We have a new member of the family, at least until May. Leo comes to us from our friends the Gilgans, whose vagabond lifestyle takes them again to Indonesia for the winter. This suits us very well, because we were having a tough time finding a good forever dog to lift our spirits through the…
Category: FUN STUFF
FUN STUFF
E-Biking in Alaska
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
For security reasons, I don’t usually post about a holiday while I’m away, but this one worked out perfectly because our ship got into Vancouver at 7 this morning. I’m not going to review the cruise. It’s the Holland-America trip, Vancouver-Alaska-Vancouver, and it seems everybody we know has already done it. Also, for a British…
FUN STUFF
Sarasota: an Atoll in the Middle of Everything
by renaissanceadmin • • 1 Comment
An atoll is a wide area of shallow water surrounded by low, sandy islands. As such, one could be forgiven in calling Sarasota an atoll. It consists of five sandy keys (in true Florida fashion, connected by soaring bridges and rod-straight causeways) and a stretch of the mainland. The John Ringling Causeway has a 1000-metre…
FUN STUFF
How We Found Our New Dog
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
In the old days, if you wanted a dog in a rural area, you just put the word out in the community; somebody always knew somebody who…you know how it goes. The first dog Linda and I got, we used the city technique of the time: we saw an ad in the newspaper. For our…
FUN STUFF
Touristy Stuff in Yucatan
by renaissanceadmin • • 1 Comment
I wrote at length about our travel experience of the last two weeks, but enough sociology. Here’s the stuff potential tourists might want to know, or armchair travelers might enjoy. Tulum Archeological Site Linda and I had been to Chichen Itza a couple of years back, and while we were impressed at the size of…
FUN STUFF
In or Ex: How Do You Want Your Holiday? Part 2, Gordon’s All-Exclusive
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
On Facebook, this picture would say, “If you remember hotel room doors like this, you are OLD.” Nope, this is present-day hardware at the Hotel Casa Balam in Mérida. That fob is hand carved. Full Disclosure: When Linda and I travel, we don’t expect our standard of living to increase. We don’t take holidays to…
FUN STUFF, Social Commentary
In or Ex: How do you want your holiday? Part 1, All Inclusive
by renaissanceadmin • • 1 Comment
Linda and I spent the last week in an all-inclusive resort in Yucatan. We were with a group of very good friends, tagging along with a larger high school reunion group. It was a first for us, and we were interested to see if we’d like it. Putting aside the fact that sometimes it seemed…
FUN STUFF
The Rest of New York (in one week)
by renaissanceadmin • • 1 Comment
Bethesda Fountain, Central Park Our primary objective on this trip was Carlos and Matthew’s wedding, but we were in New York for a week, so we got to catch a nibble of what the Big Apple has to offer. What amazed me was how much New York is ingrained in our culture. Every time we…
FUN STUFF
Wedding Day in New York
by renaissanceadmin • • 3 Comments
Tuesday, July 11, a new milestone in the Long family calendar, started out hot and sunny. We got up early, had breakfast and got dressed and out of the hotel by 9:40. It was a beautiful day, not too hot yet, with a bit of a breeze blowing light mistings of spray from the…
FUN STUFF
The New York Experience: Washington Square Park
by renaissanceadmin • • 1 Comment
We checked into the Marlton Hotel on Friday, and it was a nice day — hazy sun but not too hot — so we wandered over to the park to check out the venue for the wedding on Tuesday. To put it mildly, it was a never-ending scene. Washington Square has been a place to…