When I’m on the road there never seems to be enough time to follow all my favorites travel bloggers, let alone find new ones.  This week, with travels to Las Vegas for five days, followed by a quick trip to Dallas,  was one of those weeks!
Here’s some posts you won’t want to miss:
The New York City Traveler combines two of my favorite food groups, bacon and beer, in his post about a limited production beer at the Brooklyn Brewery.  Another reason to make the trek across the bridge!
Nerds Eye View takes us along her road trip – in a …read more

Ancona is a seaport city in the Marche region of Italy.  We drove here from our farmhouse in Tuscany, and it became a bit of a mountainous drive.  We were glad when we finally dropped down onto the coast and could see the water and the city.

We didn’t spend much time in Ancona, it was merely the embarkation point for the ferry trip to Split, Croatia.  We went on Jadrolinja, although Blue Line International and SNAV sail to Split as well.  From here you can also catch a ferry to other destinations in Croatia, as well as Greece and Turkey.
I …read more

One of the highlights of my vacation has been the opportunity to visit Dubrovnik, Croatia.
I’ve been interested in Dubrovnik for years, long before Croatia separated from the former Yugoslavia.  The area was, at least I was led to believe, the area the maternal side of my family hailed from.
I have lots of restaurant, hotel, and attraction recommendations that I’ll be sharing over the next couple of months.

Photo credit:  personal collection

There are lots of reasons to that I love to travel, and one of those reasons is to enjoy the sand, surf, and sun of a Caribbean beach.  While the weather is improving here in Seattle, it’s still not shorts and t-shirt weather.  And those are just a couple reasons why I’ll be heading off to Mexico next week.
And here’s another:

I’m taking lots of common sense precautions, the kind that we should all take whether we’re traveling or at home, and heading off for a bit of a sun fix.  Besides, it’s time to take a few more photos to …read more

At one point in my life my photos were organized.  They were placed in plastic film pages in photo books, pinned on a bulletin board, or artfully arranged in numerous scrapbooks.  I could take a look any time I wanted, and share them with family and friends as appropriate.
And then life got in the way.  Juggling myriad duties involving work, home, relationships, and personal responsibilities meant that often I didn’t even have time to take the film in to be developed.  When I finally did get them developed, they just sat in the return envelope taking up room in …read more

On Fridays, many of my travel blogging friends join together for Photo Friday, a collection of photos taken from their travels.
My participation in today’s Photo Friday is this photo taken during the Christmas season in Arizona.  Taken looking down the street just outside the Scottsdale Mall.  The street was lined with palm trees, brightly decorated with holiday lights.

Photo Friday is hosted by Debbie Dubrow who blogs at Delicious Baby.  Please take a few minutes to venture over there to take a look at what everyone is sharing today.  I love looking at all the travel photos!
 
Photo credit:  personal collection

I’m more of a sun junkie than a snow junkie, and this time of year I’d rather be enjoying a beach rather than skiing down the slopes.
 

 
A recent visit to Mazatlan revealed a nearly deserted beach.  After taking in this view from my balcony, it was an easy decision to change into a bathing suit and catch a little sun time in the remaining afternoon hours.
The peaceful feeling of sun, waves, and sand makes me smile even now.
Where do you prefer your relaxation – sun or snow?
 
Check out this list of other great Photo Friday travel photos from some …read more

 
Sometime it’s nice to have a window seat!
On a recent flight I was able to snap this photo of Mount Hood through the very dirty windows of the plane.
Mount Hood is located in Oregon, and is part of the Cascade Range.  It’s a little over 11,000 feet tall, and is very popular with skiers.

It’s a day when all eyes turn toward Washington DC!
 
A new President:
 
 
Sworn in on the west steps of the US Capitol Building:

Living and working in the people’s house, The White House:

 
 
Images:  All from wikimedia, Presidential portrait; US Capitol Building; White House

If you’re still trying to figure out how you’re going to add a little travel into your life – and budget – this year, here’s a low budget way to get you travel fix at home.
Buy a wall calendar of the destination you want to visit this year.
You can use the beautiful photos as a daily reminder to cut back on your lattes, and save up for an espresso in Tuscany.  Or to ditch the muffin from the cart to save up for a croissant in Paris.  Take the bus so you can finance a gondola ride in Venice, or …read more