18 Days Through Europe in an Audi - Meilen, Switzerland

[Summer, 2004]

Leaving Belgirate we kept Lake Maggiore on our left this time and circled around it to head north into Switzerland. All was fine until we hit another small town that seemed to have more cars than than people. When some places began to look familiar, we knew we were driving in a circle.


"Stop at a hotel," I said. "They'll probably speak English."

"No, no," came the male reply. "We'll find someone at the gas station."

Well, this time they did. A tall Italian man preceded our two guys out of the gas station and jumped into his car. Bob and Dick jumped into the front seat and said, "Follow that car!" The Italian's car pealed out onto the street and we screamed right after him. The guys told us that he spoke English, was headed for the border and offered to lead the way.

We followed him out of town and onto some back country roads. Polly and I began to look at each other with the suspicious minds of the females we are.

"Are you sure this guy is going to the border?" we asked. Laughter from the front seat did not put us at ease.

"Are you sure he's Italian? You know there are some people who would love to get their hands on four unsuspecting Americans." More laughter from the front seat.

Farms and fields and forests whizzed by as the road seemed to narrow even more. Suddenly we came out of the woods and onto a highway with the border crossing obviously in front of us. Heart rates slowed as we approached the Swiss border. The Italian went to the first booth and we took the second. The guard looked at our passports and reminded us that we needed to purchase a driving permit for the car in order to drive in Switzerland. He waved us through and we parked to stretch our legs and purchase our permit.

While Bob and Dick were in the license bureau, Polly and I noticed the Italian still talking to the guard at the border. They had not let him through yet. Those suspicious little minds of ours began to work again. When the guys returned and we pointed out that our "friend" was still waiting to get through. They looked in his direction and he gave a little salute in return.

"Quick, get in the car." Dick said between his teeth that were clenched in a smile.

"We're out of here." Bob echoed.

We have no idea why he was still waiting as we pulled away. I don't think we want to know.

Once in Switzerland navigating became a cinch with wonderfully clear road signs that matched the information we had on our maps. We headed for Lake Zurich and the winery of some friends we had met on a dive trip to Papua New Guinea.

As we waited for a ferry ride across the lake, we could see the acres of vineyards along the hillside across from us. The grapes are provided perfect growing conditions along the shore of the lake. The ferry deposited us in Meilen, a quaint little town with a few small wineries. We found a parking place and had lunch at a little cafe next to the water before we set off to find the winery of Herman Schwarzenbach. Luckily our friends were there since we had forgotten to bring their email address with us and had not warned them we were coming.

They live just above the wine cellars in a home that has been passed down through generations and is about 200 years old. On our personal tour, we were intrigued by the beautiful carvings on some of the large wooden wine barrels. There was no processing at the time but Celeste explained the stages of bringing in the grape harvest all the way to selling the bottled vintage. We enjoyed a taste of their product in their beautiful garden along the lake and relived some of the highlights of our dive trip in PNG before continuing on to Liechtenstein.

Wordless Wednesday

18 Days Through Europe in an Audi - Stresa, Italy

[Summer, 2004]

Stresa is a beautiful little resort town on the shores of Lake Maggiore. In the distance you can see the snow capped mountains of Switzerland. Cobblestone streets invite you to investigate their boutiques, shops, cafes, and restaurants. Bright flowers hang from second floor windows and railings in striking contrast to the antiqued coloring of the old buildings. Hydrangea bushes proliferate in the park along the lakefront. In July the bushes are full of blue and pink blooming globes. But in June, the hydrangeas are just beginning to show color and are upstaged by the profusion of rose bushes with flowers the size of soft balls.

Across from Stresa lie three small islands, Isola Bella, Isola del Pescatori, and Isola Madre. We opted to visit the first two. Finding a water taxi a little more convenient than the public ferry, we arranged the times we wanted to travel to each island. We left for Isola Bella, enjoying the panoramic view of Stresa from the boat. Upon arriving at Isola Bella, we went straight to the ticket office of the Borromeo Palace to beat the buses full of tourists we knew were arriving in the parking lot in Stresa. We opted for the audio tour and plugged our headsets into the audio player. There was more information supplied than we wanted but someone who is a real history buff would enjoy the details.

The palace is impressive and took about an hour to tour. The music room was the historic meeting place between Mussolini and the French and British in an attempt to scare the Germans out of the war. That was just before Mussolini joined Hitler. The most unusual rooms are downstairs in what is called the grotto. Walls are covered in small stones and there is a shell/underwater motif throughout. It was the place to go before air conditioning was invented since it stays cool throughout the hot summer days.

The Baroque terraced gardens are home to a flock of white peacocks that strut among the visitors. Gardeners work daily to keep up the sculptured greenery and the flowers that bloom profusely April through October. We skipped seeing Isola Madre but I understand the botanical gardens there are beautiful and contain a wide variety of plant life.

Our water taxi picked us up at the appointed time and took us to Isola del Pescatori for lunch. We found a restaurant overlooking the small beach area and enjoyed a plate of freshly caught lake fish. Isola del Pescatori is the smallest of the islands and is still home to some fishermen. It is a quaint walk through narrow alleyways filled with little shops and small restaurants. Colorful flowers and fishnets adorn the outside walls. You feel as though you are walking through an old master’s painting of Italy.

Back again at our car, we drove a short distance to the cable car, Funivia, where we boarded for a ride up to the top of Mt. Mottarone. The scenes from the cable car are breathtaking on a clear day. Once we reached the top we climbed to the summit and enjoyed the view of the snow capped mountains of Switzerland. Below we could see the islands we had visited in the morning surrounded by the blue waters of Lake Maggiore.

A little café with an outdoor patio looked like an inviting spot to stop for a cappuccino. No one makes cappuccino like the Italians. Business was slow and the proprietor spent time talking to us about what the winters were like—cold and snowy—which explains the ski resort on the other side of the mountain.

After a wonderful pasta dinner with wild mushrooms, we found some ice cream, gelato, and strolled around the waterfront park again, this time lingering long enough to watch the sunset turn the sky and the lake to various shades of deep purple.

Stresa is the kind of place that invites you to linger and relax but we had 16 more days and lots of places to see. We were ready to begin some serious sightseeing.

18 Days Through Europe in an Audi

[The next few days I'll be posting about a trip we took the summer of 2004.]

It wasn’t supposed to be an Audi. We had reserved an Opel. It was a matter of conjecture between the guys for the next 18 days whether the Opel would have supplied more trunk space. Happy just to have a car after being told our reservation with Avis was not on record, we left the Malpensa airport north of Milan and pointed the Audi in the direction of Stresa, our first stop.

The four of us, Bob and I and Bob’s twin, Dick, and wife, Polly, had spent a year planning these next eighteen days. Dick carried a stack of printouts from Mapquest and I had three AAA maps along with information from the internet about each place we planned to stop, Polly held tight to the Rick Steves books she’d borrowed from the library and Bob, well he came along for the ride, I guess. Oh, yes, he carried the credit cards.

Bob drove first, having had more recent experience with a manual shift than Dick. We were enjoying the countryside of northern Italy until we suddenly discovered Lake Maggiore was on our left rather than our right. Stopping at a gas station, we, who spoke no Italian, gestured and nodded and pointed to the map and they, who spoke no English, gestured and nodded and pointed in the air. Finally we said “Grazie” and just headed back in the direction we had come. Eventually it all straightened out. Maggiore was on our right again and the Best Western Villa Carlotta in Belgirate eventually popped into view around a bend just south of Stresa.

Weary and travel worn, we dragged our luggage into the lobby and were greeted by the manager behind the desk. His keen eye immediately told him he had four groggy Americans who would do anything for a bed and some rest. “I have to keepa your passaports,” he announced with a broad smile when Bob and Dick finished filling out the registration.

“What do you mean?” we all asked in unison.

“You want the key, I have to have the passaports. It’s the rule.” His smile broadened.

Now we all knew the first rule of foreign travel is never surrender your passport. By his smile, it was difficult to tell if he was kidding or if he truly meant what he was saying.

“When do we get them back?” Dick asked a bit frayed around the edges.

The man shrugged. “I give them back to you when you leave.”

We learned later that the Italian government requires a copy of the passport to be on file for each guest registering at a hotel. All he needed was a copy but he must have enjoyed playing with the Americans. I think we slept out of sheer exhaustion because none of us felt comfortable knowing our passports were in his possession.

The next day on our way out, we pursued the issue and he produced the passports, playing a “pick the right one” game with us. The humor was lost on us.

Books For The Road - A Lambing Season In Ireland

Often a resort or a ship will have a book exchange where you can leave a book and take a book. I love it! I've been introduced to several new authors through them. The latest, Maria Coffey, is a writer who teams up with her husband Dag Goering, a photographer and vet, to write about their travel adventures. A Lambing Season In Ireland, journals their stay in Chaersiveen in northern Ireland during the lambing season.

Coffey relates the story from her point of view which I found amusing at times as she tells of how she suddenly found herself assisting her vet husband, Dag, as he took care of ewe's and cows that were having a difficult delivery. Some of those stories are not for the feint of heart--make that stomach. But Coffey also engages the reader in the style and customs of the Irish countryside as she introduces you to the farmers and their families of the area. Mixed with a little Irish history and descriptive flora and fauna, the book is a delicious Irish stew. A great read for the traveler to Ireland or the stay-at-home who travels vicariously through reading.

(The book was published in 2001 and is available as "used" on Amazon. I had trouble finding it anywhere else, even the library. A bookstore might be able to order it for you. The publisher is McArthur & Co., Toronto, Canada)

Caribbean Misadventure - Part 3

Thursday, the skies over Grand Cayman brightened some. There were still leftover squalls but we were able to get some great dives in anyway. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Ocean Frontiers offers a night dive which Bob loves. Me, not so much. Since the day dives had been under clouded skies he had not yet had his camera in the water so he was excited about finally getting pictures with his night diving lights.

The video camera fits into a thick metal case made for diving. When we go through security at the Cleveland airport, we always allow for extra time because no one knows what it is so they run it through all the tests for explosives. Bob put it all together going through all the steps to secure the camera and make sure the seals were in place. After a light snack-dinner, he left for the Sunset Reef dive anticipating encounters with octopus, squid, lobster, and a host of other critters that come out to forage in the night.

Several hours later I heard the key in the door to the condo and Bob came in. My first question, "So? Did you get any good pictures?"

He held the camera up for me to see. The lense of the video camera was half filled with water. The housing had leaked. Murphy's Law struck again. If something's going to go wrong it will. We have yet to figure out what exactly did go wrong though.

The sun came out the next day. The diving got better. The week went on with some great dives even though we will have to rely on our memories rather than pictures. And last but not least, we were treated to one of the most spectacular sunsets we have ever seen in Cayman. Even the locals were taking pictures of it. Thankfully our land camera was still operational but it didn't capture the deep colors that God painted in the skies to say--it is well.

Wordless Wednesday

Caribbean Misadventure - Part 2

We choose to get away from the popular Seven Mile Beach area for our dive vacations and so from the rental plaza at the airport, we drove toward the East End of Grand Cayman. It's about a fifty minute drive and halfway along there is a nice IGA where we stop for groceries. It's a "vacation." I get to make breakfast and lunch and most nights we go out for dinner.

Groceries loaded between dive gear, we continued on to The Reef, our home-away-from-home for the week. Now after spending all that time and money on food supplies for breakfast, we discovered a new perk with our condo rental--free continental breakfast. Who knew? Not us.

As we settled in for the night, so did Tropical Depression-Soon-To-Be-Storm Nicole. The next morning, we awoke to thick clouds and frothing ocean and "liquid sunshine." Well, divers are all wet anyway so we donned our gear and headed out. The good news was that the boat could head for calmer waters on the north side. The bad news was that it was very dark overhead meaning we could have used the dive torch (flashlight) we'd left in the car.

Still, the diving in Cayman is good even under those adverse conditions. And it isn't everyone who gets to see fish sleeping in past their wake up time. Seriously. They were laying in little coves or flopped over rocks almost looking like they were dead but they were still asleep. Without the bright sun, they didn't know it was time to be up and about.

That evening we went out to dinner and watched a bank of storm clouds move in. Just as our waitress was handing us the check, a huge bolt of lightning crashed nearby. When our eyes adjusted again, there was no waitress! It was an unbelievable disappearance! We went inside and found her cowering under the bar. She recovered long enough to finish the transaction.

We drove back to our condo and settled in to watch some TV. Just as we found something to watch, the lights went out. Now let me tell you, it was dark! The moon was somewhere above Nicole I'm sure but it wasn't any help. Luckily we found the dive torch and we headed for the only spot in the resort that had light-the bar, of course. Somehow they were managing to mix drinks by a small light. I'm guessing they were getting creative. We were told it would be a couple of hours before the lights would come back on. While we used our flashlight to get back to our room, we passed others who were using their cell phones. Some were even texting and walking! Luckily the lights were back on in about an hour and we were good for the rest of the night.

After tons of rain that night though, schools called off the next day and so did the dive operation. Storms were blowing so hard that it wasn't safe to go out in the squalls. Ah, but our misadventures were to continue even when Nicole decided to leave town. . .

Caribbean Misadventure

When we booked our Caribbean dive trip for this year we knew that we were taking a chance on the weather in September. Of course who knew it would be a year of one tropical depression after another. A few years ago we had booked a trip in October and it was canceled due to Ivan but other years when we've gone to Grand Cayman in September, we've had great weather and been able to take advantage of package deals because of the season.

This year as the plane circled to land, the pilot said we were going to land east to west instead of the usual way, west to east. It must have been an omen although to look at the skies, you would not have guessed. The huge puffy white clouds with patches of deep blue sky were the usual fare and I thought nothing of it. We landed without problems, gathered luggage and headed for the rental car plaza. Now we were beginning to get into the unusual.

The parking lot in front of Thrifty, Avis, Dollar, and several off-brand car rental companies was also home to about a dozen chickens as best I could count. They weaved in and out of the way of the drivers renting cars--a pretty brave venture since most of the drivers were not yet used to driving on the left side of the road. As I sat on the curb and waited for our car, the rooster of the bunch got very friendly. I expected him to peck the camera at any moment.

Who knew that chickens would be an omen of things to come?

Sunday Worship Thought - What Do You See?

It is always amazing to me to get back to the dive boat after a dive and listen to the reports of other divers about what they saw. Some only see the larger fish like sharks, rays, tarpons, etc. Some report all sorts of crustaceans--lobsters, crabs, etc. Others see the tiniest inhabitants of the reef like arrow crabs, pederson shrimp, tube worms, juvenile drum fish, etc.

Of course there are also those who like to fabricate stories as well not unlike a good fisherman. "Did you see that hammerhead?" or "How about that whale shark?" As my husband says, if you don't have a picture of it, it didn't appear.

There are times though, a diver will come up and say they didn't see anything. Huh? I was on the same dive and the area we covered was the same--you don't wander terribly far from the dive boat. There was tons of marine life, corals both hard and soft, sponges of all colors and shapes and sizes, landscapes that were dramatic and unusual. . .I could go on. It's all in what you look for.

It's not too different from what we see in life. If we look for only the things we want to see, if we search constantly for the elusive, and if we overlook all the beauty that surrounds us only because it may not be what we think we want or need, we miss out on a lot of the good things of life--the things God has given that enrich our lives. If you get to that place in heaven and God asks you, "So, what did you see?" what will you report?

Books For The Road - Wonders Never Cease

A couple of weeks ago at the American Christian Fiction Writers conference author Tim Downs was our keynote speaker. The publishing house (Thomas Nelson) of his latest book, Wonders Never Cease, was gracious enough to give each of us at dinner that evening a copy of the new book. I was intrigued since I'd never read anything of his and I truly enjoyed his two presentations. I dove in.

Wonders Never Cease is the story of Kemp McAvoy who concocts a get-rich-quick scheme that involves manipulating the meds of movie star Olivia Hayden who is about to receive a visit from an "angel." Of course the experience is book material and the book is a runaway best seller before it even hits the bookstores thanks to Oprah. It has all the makings of a successful venture except for a little girl who sees real angels and a real angel who messes with the scheme of things.

The story is cleverly written and while quite sensitive in some spots, elicits smiles and chuckles in others. I loved the premise: You can't really believe in something unless you want to or allow yourself to believe. It is a light read that is entertaining, amusing, and leaves you satisfied.

Downs also writes a series of thrillers, the bug man novels, about a forensic entemologist who solves crimes by studying the bugs involved in the crime scene. I'm looking forward to some more good reading from him. Love discovering a new-to-me author!

Wordless Wednesday. . .on Thursday!

It Is Well. . .

Last weekend I spoke at a women's conference in Wadsworth, OH. Part of the morning program included the testimonies of two ladies who had started businesses on faith that it was what God wanted them to do. Mara Bochart is a graphic designer who gives God all the glory in the artwork that she produces. She told an amazing story about one particular design she did early on in the formation of her company.

Mara is a photographer as well and was out one day taking shots of a fishing boat long before her business was getting off the ground. The pictures were filed away until one of her first clients needed a graphic that had to go along with the song/hymn, It Is Well (With My Soul). The story behind the hymn has to do with the man who wrote the lyrics, Horatio G. Spafford. He had sent his wife and daughters on a steamer bound for Europe and he was to follow soon after. The steamer met with tragedy when a ship hit it. The four daughters were lost but his wife, Anna, survived. She telegraphed him, "Saved alone."

Horatio hurried to join his wife. As his ship was passing over the same spot where his daughters had perished, he went to his cabin and penned the words to the now beautiful hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul."

With that story in mind, Mara began her work. She pulled up the pictures of the fishing boat from her file. They were all she had to work with. She chose one shot and began to blow up the picture to get a good basic graphic of the bow to work with. As the program drew her closer into the picture, she suddenly discovered the name of the boat she was working with--Daddy's Girls. To her, it was more confirmation that God had led her to this work. Months before she needed the picture, she had taken it. And there, in the name and composition, it fit perfectly with her project.

You can see samples of Mara's designs at her blog or her website. She does all sorts of notecards, bookmarks, journals, banners, Bible cases, etc. Recently she has collaborated with a friend, Susan Obrad who uses Mara's designs for the purses she produces and sells. Susan also gave a wonderful testimony of how God brought the two of them together. The two of them were a "tough act" to follow.

Books for the Road - The Great DIvorce

Being a member of a book discussion group has always moved me out of my usual reading zone. The library, and now our church discussion group, forces me into books I would never think of picking off a shelf--or now downloading to my e-reader. The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis is another one of them.

In The Great Divorce, Lewis uses fable and allegory to tell the story of someone who finds himself in Hell boarding a bus bound for Heaven. He proposes that anyone who wants to stay in Heaven , can. Of course the puzzle is that so many of those who visit Heaven by bus refuse to give up a variety of personal quirks, emotions, desires, etc. in order to stay there.

If you enjoy Lewis' penchant for making you look at symbolism and hidden meaning you will love exploring the pages of his dream-story. This particular book did not endear me any more to Lewis even though so many others are such fans of Narnia and his other stories. But if you're looking like for a challenge and like to think and ponder over fantasy, you will enjoy the read. If you are looking for escape and entertainment try a different book.

Autumn Travel

It's happened. Summer has ended and Autumn has begun--at least for the northern hemisphere. The farther north you are, the more likely you are to enjoy what the new season brings. Crisp morning air greets you with the scent of apples, pumpkins, summer's discarded leaves and a hint of chrysanthemums. Even freshly cut grass smells different in the fall. With the season of stacked cornstalks, bales of hay, and decorative scarecrows scattered among the pumpkin fields and under the amber, orange, yellow, and red leaves comes the desire to get out on the road and absorb all the beautiful natural artwork.

It is probably a little late to plan a fall trip through the northeast as we did a few years back. Places to stay fill up quickly and their autumn is probably about to peak soon since it is a little earlier than other places in the country. But think about it for next year and start planning. With a little internet surfing, you can put together a great trip rather it is by land or by sea. Many of the major cruise lines offer fall cruises from New York up to Nova Scotia and to Montreal. Google "fall foliage tours" and you'll find a wealth of information.

This year there is still time to get out on the road in other states like Ohio, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia, and parts of the midwest where the autumn colors are just beginning to turn. Be spontaneous and take a weekend trip to enjoy the season and be sure to get out and shuffle through some falling leaves.

Lone Woman Traveler

Last weekend was the annual American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Indianapolis. Since it was so close to home, it was hard to pass up. (Picture at right is of Tim Downs giving keynote.) I drove and had a room to myself which is best for me since I would tend to want to talk late into the night if I had a roommate. If you find yourself traveling alone, here are a few things to consider for doing so safely.

• Keep your cell phone handy and charged. Use it to keep family or a close friend updated as to where you are and what your schedule is. Don't discuss with that friendly stranger what your plans are.


• Choose a hotel with rooms that have an indoor hallway. I once booked a hotel without realizing it had doors on an outside perimeter along with a window that had sliding glass panels that opened. I spent a very uncomfortable night not feeling safe and changed hotels the next day.


• Which leads me to the next item: Follow your gut instincts. If it doesn't feel safe go somewhere else, don't stop there, eat somewhere else, leave.


• When you arrive at your hotel room take note where the Exit sign is in the hall and how many doors away it is. Is it a left or a right turn out of the room. Don't rely on the map on the back of the door. It's confusing sometimes.


• Always turn the bolt and set the chain while you are in the room. Unless you order room service, there should be no reason to open the door. The cleaning staff will come back later if you ask them.


• Keep your key in a place where you don't have to fumble for it as you stand in front of your door.


• If you are at a conference that requires you to wear a name badge, be sure to take it off when you are out of the conference area. It surprises me how many people don't realize their name is advertised on their chest when Bob (his favorite thing to do) calls them by name in the elevator.


• When you are eating in the hotel, do not leave a signed bill with your room number on it on the table. Give it back to the server.


• Don't run alone in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Use the gym or find a running partner from fellow conferees you can trust.


• Always BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. This goes without saying rather you are miles away from home or just in the parking lot of your local mall.

Stay safe out there. Gee, now I sound like one of those police shows.

Wordless Wednesday

Books For The Road - The Appeal

On my trip to Indianapolis this past weekend, I listened to the audio book, The Appeal by John Grisham. The story is a legal thriller in the Grisham style. A couple of small town attorneys win a big case against a chemical company that has been polluting the water system of the town causing illness and death. Of course the chemical company will appeal to the state supreme court so the owner of the company, Carl Trudeau, will make sure that first he stacks the court in his favor. He arranges for his candidate to run against the incumbant judge and win. The question I had as I read was will he overturn the verdict or follow true to form as he was groomed to do?

The story is good but at times seemed a bit bogged down with detailed legal analysis that might have been easier to read on a page than to listen to on a CD. Still, it kept me wanting to know more and to see how it would come out. One thing Grisham does with his legal stories is always make you think. After reading King Of Torts, I couldn't look at the TV ads for medical class action suits and not think about the book. This one has me reexamining who the groups are that are supporting our candidates in the upcoming election. And with all the corruption that has been uncovered in our county lately, voters really should know who's putting together the ads that we will be bombarded with from now until November.

I would suggest reading this one rather than listening to the audio but either way, you'll get a good story.

Planning for D.C.? Tips for the Trip

Please welcome my daughter-in-law, Lori, as guest blogger today. She has some great tips on planning a trip to Washington, D.C.

This past February our son’s 2nd grade class did a unit about national monuments. Each night our son came home and shared with us a long forgotten fact: The Washington Monument is 555’ tall. The Lincoln Memorial has 36 columns around it, one for each state in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. There’s a tomb in the US Capitol but no one is buried in it. He really seemed to enjoy learning about the monuments, so we decided to take the kids to Washington DC to see some of our nation’s monuments in person.

I started researching our trip in March, thinking maybe we’d go for a long weekend over Memorial Day. As I started to research our destinations, I quickly discovered a vacation to DC is not something you can plan in just a month or two if you want to actually go inside the buildings. A lot had changed since I visited with my 8th grade class! We adjusted our calendar and planned a Labor Day trip instead. Here are some things I discovered that visitors to Washington DC should know in advance:

Requests to tour the White House should be submitted through your member of Congress 3 to 6 months in advance. You will receive notification of your approval (or denial) 1 to 2 weeks before your requested visit date, so have back up plans in case you’re denied. (There are a limited amount of tickets for each day, so it is quite possible that you will be denied.) If you’re lucky enough to be approved for the self-guided tour, don’t plan on carrying anything extra with you that day – including your camera.

Requests to tour the US Capitol should be submitted through your member of Congress at least 30 days in advance. Our representatives had request forms for both the White House & US Capitol on their websites.

You must have tickets to enter the Washington Monument. Tickets are free, but not necessarily readily available. You can wait in line at the Visitor’s Center for tickets, but they frequently run out within an hour or two of opening and the line forms early. Your best bet is to order tickets online. There is a $1.50 convenience fee per ticket, but the cost was well worth it. The day we were there, the line at the Visitor’s Center was quite long, and the tour tickets for the entire day were gone by 10am.

You must have a timed-entry ticket to tour the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, depending on the month of your visit.

Many other sites around Washington offer tickets you can order online before your trip. Google each of your destination sites to verify their tour times and ticket availability. We found it convenient to pay a couple dollars per ticket in order to guarantee we got to see everything we wanted to see. By ordering the tickets, we were also able to select our own tour times and better plan our days.

As our kids marveled at the bird’s eye views of the White House, Jefferson Memorial, and US Capitol from the observation deck 500 feet up in the Washington Monument, I was glad I had taken a little extra time to plan their first visit to our nation’s capital.

Movie Destination

Friday night is usually date night which means a light dinner and then a big bag of popcorn as we sit back and enjoy a movie on the big screen--or the little screen at home if the theater offerings are not to our liking. Many times we will choose a movie because of the location it was shot--Rome, Tuscany, Paris, London, etc. Although then it's hard to sit back and keep from saying, "Remember when we were there?"

Once in a while, there is a movie that inspires a just-gotta-see place to visit. Some scenes from Florence will have us wanting to revisit Italy since we've not gotten to that great city yet. Under the Tuscan Sun will have me wanting to revisit Tuscany.

Closer to home there are several movies that come to mind--"hand holders" as I like to call them or "chick flicks" as Bob refers to them. You've Got Mail might whet your appetite for Seattle or New York City or The Bridges of Madison County might send you out to Iowa to take in the covered bridges in Madison County.

There are movies that don't inspire quite as much. I'm not sure I want to see Dracula's castle although I hear the countryside is beautiful. I just wouldn't want to be out after dark.

Have Kids, Will Travel?

We didn't travel with our children a lot but we did take several outstanding vacations that they remember quite vividly. Of course they remember Disney World but the trips to the Smokey Mountains, the North Carolina coast, and Washington, D.C. are also mentioned when we are together reminiscing. We didn't fly often. There were five kids and even back then it was too expensive. Today, I see more and more families traveling with young children and I applaud their sense of adventure in this day and age of airport security lines.

The internet has brought a whole new slant to travel planning in recent years as more and more blogs and sites make themselves available for looking ahead on what to expect at hotels, parks, cruise ships, etc. In surfing around, I found two that are specifically aimed at families traveling together. TravelSavvyMom and Minitime. They feature reviews on kid-friendly places and give lots of tips on traveling with kids of all ages. If you're planning to travel and toting the little ones along, you might want to check them out.

Wordless Wednesday

A Fishy Theme

This week seems to have taken on a fishy theme. Our Perch Fest began the week and I will be ending it with "fishing" for an agent and editor. So keeping all that in mind, here are some tips I found from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources about taking kids fishing.

• Look for a place that offers the best chance for success and be sure to use the proper bait/lures for the fish common to the area.
• Keep the tackle simple and easy to use.
• DON'T FORGET THE CAMERA!
• Remember kids have a short attention span. Be patient-even more with the kids than on waiting for a fish to bite.
• Don't plan a day trip on a boat if you fear the child may be prone to motion sickness.
• And my favorite, "Even the smallest fish or a less desirable species is a 'trophy' to a kid if you make it one!"

Now if I can just get an editor to bite on my "bait."

It's All About The Fish

A few years ago, we discovered a great festival in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. It's called the Great Lakes Perch Festival. While the festival is not large compared to some of the others running this time of year, its main attraction, the perch dinner, is just too good to pass up. The dinners are supplied by Bennett Fish whose sign read something to the effect that their fish were so fresh, they were just sleeping in Lake Erie yesterday.

This weekend marked the only Buckeye game we had tickets to so we couldn't get to the Perch Fest on Saturday. After a quick change into jeans after church, we drove out there on Sunday. Fairport Harbor's Lakeside Park is right on Lake Erie and has a nice sandy beach that I'm sure is wonderful in the summer. Sunday was a bit chilly since our area has cooled down considerably from the 90 degree temps we had this summer. Still, it is fun to sit and munch deep fried perch, french fries and cole slaw on a picnic bench with a view of the lake.

After satisfying our perch craving, we strolled along the beach a ways and then checked out the other booths at the festival. There was a fishing "pond" for kids and several outdoor activity vendors as well as a tent with a big screen TV for watching the weekend's football games. Many were other types of foods: pastry, fresh lemonade, candied apples, funnel cakes, some meaty treats for those who don't like fish, and the wonderful kettle corn booth that filled the air with the delicious smell of fresh popped corn. Yup, we couldn't resist and very little of it made it all the way home.

There is an old lighthouse and museum in Fairport Harbor worth exploring as well and the little town is an interesting place to meander through if you are looking for a little shopping experience. Some day we will have to visit when we have ample time to enjoy it all.

While Oktober Fests seem to be the most popular thing going around here this season, this little festival met our needs. After all, it is all about the fish.

Worth a Thousand Words

If it's true what they say about pictures, then this says it all. BIG game Saturday! Just wondering who our Miami son will be cheering for?

A Grandma By Any Other Name. . .

Take a little side trip to my column at Positively Feminine today. Some of my first travel experiences were on a bus trip into the big city of Cleveland with my "substitute" grandma. It is fitting that it would post on the same day as her birthday.

Wordless Wednesday

Miscellaneous Travel Tips

Booking your hotel online? Be sure to read the fine print about cancellation policies for the online service. You may lose all of the cost of the room and the booking fee if you cancel. Grace periods change and fees change. Be aware of them before you enter your credit card number.

Booking an airline flight? Take a look at some of the travel sites like Travelocity or Expedia but also check out the flights they list with the airline website. You might find a better price. Also, the online sites are good for booking your flights when you are flying to one city but coming back from another.

Doing a lot of walking on your trip? Take along moleskin for those blisters that seem to pop up even when you're not in new shoes.

Packing tip: Hang on to those freebie shower caps and use them to cover your shoes when you pack and keep your clothes cleaner.

And finally, for those who are App addicts here's one for travel: GoTourIt. Buy and download GPS guided audio tours of cities, parks and historic sites. It's available at iTunes App Store.

Lost Not Found

Have you ever lost something while traveling? Most of us have. Thankfully the things we lost were not critical like medications. Bob once left a camera in the glove compartment of a rental car. And on another trip, we lost a pair of trousers. I suspect they were left hanging in the closet.

One of the easiest places to lose something is in that pocket of the airplane seat in front of you. Too often we grab stuff out of our carry on and pack it in there to use during flight. Not a good idea. Not only is there the chance of you leaving stuff behind, do you really want to stick your hand all the way in there and search around for your Ipod, or your phone, or your candy bar that you decided would taste good along the way? Who knows what might be lurking in there?

Here's a suggestion for you to help keep your things together and prevent them from being lost forever to that deep pocket. Get a ziploc gallon plastic bag. Now you can't use this for security but you can use it for those things you want to use while in the air. Before you board the plane, stick the things you want in easy reach in the bag, zip it, and keep it in the top of your carry on or tucked under your arm. When you find your seat, you'll spend less time getting organized and stowing your gear. And everything comes out of and goes back into that plastic bag as you use it. The bag is big enough to see the top of in the pocket to remind you that it's there (as long as you don't fold it over and tuck it down).

From what I understand, you won't be let back onto the airplane if you leave something behind and you'll have to rely on lost and found at the airport to hopefully recover your belongings. Most people don't have the time and/or never find it there.

Hope this has been helpful. Trust me, it only takes one time to leave a camera behind and you'll never put it in the wrong place again.

Buckeye Fans

If you have never traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for an Ohio State Football game you are missing out on a real treat. There are few places that I know of where the whole city is crazy over their football. You may see team colors worn in other cities but in Columbus it is the norm, the expected. If you aren't in red and gray, you will stand out.

While tickets are hard to come by and you may not want to spend the big bucks for a seat in the stadium, you can still soak up the atmosphere and the excitement at the skull session for the bands in St. John's Arena. It starts about 2 hours before the game but you'll want to arrive at least a half-hour before that for a seat. The place reverberates as the OSU Marching Band's percussion section shakes the rafters with its march onto the floor. Though you won't get to see the formations, you will get to hear the half time performance and see the drum majors work out. You'll also get a peek at the team. Tressel makes them march through on their way to the lockerroom and one of them will give a short pep talk. It's a great tradition.

Afterwards, stroll through the parking area where the tailgating is going on. It's an art at OSU. You will even be able to catch the game on the TVs that will be running off of generators for those who are tailgating without a ticket to the game.

Ah, yes. Football season is here. Go Bucks!!

Wordless Wednesday