……commentary from the road
(Photo above; Hindliyan House, Plovdiv)..... I’d never heard of Plovdiv until a month before our visit and thought Bulgaria was just another Soviet backwater. In truth, Plovdiv was fascinating, vibrant, and an altogether enjoyable stop in the Balkans. Billed as Europe’s oldest continuously settled city, it’s a working mix of physical landmarks spanning Alexander the... Continue Reading →
(Photo above; Santa Maria del Fiore)... Having overindulged in South America, Katia and I pointed our travels towards Europe this winter/spring, and what more prominent European location than the Italian province of Tuscany. Florence, with its Renaissance charm, is spectacular, however, there’s just no getting around the tourist hordes even in February. Don't be misled... Continue Reading →
(Photo above; First-time Cruisers)... Another retirement first was booking a transatlantic cruise last January from Miami to England. Katia and I had never been on a cruise, were honestly a bit condescending towards the idea, and really had no interest until some friends talked up their own cruise experience during a recent visit. Not for... Continue Reading →
That “someday” finally came. Throughout my working career, the dream of touring the United States on a Harley was always a someday fantasy. Unfortunately, living abroad with time-constrained “home leaves” kept touring America a dream, or maybe just provided me with a convenient excuse. Then retirement came along, and suddenly, time, resources, and the awareness... Continue Reading →
(Photo above; On the Stage at Ramsey Solutions)... While stopping over in Nashville on a recent Harley trip, I was looking over my map and noticed Franklin, Tennessee, was just 12 miles south of me. Well, hell, that’s the studio home of Dave Ramsey and Ramsey Solutions. Dave is always mentioning coming by for the... Continue Reading →
While enjoying the quiet retired life in Brazil this spring, Katia and I decided it was a good idea to fly all three of our sons down to Brazil during our last month for some renewed family time. We were both getting a bit tired of the daily routine; we genuinely missed the kids, so... Continue Reading →
Although relatively unknown outside of South America, Foz do Iguacu (Iguacu Falls) is easily one of the top 10 natural wonders in the world. While Iguacu is ranked highly on many lists of spectacular waterfalls, I say it’s the “King” and that Niagra and Victoria Falls are punk in comparison. Iguacu (from the original Indian... Continue Reading →
(Photo above; With son Frank in Curitiba's Historico Centro)... Continuing our tour of southern Brazil, we laid up for a month in Curitiba, Parana, about 450 km southwest of Sao Paulo. I had never heard of the place 6 months ago, but having had such a great time in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do... Continue Reading →
(Photo above: Main Street Daytona).... Another March, and another Bike Week Daytona. This will be my fifth visit to the annual rally. We decided to get a hotel this time and see more of the attractions vs. day-tripping from Sebastian. We hit “Main Street”, rode “The Loop”, and visited the Speedway and Destination Daytona. Again,... Continue Reading →
I'd say I come from an average-sized American family and have one brother, several cousins, etc. My wife, Katia, on the other hand, is one of 10+ children, and her parents were part of similar-sized families. Do the math, and that equates to dozens of cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, and uncles, taking the concept of... Continue Reading →
What Next? 