Some people are said to dance to their own tune. Not me. I prefer a soundtrack.

Every trip needs a good soundtrack. Usually at some point during the beginning of the trip a particular album or artist will surface that seems to fit trip. I can think of numerous examples from my experiences. One year it was Mad Season that we listened to all the way to Mt. Rushmore and back. Jack Johnson’s Sing-A-Longs set the tone for one of my summer trips to Manila. Last summer Tenth Avenue North supplied the soundtrack as I roamed India for the first time.

It’s also interesting how each one has its own connection with the trip. There is something fun about listening to Matchbox 20 sing “Just three miles from the rest stop…” when you have been passing rest stops for the past Read more »

Lately I have been enamored with the refreshing pragmatism of the Philippines. Consider the underground passageways as an example. In Makati each intersection has an underground passage way to keep pedestrians out of traffic. It only takes one glance at the crazy traffic to see the common sense of that approach.

The downside to these passageways is obvious - the stairs going in and coming out. Walking several blocks entails many sets of stairs. And this is where the pragmatism surfaces once again. Each underground passage has escalators, but only going up. It's as if they are saying, "Ok people, we'll help you up the stairs, but if you can't even walk down stairs you probably should be taking a taxi or staying home."

And this pragmatism goes even deeper. These escalators are turned Read more »

This section of the site contain ramblings about places I have been and places that I want to go. I will attempt to make each post focus on one specific place, but I cannot make any promises.

For me, travel is exciting because of the different cultures Read more »

Saturday was a fun day. Our family went to Cahaba Lily Day in West Blocton. We loaded up in the back of my dad's truck and rode down to the riverside. The lilies were in bloom and looked wonderful. (Although they were a bit more showy two weeks back when we were there.)

My children glanced briefly at the lilies and agreed that they are pretty. Their shallow "uh-huh" echoing a faint agreement with my expressed enthusiasm. They had one thing on their mind- getting wet. Read more »