It all began when Alex Voss moved from Florida to Hawaii in the summer of 2012 to work on a landscaping project at a new Courtyard by Marriott on Maui. Hoping to experience the island beyond his durational assignment, Alex applied for a distillers apprenticeship on Craigslist at Haleakalā Distillers. After following up, he was hired on the spot and worked his way up to distiller in 2 short years learning rum production using indigenous molasses. … [Read more...]
Blooming Where We’re Planted, and A Taste of Honey
We were a busload of older women off on a jaunt on a hot day in July. Departing from a Montreal seniors’ center, we rode off to Mirabel, located in the Lower Laurentian Hills. In less than an hour we arrived at Routes des Gerbes d”Angelica, a collection of 14 themed gardens which are the creation of 20 retirees who have invested their money and the rest of their lives, it seems, into creating and sustaining a sanctuary of natural beauty. Most of … [Read more...]
A Journey to the Center of the Universe in Ashland, VA
I recently had the opportunity to travel to the far west end of Richmond, Virginia, to an area called Short Pump, so named for a pump that was located at a tavern built by Revolutionary War veteran Robert Hyde Saunders. The affluent area is a shopper's paradise, with shopping malls as far as the eye can see and the Hilton Richmond Short Pump Hotel & Spa, was a comfortable and convenient basecamp for exploring the small town of Ashland, located … [Read more...]
MGM Springfield Jump Starts City’s Future by Rejuvenating Its Past
The Industrial Revolution ended long ago in the United States but remnants of its impact are still palpable. Once temples of commerce, many cities bustled with sprawling factories, grand theaters, turn of the century office towers, majestic hotels, and regal apartment buildings woven together by pedestrian friendly street grids. Today, much of this ornately designed architecture is demolished or condemned. Over the years, speculative … [Read more...]
Aspen Meadows Resort a Dolce Resort: The World’s Best Biscotti Are In Aspen, Colorado
I’m lucky enough to have lived in Tuscany for several years. During my time in the Chianti region, I consumed hundreds of biscotti made by professional bakers and family members alike. If you’re not familiar with these baked goods, you’re missing a delectable treat. In Italian, biscotti means twice-baked and they literally are twice-baked cookies. This biscuit originated in the Tuscan city of Prato but they are now popular all over Italy and far … [Read more...]
North Dome: A Spectacular Day Hike in Yosemite
In all its moods, in all its seasons, Half Dome remains as young as it was ten thousand years ago. It never seems to age, unlike the rest of us ordinary mortals who gaze in open-eyed wonder at its grandeur and beauty. There are many ways to admire this most sublime of creations. One of the best is from the top of North Dome, a smaller sister dome on the rim of Yosemite Valley that provides a spectacular vantage point for Half Dome and other … [Read more...]
A Piece of Hollywood in the Eastern Sierra
Quentin Tarantino shot there. So did Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Kevin Costner and John Wayne. Robert Downey Jr. went on location there as the Iron Man. Whenever Hollywood is looking for a distant planet, or the long-gone Old West, or a rugged outdoors landscape for a Dodge Ram Tough truck commercial, there is one go-to location: Alabama Hills. The Alabama Hills are not, as you might think, in Birmingham or Mobile. Rather, they are in … [Read more...]
Why You Should Visit Death Valley in Summer
If the mere thought of visiting the hottest place on earth in summer freaks you out, think again. There are some great reasons to visit Death Valley in July or August. For one thing, there is the dearth of crowds. Unlike in winter, there are virtually no people anywhere. The few visitors you do encounter are most likely intrepid Europeans who have come to indulge in the desert at its most extreme. Also, unlike winter, days are significantly … [Read more...]
Sunrise at the Grand Canyon
As one might imagine, watching the sunrise at the Grand Canyon, a United Nations-dubbed World Heritage Site, is nothing short of amazing. Coming in at about 2,000 square miles, the Grand Canyon is truly massive. It’s so big, in fact, that watching the sunrise in one section of the canyon is oftentimes a completely different experience than watching it from another area. Why? The Grand Canyon has a huge variety of terrains and biomes. You can find … [Read more...]
Making the most out of your Minneapolis layover
So you have a long layover at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport? You can do what most people do - take the train over to nearby Mall of America and join the packed masses jamming through the second largest mall in North America. Or you can get off a couple of stops sooner on that same train and find yourself all alone in nature, hiking among the beautiful marshes of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. I'll take option 2 anytime. Get … [Read more...]
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