SE Asia is one of our favorite places in the world to travel to. We love the culture, food, and iconic beach scenes of daily life like this in small town Vietnam.
Category Archives: beaches
Foto Friday
I just can’t get enough of the magic of a sundown. Here, one of my favorites from the Oregon coast.
Finding Beauty in Simplicity
My breath fogs the air, mixing with the morning mist, as I climb out of the camper. The morning sun is peeking through the trees, causing flashes of light to reflect off the lake. Jim and the dogs are still asleep and I stand in wonder at the absolute silence surrounding me.
At moments like this I’m always struck by the beauty of the simple things in life, and astonished by our continuing ability to ignore it’s power. We spend our lives fighting a simple life of happiness as we strive for more, bigger, better. As I sit alone in the still of the morning, my mind wanders away from this scenic lake in Oregon to reminisce about some of my favorite memories, all of which had nothing to do with grand monuments or fancy lodging, and everything to do with meeting the locals, good food, and unexpected magic.
Missing Mexico
It’s been three months since we left and I miss it. There is something about this place that always draws me back. We’ve seen a lot of changes over the years, but the appeal never fades. In spite of the growing pains that have come with expansion, the vivid spirit of Puerto Vallarta remains true. 
Searching for Lamb – South Island, New Zealand
STOP! I think I can get this one! Jim slammed on the brakes as we rounded the bend, startled by my outburst. I leaped from the van, camera in hand, in what proved to be yet another failed attempt to photograph a sleeping baby lamb.
New Zealand is full of sheep. The commonly heard phrase “more sheep than people” is not exaggerated. And yet, in nearly 3 weeks of criss-crossing the country I had been unable to capture one of those elusive creatures on film in the pose I had envisioned in my head. We’d seen thousands, eaten several, and yet I had not yet captured the shot of my dreams.
Brewer’s Memorial Brew Fest 2013
Once again this year, we headed southwest to Newport, Oregon and South Beach State Park for the Rogue Brewery’s Memorial Ale Fest. Brewer was the beloved Rogue black lab mascot who worked his way up to CEO. After his death the brewery began throwing an annual doggie brew fest in his memory.
Foto Friday
We loved the beaches of Fiji and can’t wait to go back again to explore more of the hundreds of islands in the country.
Cooking in Paradise
Undoubetedly our favorite evening on our recent family trip to Mexico was the night we took a cooking class at Robert & Dolores Brittingham’s house.
Formerly from Seattle, Robert & Dolores have called Puerto Vallarta home since 2002, starting Essence of Cuisine, Dolores’ cooking school, in 2006. We girls in the family had taken several cooking classes in the past and knew it was something we wanted to take advantage of on this trip to Mexico. After months of searching online, I was growing frustrated. Of the many different types of classes offered around town, none of them seemed to suit our group. A couple were perfect for me, 6-7 hours of total immersion, beginning with shopping for ingredients at the market, but deemed much too intense for mom and Wendy. A few well-known classes had great reviews, but were extremely expensive and mostly featured simply watching the chef cook.
A Tale of Two Black Dogs
Our lives have become busier and more hilarious since we added Aspen to the pack and became a two dog family. Although Porter and Aspen immediately got along, we didn’t see the bonding we were hoping would come. Having never had two dogs at the same time before we weren’t sure how long this might take and if it was even a certainty. However, after our recent trip to Mexico, when they shared a kennel at Critter Nanny, it has become apparent that they are now two peas in a pod. Porter is still our too-smart thinker who often appears worried and Aspen the typical happy-go-lucky lab, but you can see from the pictures of our weekend of camping the kids have pretty much become inseparable!
Waiting outside the bathroom
Puerto Vallarta in Review
Puerto Vallarta is a magical place for us and over the last twenty years we’ve eaten our way all over the city, from food carts and street stands to five star restaurants like Cafe des Amis. Having just returned from yet another vacation in paradise I thought I’d give a rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
