days ago, the... read more LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNELfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame-e223ada9010e2644f23f2d61d3af4921-1024x707.webp We visited Elizabeth again today. We caught her when she was in the music room with all the other kids in her age gr... read more SHE'S WARMING UP TO USfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )/images/adoption-video-frame-e223ada9010e2644f23f2d61d3af4921-1024x707.webp We had her laughing, smiling and giggling today. I pushed her around on the three-wheeler, then flew her around th... read more IT'S GOING TO BE A GOOD WEEKfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame-e223ada9010e2644f23f2d61d3af4921-1024x707.webp That's all I wanted to say. :)We had a shortened visit with Elizabeth today because we had to first stop by the ph... read more WENT FOR A WALKfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame-e223ada9010e2644f23f2d61d3af4921-1024x707.webp ... in the freezing cold, we were THAT bored. I'm starting to hate this place. There's just nothing to do wh... read more AND THE JUDGE SAYSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
She's ours!It's official! Elizabeth is ours. The court hearing went very smooth. It took about an hour and a half. There was a judge, prosecutor, a rep from the Child protective services, and the Minister of Education. They had a lot of questions about our parenting style, our finances and guardianship of her in the event of both our ... read more BACK IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We made it to Astrakhan, but I've lost my immigration form that goes with the passport and visa. It's just a little sheet that they have you fill out on the airplane before you land. If I'd known it was so important, I would have stapled it into the passport instead of just sliding it in there. It's not the end of the world, but ... read more IN THE AIR AGAINfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Sunday, November 25, 2007, 5:00pm CSTWe're in the air on our way back to Moscow. Delta Flight 46. The current in-flight movie is Evan Almighty, which we saw on one of our other flights to or from Moscow last time. You know, when you jet back and forth like we do, you forget exactly which flight it was. :) I guess it's rentable, but ... read more BACK IN MOSCOW (11/26/2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We made it. The flight was horrible. I think I slept about 30 seconds out of the 11 hour flight. It was not a full flight, and half the people around us were able to take up two or three seats, but we weren't quick enough. The other movie on the flight was imdb.com/title/tt0435705/?refnmflmgact58... read more BACK IN ATLANTAfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're in the Atlanta airport now! Good to be on US soil, except that they keep mentioning George Bush (... as in the Houston Airport). :) It's 1:45a.m. Moscow time right now (5:45p.m. EDT), but I'm not tired. I'm anxious to catch the flight to Nashville. Customs and security here in Atlanta is sooo much smoother than Russia, th... read more THURSDAY IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
First things first: Our little girl is warming up to Tara. She gave her a kiss yesterday, I think without even being asked. Now, for some more random thoughts:Before I forget to mention it, I need to tell you what happened Tuesday. I think it was Tuesday. My whole sense of time is pretty messed up. Anyway, it was a momentous day. Yeah, yea... read more LAST VISIT FOR A WHILEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We'll be leaving in a few minutes for our last visit to the orphanage this trip. I'm practicing asking for my baggage back from the hotel baggage room. Baggage actually sounds like boggage. Please is pa-ZHAL-sta. Fascinating, I know. I thought about getting a parting video shot of the lobby as we sit here waiting for our ride. But th... read more WEDNESDAY IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We just got back from today's first visit with the child (we're not supposed to mention her name online). We'll be going back this afternoon. In the meantime, Tara's trying to catch up on her sleep. She had woken up around 5 this morning. I was able to sleep until almost 8. The girl (hopefully soon to be known as our... read more SIGHTS OF ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )I'm attaching pictures we made of Astrakhan and our room. We are staying at the Hotel Azimut in Astrakhan. They are going through major renovations right now. It's kind of funny to see the interior design mix. The lobby is decorated in Art Deco while the rooms are decorated in traditional Russian decor like lace curtains, handblown gl... read more WE'RE IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )After a nerve-wracking trip to the airport and getting through the airport security we finally made it to our plane. We were told that our Rep, Galina, would be flying with us. We never saw her until we were already on the plane. She was one of the last passengers on the plane, she saw us and gestured to Bill. He figured it was Galina. Her seat ... read more FIRST TIME IN MOSCOWfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )Well, we made it to Moscow!After a long plane trip, we managed to get through passport control and customs with no problems. And all of our luggage made it!Our CHI Rep and driver were late getting to the airport and we were worried, but they did eventually show up. We got our first taste of traffic, and let me go on record to say -- I will... read more LINKS TO ALL HOLMES FAMILY ADOPTION POSTSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/pages/this-time-next-weekThis Time Next Week -- I'm happy to say that this time next week, we will be in Astrakhan, Russia! We leave the States on Friday, September 28 and arrive in... read more WE'RE IN MOSCOWfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We'll be spending the night in Moscow, after all, and flying down to Astrakhan tomorrow afternoon. I was stressed out without an internet or even a usable power connection. But I'm obviously connected now. I had the power converters, but not the three-prong-to-two-prong adapter that I have plenty of at home. We ran into another cou... read more IN THE AIRfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
28 Sept -- 3:55pm CDT -- We're in the air on our way to Moscow. A little bit of good news is that it's only a 10 hour flight instead of 12 as we had thought.... read more VISITING FAMILY IN GUATEMALAfrom 2005 in ( life / travel / americas / blog )
We visited Evelyn's family in Guatemala, hence the title of the post :) and ate like the pigs that we are. Bijou had fun. I guess the highlight was going to the cemetery. Believe it or not, it was really Gothic, colorful, historical and very interesting, in general.We didn't have much time for sightseeing this time (only 4 days), bu... read more TRIP TO ROANOKEfrom 2005 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )I'm home after a long trip to Roanoke, VA and back. It was quite an experience overall. The 1-3/4 hour drive to SMF was punctuated by the puppy screaming and howling in the crate behind me in the van. She messed the newspapers once and I stopped and changed them. Once I got to the airport, I put her into the carry-on targetbla... read more VISITING FAMILY IN KANSASfrom 2005 in ( life / travel / usa / kansas )Kansas. What an incredibly boring state. Tara, her sister Sandie, niece Destiny, and I flew from Nashville to attend her youngest sister Stephanie's high school graduation in Council Grove. Tara and I figured we'd find something to do that night upon arrival in Kansas City, followed by more touring the next day before catching up with th... read more TRIP TO VANCOUVERfrom 2005 in ( life / travel / americas / canada )
Our trip was great. Here's a very short story.We left on 8/11 from my work. My boss made me attend a meeting that day which ended at 2:30, whereupon I joined June, Brian and Andy who were in our van, waiting in the parking lot. Boy, did I need a vacation!We arrived at Jeannie's that night, stayed overnight and dropped off Cedar, wh... read more CHARLESTON AND SAVANNAHfrom 2000 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )Charleston, SCWe drove ... and drove ... and drove -- 10 hours or so- from visitmusiccity.com/Nashville until finally reaching Charleston, South Carolina. Along the way, we stopped in Asheville, North Carolina at the Biltmore Estate because Tara had forgotten to get postcards when we were there... read more CALIFORNIA, WHAT A TRIPfrom 2000 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
Before we left, I took Austin to his Grandma Joy's house. We had a good visit and he took to her immediately. I left him on Friday morning and drove back to Nashville. I was supposed to get my ear drums cut open for the plane ride because I had ear infections, but the steroids and antibiotics had put a negative pressure situation in my ears ... read more QUICK TRIP TO CHICAGOfrom 1999 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
/images/bill-tara-98.webpTara and I left Nashville for Chicago on a Thursday morning. At the last minute I decided to let my cat Myca out. I figured he would return shortly after doing his business in the neighbor's bushes, as usual, and I could then lock him in the house for the duration of our trip. When he... read more PORTUGAL TO HUNGARYfrom 1998 in ( life / travel / europe / blog )
How I Spent My Summer Vacations (Portugal to Hungary) from 1992Portugal/AzoresOn Sunday, July 12th, I woke up... but while getting ready for the flight to Portugal the next morning, I never went back to sleep. In Lisboa, my 2nd cousin and her husband Antonio Melo met me at the airport. They served as chauffeurs, tour guides a... read more TRIP TO EUROPE (1996)from 1996 in ( life / travel / europe / blog )
Jump straight to vimeo.com/3271045the video, here , if you want. I was in Bratislava, Slovakia for Doug and Jana's wedding, but this doesn't include the wedding itself. That was filmed by a professional. This video is so badly done it's almost funny. There's also some footage fro... read more |
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