Scuba Dream Time

Spring is absolutely STUNNING.  When you live in such a perfect area, Spring only improves everything. The trees are sprouting new fanciful greens creating a dappled background for the flowers. Flowers are blossoming everywhere. It looks like an easter palette exploded over life. Gardens are coming back to life. Great time for a springtime wildflower hike in the gorge. Check out some pictures from the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, OR.

We arrived after taking the night train from the Giza station. The train was a unique experience. I have taken many trains, even overnight trains. However, I had never taken a sleeper car train. The service was attentive and the food was not bad, actually pretty good. Service was contained to the cabin. That was a bit tight with luggage and a 6-foot 4-inch husband. After some confusion about the arrival time, we pulled into the station later than originally scheduled. The onslaught of hawkers for transportation options is overwhelming as you step outside of the station. Find a ride and go. The first thing you notice as your cab pulls away is that the traffic is not as congested as in Cairo. Luxor is quite different to Cairo. Cairo represents congestion and city life. Luxor shows the more relaxed pace of village life in Egypt. The East bank of Luxor is the touristy side and more city-like. The West bank is where the locals live and where the ancient Egyptians were buried. The East ...

Egypt was a great experience. Returning to the US was a shock. Keep in mind I have a US passport which gets used and renewed. Egypt was not my first overseas trip. It was not my first return to the US through LAX. However, it was my first return to my home country since the establishment of the tRUMP administration. A Custom Border Patrol (CBP) agent made an implied threat to my husband as to the future of our family. Our family did not violate any laws. However, CBP felt compelled to threaten a law abiding resident and citizen, for some unknown reason. CBP agents would not provide any additional information. I am left assuming that they disagree with our choice of vacation destination. The CBP agents may not be aware that people are free to travel and explore any country as long as all laws are followed. CBP may not like my choice of holiday destination, but that should not impact on how the deal with law abiding travelers from any nation. Travelers are not by default criminals a...

I have just returned from a dream trip to Egypt. As a child, I was drawn to the subject of ancient Egypt. I even saved my allowance and gift money to purchase a book on King Tutankhamon. The trip was everything I had hoped for and more. Going to Cairo from the west coast of the United States makes for a long day of travel. Arriving in Cairo after more than 20 hours of flying (not including 2 layovers), was an exhilarating shock to the system. The first thing that smacks you is the traffic. At first, it seems like absolute chaos. Western sensibilities and adherents of the bubble wrap culture can be quickly overwhelmed by the volume, noise, and lack of any traffic rules. However, if you observe, you will notice it is more fluid and organic than it appears. The Cairo traffic movement model moves along much faster than traffic in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, and many other major American cities. Learning to cross the street takes courage and ability to closely follow a local until y...