A few months ago I wrote about Carrieanna’s first cruise experience – a seven-day trip to Alaska aboard the Celebrity Solstice. (You can read about it here.)
As I mentioned in that post, it was such a great experience that she was eager to cruise again. So when the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation offered a January 2014 Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Reflection, she enthusiastically asked me to accompany her and, of course, I said “Yes!”
In October of 2013 my family gathered in San Diego, California, to celebrate the 18th birthday of my granddaughter, Jennifer. Prior to our trip, Jen had asked each of us to tell her what we most wanted to do while we were there (sort of a “San Diego Bucket List”).
My list was short and sweet: Besides spending time with my children, I wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo and also to Balboa Park. Both wishes came true!
I’ve previously written about our Zoo adventure; now I’d like to share my Balboa Park experience.
This internationally-famous resort town rests on the shores of Lake Wakatipu at the foot of the majestic Remarkables mountain range.
Its picture-perfect landscape has been the backdrop of many movies, most recently “The Hobbit” as well as “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
The California State Parks organization celebrates its Sesquicentennial in 2014.
In honor of this important milestone, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve will be participating in America’s State Parks First Day Hikes on January 1, 2014.
Located 30 miles south of the city of Sacramento (and just north of the San Joaquin County line), the Consumnes River Preserve is part of a vast network of waterways in the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta … and one of my favorite local venues for watching and photographing birds.
Considered the gem of New Zealand’s West Coast glaciers, Franz Josef is a 7.5 mile long glacier located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island.
Together with the Fox Glacier, 12 miles to the south, it is unique in descending from the Southern Alps to less than 980 ft above sea level, amidst the greenery and lushness of a temperate rainforest.
Along the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island, with the Southern Alps to the east and the Tasman Sea to the west, we traveled south toward Hokitika for a night’s stay.
My granddaughter was born in San Diego County, and although she has not lived there for 16 years, it was Jen’s wish to celebrate her 18th birthday in the city of her birth. So the family gathered to spend a week together, and of course a trip to the San Diego Zoo was on the agenda! 
Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013
As we entered Queen Charlotte Sound (from the wider expanse of Cook Strait, after leaving Wellington), I was standing as close to the bow of the ship as I could get. There were probably 20 or 30 people standing out there, and it was quiet. It was as though we were greeting the South Island with reverence and awe.
There are many reasons to love New Zealand’s capital city:
Its beautiful waterfront,
Anything Is Possible Travel 