Exciting New Adventures and Recommendations Ahead

Hello everyone!  Things are definitely heating up for travel and recommendations for the remainder of 2018.  My plan is to have several new posts per month on the blog along with a new Newsletter once a month.  The response to our new ebook, about Costa Rica has been really great so if you haven’t taken advantage it is free and available to all of our site visitors.  As for travel, I will be departing on April 29th for Southern France, specifically Menton just east of Monaco and also Alassio, Italy and a completely new area, the Bay of La Spezia and the town of Portovenere and the so-called “Bay of Poets” where Percy Shelly drowned in a storm while sailing and where his wife, Mary Shelly, author of “Frankenstein” and his friend Lord Byron, cremated his body on the beach in July of 1822.  In addition, I will be making some very specific recommendations about hotels, restaurants, points of interest and travel items such as carry on luggage, cameras, camera bags and what to pack “If You Go” for any kind of travel, in your local area or throughout the world.  In July and August, I will return to explore more of Costa Rica with my friends Paul and Gloria Yeatman of “Retireforlessincostarica.com” and I will have lots of new information and photos from this wonderful, small but surprisingly varied Central American Country.  In September/October, I will take a week-long course in my latest interest Contract Bridge in Southern Vermont and add on a week in the area around Brunswick, Maine home of Bowdoin College and closely associated with one of the “heroes” of the Union Army at the Battle of Gettysburg, General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.  Chamberlain is credited with leading the 20th Maine Regiment, which anchored the Union Army line, to victory at Little Round Top with a daring “wheel movement” which swept their opponents, the 15th Alabama, before them.  Chamberlain who was a Professor at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine went on to become President of Bowdoin College and Governor of Maine.  See what interesting historical tidbits you can learn by following Aroundtheglobewithdrron.com!!!

The photos which accompany this post are just some favorites of mine from the past which I hope that you will enjoy.  I will be taking my brand new Sony A 7 R III mirrorless, full frame camera with me to France and Italy so expect some amazing new photos of that upcoming trip and expect an assessment of the new camera as well.  If you are looking for a really wonderful, mirrorless camera that is lightweight, takes excellent photos with changeable lenses and at a very good price, I highly recommend the Fujifilm X-T2.  The only limitation is that it is an APS-C sensor rather than a full frame like the Sony but for all but the most demanding of professional photographers it is an excellent camera.  For about $1800 one can have the camera body, an excellent 18-55 mm F 2.8 lens with battery and charger.  The instruction manual which comes with the camera is quite good but I also recommend “The Fujifilm X-T2: 120 X-Pert Tips to get the most out of your camera” by Rico Pfirstinger, a wonderful link to all sorts of fantastic additional information about the amazing, little X-T2.

Well to paraphrase what one of my favorite old cartoon characters, Woody Woodpecker used to say at the conclusion of one of his epics, “That’s all for now folks!”  My next post will most likely be from France with some brand new photos from my Sony to share with you.  Meantime I will be assembling my packing needs for the trip and making sure not to forget my Passport!!   Au revoir mes amis!!

A motorcycle trip with my brother through Yosemite National Park in California.

Sunset over Puget Sound from Edmonds, Washington.

Sierra Nevada Mountains and Lake Tahoe, California, USA.

Where does this road lead? Chester, Vermont in winter.

Roadside Cafe, Laguna Beach, California.

Colorful Koi fish swimming.