travels

a weekend in Vieques, Puerto Rico

When we got hitched 10 years ago, my bride gave me a copy of a book entitled “1000 Places to See Before You Die” with a nice inscription in the front that referenced wanting to visit a bunch of them together.  So, any time I know I’m going to a […]

4 days with 3 children in Chicago

The impetus for a trip to Chicago was the National Organization of Veterans Advocates semi-annual conference, but really I wanted to bring my family to see one of my favorite cities and to return to where my bride and I went more than ten years ago to my friend Jesse’s […]

a week in Munich during Oktoberfest

Sometimes a man needs to hop on a plane to attend a party with over 6 million people.  Science and psychology tell us this is the best way to spend our discretionary funds, but I’d do it even if they didn’t. The idea for last week’s trip was actually hatched […]

the Emerald Coast, Florida

“The Emerald Coast” is how self-proclaimed sophisticated people (or local travel agents) refer to the area of land in the Florida panhandle that touches the Gulf of Mexico.  Part of it–Panama City–is often labeled the “Redneck Riviera,” but really all of the area could pretty much earn this moniker.  It’s […]

our first family camping experience

One of our family’s favorite weekend activities is visiting estate or moving sales in our neighborhood.  Last summer, we got a barely used tent for like $20, and it’s bothered me ever since then that we haven’t used it, so when we loaded up to visit my parents in north […]