Early Digital Travels
The first travel photographs were taken with my first digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix (first series). Yes, I wish I had purchased a professional camera much sooner. I had completed my degree at UCLA and was working in Hollywood, traveling when I could.
Las Vegas
It was an easy four hour drive to Vegas on a long weekend. But coming back on Sunday, that was a different story. It was an eight hour return. This was my third visit to Vegas, but this time I added a trip to the Hoover Dam.
The dam is 726 feet tall and 1,244 feet long, which is almost a quarter of a mile. It is massive at 60 stories tall. At the time of completion in 1935, it was the largest dam in the world.
Chicago
When my daughter graduated, my present to her was a trip to Chicago. Highlights were the Navy Pier, a Cubs game (they lost), and Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, The Robie House.
The house is a marvel, but the story continues. Frederick Carlton Robie, a manufacturing executive, was hired create a family home, which was completed in 1910. The family only lived in the home for about a year, then a death and a bankruptcy followed. Eventually, the building became a seminary then it was slated for demolition. After public outcry, William Zeckendorf donated it to the University of Chicago in 1963.
San Diego
My Dad and his wife had adopted a Westie. The puppy quickly became too much for them, so I took Maui back to Los Angeles during a visit. (She became my service dog several years later.)
I decided to take a quick weekend visit to San Diego. There was a beach for dogs to romp and run on Fiesta Island. Maui became Sand Dog.
Caribbean Cruise
Ports of Call included San Juan, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and St. Thomas.
Once the cruise ship docked in Aruba, I quickly made my way to Eagle Beach. I put my towel on the sand, kicked off my sandals… and the rain started. I found an umbrella to hide under, but the rain kept pouring down. Soaked, I returned to the ship to dry off.
Then I meandered through several shops in Oranjestad. One place offered Cuban cigars! It was a must. My beloved Grandfather often smoked cigars with a bit of cherry wood mixed in. He would let me take a puff or two — without Mom or Grandma noticing. But this cigar had an earthy, woodsy flavor with undertones of spice. Though it was smooth. I had discovered a dry overhang near a café and simply watched the families rush by as the smoke drifted, forming a halo of sorts, and remembered my Grandpa.
Paris
For a Christmas present to my daughter, we traveled to Paris! As a side trip, we added a visit to the Palace of Versailles.
My daughter and I took a cooking class while in Paris. It was one night, four courses, and plenty of wine. At that time, Brittany was in her first year of college. After our trip, she dropped out of college to attend pastry school.
“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”
Southwest Loop
I wanted to see more of the southwest, so I created a road trip, including some of the places I stopped as I drove from Cincinnati to Los Angeles years before.
I explored more of Oatman, Arizona. I added the Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest. I spent more time in Santa Fe. Bisbee and Tombstone, Arizona, had been on my bucket list. Also, I stumbled across the Sonoran Desert National Monument.
During this trip, I realized that I needed to set a new course in my life. But first, I had to finish a few projects.
And to travel to a few more places…