Don McClean wrote his iconic song, "American Pie", 51 years ago. The song was released when I was entering high school, and it was Number 1 on the charts for a couple of months, even though it was almost 9 minutes long. It was part of the soundtrack of my high school years. The song held fascination for me and my classmates, because the lyrics were mysterious and dark, but the chorus was easy to sing and felt musically upbeat. Over the decades, its meaning has been the

We traveled to Wisconsin Rapids late July. Here are photos from the area where where Paul's dad lived. In late September, we drove through mid-Wisconsin into the UP of Michigan to Lansing. The autumn leaves are late this year, so even this far north we barely saw any leaf color. Sunset as we crossed from Wisconsin to Michigan, then sunrise in Escanaba. Mostly a rainy day to the Mighty Mackinac bridge. Shout-out to Darrow's restaurant in Mackinaw City, where we had perfect

I have to confess, when we first realized we'd be spending a couple of months in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, we had low expectations for food choices. When I asked Paul what he thought we'd be able to eat around here, he and I simultaneously shouted, "Beer in a boot!" Years ago, we had both experienced visits to bars that featured this German tradition, but in Madison and Milwaukee, not in Wisconsin Rapids. Beer in a boot, and cheese curds were our stereotype of Wisconsin

When we embarked on our nomadic life, we knew we would be planning six months or so into the future at any given time, and we would have to be flexible. Because it was 2021 when we started our first bookings, we knew something like the Pandemic might affect or alter things. And, we built into our budget sudden trips home in case of illness or death of people close to us. Eileen Kay writes engagingly about travel during the Pandemic in her book, Nothing Went to Plan and Othe

After several domestic flights characterized by delays, frenetic passengers, and cramped seats, I decided to take the train back to Wisconsin after my short return to Seattle. This route is called the Empire Builder, and it travels between Seattle and Chicago, which is a three-day trip. I rode two days to disembark at Wisconsin Dells. Here's my take on the plusses and minuses of that trip. What I loved about the trip: The scenery was beautiful -- the train travels all the w