Year: 2005

Run the faucet water for a few seconds before putting your toothbrush under it. It saves the shock of having a little brown frog with black eyes land on the bristles. (for you and the frog!)

Editor’s note: Kirsten M. pointed out that Bentley is not very well represented in our blog. So this chapter is about his adventures. Since Bentley’s not always able to express himself, this will be a ghostwriter’s guess at his impressions. Woof! I’m Bentley! Rrrr! We are driving and driving and driving all over the place. … Continue reading “Postcard from Bentley”

Waking with the bed rolling to and fro, Fred and I spouted the word in unison: EARTHQUAKE. For 15 seconds or so, the bed rolled sideways, just as if it were lying on a series of logs and being rocked from one direction then the other. Earthquakes come in many forms. With some you’re a … Continue reading “Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Lightning”

Tech Tools Toys and Tidbits We came arrayed with a variety of tech toys and tools on this trip. Normally, our trips are short enough that it’s not worth the bother. However, on a 4000 mile drive, the boredom might be fatal to one or both of us. We need some entertainment. And besides email, … Continue reading “Tech Tools Toys and Tidbits”

Day 14 Friday, July 29, 2005 We made it! We made it! We made it! Here we are in Costa Rica! We arrived last night after a 3 day marathon of border crossings. Before we left San Diego, we had an inkling of the complexities and frustrations, but reality was even more of a Dickensian … Continue reading “We made it! We made it! We made it!”

As of Weds, July 20. Four Days Into Mexico and all’s well we are 1547 miles into the trip – out of 3700 planned. It didn’t take long to settle into a pretty smooth rhythm of driving, PEMEX stops, autopista (pay road) tollbooths and finding lodging or camps. Saturday, we left home around 1600 (4PM), … Continue reading “Four Days Into Mexico and all’s well”

Suhprise, suhprise. Since leaving 30+ years of high tech follies, one of Carolyn’s activities is a foray back into vocal and instrumental music. Her most recent performance was in the recital capping a 9-week course in Musical Theatre Performance. All students performed solos and duets of their choice, along with the ensemble piece, “Seasons of … Continue reading “Carolyn Sings!”

Inquiring minds will ask what the heck is Warthog Pinacate? Two of our favorite creatures. In Africa, we were charmed by the warthog families who trot across the grass lands with their tasseled tails upright, in size order from largest to smallest. Despite having nasty fangs and bumpy faces, there’s a certain “cuteness” to these … Continue reading “Department of WTF: Warthog Pinacate???”