Road Trips Made Bearable
Road trips can be monotonous, boring, and long – and if there are kids or teenagers in the car, a road trip is about as much fun as organizing a high school reunion. So, the challenge is how to make a road trip bearable and the answer is to stop along the way to tour a factory and learn how something is made. Read more 
Cranberry Chutney
Every Fall when the fresh cranberries are harvested, picked, bagged, and eventually distributed to the grocery stores, I start thinking about making cranberry chutney.Not quite Thanksgiving but with a chill in the air, it’s hard to beat a baked chicken served with roasted potatoes and carrots, sautéed green beans with toasted almonds, and cranberry chutney on an Autumn night. Read more
Exploring the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
The Galapagos Islands are located approximately 600 miles off the western coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean on the equator.Consisting of 18 islands of various sizes and more than 100 large rock formations and islets, the Galapagos Islands are collectively a national park and marine reserve managed by the Galapagos National Park Service who strictly control the population of and access to the islands. Read more
An Open Letter to the President of Bloomingdale’s
Dear Mr. Lundgren:
Visting the Basque Country, Hondarribia, Spain
Hondarribia is a small town located 12 miles (20 kilometers) directly east of San Sebastian, on the northwest corner of Spain and France. Located on the coast in Pais Vasco – or the Basque Country – Hondarribia (Basque) is also known as Fuenterrabia (Spanish). The old part of the town (where the parador is located) is small and easy to maneuver by foot on the narrow streets with ancient walls and a small castle (that was for sale when we visited) attached to the ancient walls. But, the most breathtaking part of the old town is the water and beach views across the bay looking over to France. Read more
Watching From The Sidelines
Yesterday, Hartford hosted the ING Marathon/Half Marathon and I watched from the sidelines – on my couch, eyes glued to the televised race. Three weeks ago, I had to pull out of the race because I was still building my mileage and couldn’t increase the miles too quickly without possibly re-injuring the foot I fractured in late May. Reminding myself to be thankful for being able to run, I focused on watching the race and set my sights on the Palm Beach Half Marathon in December. Read more
Gstaad, Zermatt, or St. Moritz?
Switzerland is a mountainous country that has numerous mountain resorts but the big three are: Gstaad, Zermatt, and St. Moritz. The dilemma of whether to go to Gstaad, Zermatt, or St. Moritz comes down to personal preference. Each town is different and has special characteristics, so best to look at the following five (5) areas and decide for yourself.
- Location
- Sports
- Environment
- Town
- Ambiance Read more
Getting to Know Zermatt, Switzerland
Zermatt, Switzerland, home of the Matterhorn (pictured at right) is about 40 miles from Sion in the southern region of Switzerland (see map below) and is the only place in Switzerland that I’ve always left wishing I had more time to stay because there is so much to see and do. Although there is an airport in Sion, most international flights arrive in and depart out of Geneva or Zurich because weather conditions can change so rapidly in this mountainous region. Read more
Pesto – Homemade
Pesto makes pasta dishes special and takes soups from good to great. My friends, Jim and Sheila grow basil – the most important ingredient in pesto – in their garden and gave me the following recipe for “Blender Pesto” which is the most delicious pesto I’ve ever tasted: Read more
The Never Ending Calendar of Standardized Tests
Paddock Post 