Ireland – Summer Vacation 2016

Ocean views, shear cliffs and a whale sighting. Rolling green hills, historic castles, abbeys and manner houses. Countryside views, enchanting Celtic music, and getting up close with some sheep. These were some of our experiences in Ireland. Trinity College and Book of Kells, The Guinness Storehouse Experience, a very very old pub, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. Trad on the Prom traditional music and dance show in Galway. Kylemore Abbey and the Connemara National Park. Burnaby Castle and Folk Park. A 50s Diner and Pub Grub in Killarney. The Ring of Kerry and the cliffs. Blarney Castle and a kissing of stone. And of course a wee bit of the luck o’ the Irish. -> Pin Map

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Prague 2016

A river boat cruise, jazz & classical music concerts, hearty food, good drink, great photo opportunities and the typical tourist excursions are what Christine and I enjoyed on our long weekend getaway in Prague. A evening dinner cruise on the Vltava accompanied the entire way with very good live jazz music. A classical music concert in the main hall of the Art Nouveau Municipal House. Cernovar and a few other Bohemian Pilsner Czech beers. Sunrise and sunset photo opportunities with the Old World Charles Bridge remaining a timeless and stunning subject. Their 600 year old Astronomical Clock and clock tower right on the old town square. The Prague Castle complex high on the hill with St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George’s Basilica, Golden Lane all tucked inside the 9th century walls. Petrin Tower an Eiffel Tower wannabe. A quick funicular ride and of course the activity in and around the spectacular Charles Bridge.

United States – Summer Vacation 2015

Take a look at the highlights of our most recent excellent adventure in the United States this summer. Our vacation and our video is in two parts. The first part shows the fun we had in Washington D.C., Colonial Williamsburg, New York, New York, a city so great they named it twice.., and Philadelphia and for the second part we’re in Chicago with family and friends. Come along with us as we explore the monuments & memorials in the capitol, revolutionary fervor in Williamsburg, big city life in the big apple, and the place where America was founded in Pennsylvania.

The second part of our tip was with family in Chicago. Come with as we see David win inordinately in Grandma’s library’s raffle, all the kids have fun in our backyard carnival experience, go trampoline bounding and Topgolfing, find incredible geocaches, and just visit with family and friends.

Italy – Summer Vacation 2014

Tuscany – Pisa and its famous Leaning Tower, Florence with the Uffizi Gallery and its Duomo, Venice with its canals and gondolas, and the scenic Siena. Cinque Terre and its port towns on the Italian Riviera. Now that’s an Italian vacation! Tag along with us as we treat ourselves with gelato ice cream, eat real Italian food, learn to row a gondola. Throw in some museums, parks, shops, and some interesting photo opportunities and see how we spent our vacation. Also, let there be no doubt who the best photographer in the family is as Gabrielle and I go head to head with a photo competition.

Les Alpes – Geneva Winter Vacation 2014

Snow packed mountain peak vistas and well groomed blue, green, black and red ski slopes awaited us for winter break. Skiing in Morillon, France and a day trip to Geneva, Switzerland was a nice way to spend the break together. Gabrielle was pleased to celebrate her 16th birthday in the mountains. Sweet-sixteen is one of those milestone birthdays. It’s a coming of age birthday for an American though here in France we don’t usually make such a big deal of it. Christine and I decided that such an important birthday should be marked with an appropriate gift. Something age appropriate and something that would coincide with our little girl growing up. We will get her enrolled in driving school and her license to drive will be just around the bend.

Filmed In The Audience Of iPad Today

We went to see the filming of iPad Today. We were caught in the filming of it at the end during Leo’s “App Cap”. Scan ahead on the video to about 1:07:30 if you want to see David and me, Christine and Gabrielle in the audience on the Double Robotics Telepresence demo.

http://twit.tv/show/ipad-today/160

Cool stuff if you have $2,500 to spend. I cant wait until the price of this thing comes down.

United States – Summer Vacation 2013

Take a look at the highlights of our most excellent adventure in the United States this summer. Our vacation and our video are in two parts. The first part shows our classic American Drive Vacation out west and for the second part we’re in Chicago with family and friends. Come along with us as we explore the splendor of Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Yosemite, and Redwood National Parks. See how we balanced out the nature of the parks with the cityscapes of Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland.

The second part of our tip was with  family in Chicago. Come with as we celebrate Gabrielle’s graduation, enjoy rides and thrills at Great America, ponder the complexity of various works at the Art Institute, bounce, jump, and play games like silly kids, go to a ballgame, have a “Summer Christmas” party, learn about police work, and just visit with family and friends.

Hot Air Balloon Ride – Up, Up And Away

Interesting experience and exhilarating ride in a hot air balloon. Montgolfière as we French call it. Christine offered me this first flight experience as a birthday present. Nice gift indeed. www.aerfun.com

Makes me think about “Up, Up and Away” in my beautiful ballon…  a song I must have heard 100s of times. I think it was on the same album as Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In by the The 5th Dimension that played in my childhood home daily there for awhile. Wish I could have incorporated the track in my video but I would have no doubt gotten a take down notice.

Poland 2013

Christine is her cousin Iwona’s son Krystian’s godmother. We went to Poland for his communion, a semi family reunion, and a mini vacation. Good times with family. Watch the video…

Trip with Grandma 2013

Grandma came to see us this winter for a couple weeks. While she was here we took a six day road trip. First we contemplated “donkey ball” soup at Le P’tit Bouchon in Châteauroux and then visited an interesting “modern” museum in the ancient chateau of Rochechouart. Then we visited the WWII martyr village memorial museum in Oradour-sur-Glane. A sobering experience but something one should see to assist with coming to grips with the atrocities of war. Next off for a few days in Lourdes where we visited the Sanctuary of Our Lady, prayed, collected holy water, and lit a prayer candle. Christine and the kids had a chance to go skiing and Grandma and I took in various sights. Some good meals, fun games, and a visit to the Musée Pyrénéen in the medieval château high on a mound in center of town concluded our visit in this lovely town in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Finally off to visit a picturesque medieval fortified town built high on hilltop. Cordes-sur-Ciel and the B&B L’Escuelle Des Chevaliers was quite worth the detour.