Costa Rica!

Cheap deals drive me to the beach. Or fly me, anyway. One of the first, real vacations I bought came from a radio announcement of a special package deal to the Bahamas. I thought about it for five minutes and then picked up the phone. It was a great vacation, once they got our hotel and room sorted out. Returning was not so cool. It was a charter cruise and they herded us like cattle.

Anyway, all those little details fade away when I remember all the fun I had on the Robinson Crusoe cruise, the markets, helpful natives, eating conch, and laying on the beach sucking back Bahama Mamas.

Here's another goodie! Costa Rica* at about the same price I paid for the Bahamas so many years ago. Of course, by the time you pay for everything (food, souvenirs, side trips, etc.) you've spent double the price. Who cares!

*You'll need to create a Travel Zoo account to see the full deal. Your mileage may vary as the price alters depending on your departure city.

It's Fasching!

Fasching in Mainz is the best. Wish I could be here Thursday. The day after my birthday. One of the biggest parties in the world. Must be in my honor.

Guardistin in the Parade in Mainz, DE.

You could take me. I don't drink, so I could make sure you get back to your hotel safely. If that's what you wanted ...

Spending Time With Mo

I ended my long drive across country yesterday by driving through Mo. Missouri, aka Mo, as in MoDOT Cares and mostatefair.com, had been previously known to me as Misery. What I remember from all those college-years drives is the dark cold wind and miles of uninterrupted flatness. Things have changed since then. Mo is all friendly and filled in between St. Louis and Independence with patches of activity; places for shopping, getting gas, sleeping, hanging out. In particular, the exit for the state capital is fun land: Ozarkland and Nostalgiaville. 

Mo is also very interested in having you believe in Jesus and rethink your attitude towards abortion. I feel I did a service by driving through with my Coexist bumper sticker. Fighting back against billboards one bumper sticker at a time!

I had planned to stop for lunch around Kansas City, hoping for Chinese or Asian. Having learned from previous experience, I took the bypass route around the city. Two qualifying eateries were advertised at exits but the traffic was so frenetic and the exits so complex that I gave up.

I crossed the state line hoping for a glimpse of the Mississippi. What a brain fart that was! I had already crossed in St. Louis without even noticing. I should have made more of that crossing of the Missouri. It was so wide it looked like a lake!

Then it was on to the Kansas toll road where there was no stopping! Speed limit: 75 MPH and you know everyone was driving faster than that. I just kept on keeping on, knowing I would arrive at my destination before 2 PM and feeling reasonably certain I could get lunch in Topeka. That worked out.

My daughter was glad to see me. I was glad to see her and that the driving was over. I made it. I'm here. Now I just have to figure out how to get the rest of my stuff here.