Category: Fun Travel

There was a really slow start to Friday morning.  The day on Grouse Mountain had taken its toll on my body.  But there are still things to see and do and they include lunch and shopping on Granville Island.  Granville Island was once an industrial manufacturing area, but is now a major tourist destination, providing amenities such as a public market, a large marina, a hotel, the Emily Carr University of Art and Design (named in honor of the artist), various theaters including the Arts Club Theatre Company and Carousel Theatre, and various shopping areas clustered around the one industrial outpost remaining, a cement plant.

Continue reading “Last Day in Vancouver – Aug 09”

I do not like suspension bridges.  Never have, don’t think I ever will.  However, this is part of the deal if you are going to "do" Grouse Mountain.  Sometimes you just have to "suck it up" so you don’t miss life.  We decided to do a 6 hour tour for Grouse Mountain which included a Capilano Salmon  Hatchery, The Skyride, other entertainment and a ride back to Vancouver on the SeaBus.

Continue reading “Grouse Mountain – Vancouver, Aug 09”

While browsing through the tourist sites for Vancouver I happened upon the Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition.  Now motorcycles are not my thing but I am not the only person on this vacation.  My husband Gene has been riding motorcycles since he was 14 years old.  He loves the history of motorcycles.  The current exhibition is focused on the rise and fall of the British motorcycle industry.

Continue reading “Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition – Aug 09”

While in Victoria we watched the Seaplanes coming and going.  We had taken a tour in one several years ago in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. This just seemed like the smart way to get back to Vancouver. Let’s see, 35 minutes by air, 3-4 hours by bus and ferry.  A no brainer.

Continue reading “Victoria, B.C. to Vancouver, B.C. – Aug 09”

This day was all about Butchart Gardens. Gene and I rented a car for the day and drove out the the gardens.  It was a beautiful, clear day with temps in the mid 60s to low 70s.  We spent several hours taking in the sights, sounds and fragrances of the gardens.  The best description I can offer is in the pictures.

On our way back into town we stopped at Craigdarroch Castle.  There are a few pictures at the end of our photos.  The Castle is undergoing renovation so it was difficult to get really good photos.

It was a perfect day for “The Glamour of the Road”.

Enjoy our photos

Yesterday was a really long travel day.  Once we arrived in Vancouver, we took a bus to the ferry for an 1 1/2 hour ride and then the bus continued on into Victoria.  The ferry ride was great.  This entire area of the northwest is just incredible.  It was late afternoon, clear and sunny and just wonderful.

Continue reading “Victoria, BC – Day 1 – Aug 09”

Each year, Gene and I trek to wherever the I-CAN meeting of amazing kids is being held.  This year it was in St. Petersburg, FL.  It was hot and muggy during the day, but the bay breezes in the evening made eating on the patio of the restaurants along the bay very enjoyable.  St. Pete as the locals call it is what I consider the right-size city.  The locals know each other, there are neat and interesting things to do and it is close enough to the big city if you need an airport or something you can’t get locally.  St. Pete is rich in the arts.  Among other things It is home to the Salvador Dali Museum, which we have previously visited and it is amazing.

Continue reading “St. Petersburg, FL – I-CAN July 2009”

Gene and I planned to visit here a few years ago and spend the weekend on Sanibel Island.  Well there was the small matter of a hurricane named Charley.  When we found out where the I-CAN meeting was going to be this year, we included an extra day in our plan so that we could hopefully accomplish this visit.  I am so glad we did.

A visit to the Edison & Ford Winter Estates is truly special.    These two men are icons of American business.  Some interesting facts:

• Ford worked for Edison before he began manufacturing automobiles.
• Edison searched the world for plants to bring to the estates.
• Edison, Ford and Harvey Firestone sought out plants that contained latex for the manufacture of rubber.
• The Banyan Tree shown in the picture above, is now over an acre in diameter, and it is understood to be the second largest in the world.

If you have the chance you should take a 1/2 day and visit.  You might want to choose a bit cooler weather, but come early in the day.  The crowds get heavier as the day goes on, even in the hot weather.  This is one those destinations I seek out in traveling “The Glamour of the Road”.

Enjoy our pictures

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Each year I am required to do 20 hours of classroom time to maintain my CIC designation.  For my non-insurance friends this is an insurance designation titled Certificated Insurance Counselor.  Once you have the designation, there are number of different types of curriculum available in different places around the US.   My first challenge is year is what I want to take and then where I want to go.

Several years ago we had the opportunity to visit Annapolis on a cold Sunday afternoon for lunch and a few shops.  I saw a class I was interested in and low and behold it was in Annapolis on a week I had available.  So it was meant to be.

My words for Annapolis are charming, historical and beautiful.  There are row houses, with almost each one a designated historical building.  Numerous great old buildings with wonderful architecture.  The Maryland State House is located here.  It is the oldest State House in the nation in continuous use.  It was also undergoing some renovation, but as you can see from the photos it is a grand old building.

Let’s talk about the food.  All of this area is famous for the blue crabs.  Oh my goodness.  I remembered these from my first visit and other visits to the Baltimore area and couldn’t wait.  Well there were blue crabs as lunch the day we went to the Navel Academy and several other occasions that week for crab cakes.  I am so glad we had the opportunity to spend some time in this wonderful area of our country.  Another good event in our travels on The Glamour of the Road.

Enjoy our Photos

On our recent trip to Annapolis we took the opportunity to visit the U. S. Naval Academy.  It was the highlight of our trip.  I highly recommend doing the guided tour to get the lay of the land and the history of the academy.

Once you have completed the guided tour you are free to visit areas not on the tour or revisit areas you would like to spend more time at.  We didn’t get to see a couple of areas as they were under renovation but what we saw was wonderful.

One of the highlights is the display of model ships and the scenes depicting how they are crafted.  I have included only a few of the photos from this exhibit.  This was the largest number of model ships I have ever seen in one exhibit.  It is amazing to me how anyone has the talent and patience to do this tiny, detailed craft.

If you are going to be in the DC or Baltimore area, you should include the Naval Academy in your plans if at all possible.  I rate this as one of the true joys of The Glamour of the Road.

Enjoy our photos

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