Ch-Ch-Ch Changes EES, ETA, ETIAS – New Travel Requirements for Travel to Europe Before your next trip to Europe, you need to be aware of these changes and how it will affect your travels. Entry Exit System (EES) – 25 EU Nations plus Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein Commencing on […]

Cut Through the Chaos and Renew Your Passport Online! (Report by Tracy – June 2025)  As my passport was set to expire six months after our upcoming trip to Europe, I was concerned I might be in the danger zone of being denied entry or not being allowed to board […]

These Are A Few Of Our Favorite Things Mai Tai Tracy’s (and Tom’s) Favorite Things December 2024 If you are in need of some ideas for gifts or stocking stuffers, for whatever it is worth, here is a list of some of our favorite things … in the kitchen or […]

Celebrating The Red, White And … Green Amerigo Vespucci Tour – San Pedro, CA July 2024 Thanks to a heads-up from my friend Denny who lives in Canada, on America’s 248th birthday, Tracy and I took a tour of a famed Italian sailing vessel bearing the moniker of the Florentine […]

Down The Rabbit Hole & Back:  MaiTaiTom’s True Near-Death Saga My 2010 Hospital Journey To Hell & Back creeps into my mind every so often, but since this my 15th “anniversary” of my long near-death experience, the entire ordeal has been more on my mind recently. I was admitted to […]

Getting Tracy Off The TSA Watch List Annoyed by Secondary Screening? You May Need a Redress Number (Report by Tracy … March 2023) – I have had a Known Traveler Number through Global Entry for years, yet I was pulled out for additional screening on seven straight flights out of […]

Remi’s Ojai Outdoor Outing Ojai Deer Lodge & Ojai Olive Oil Company – Ojai Since losing Frankie to cancer in October, we try to do something exciting with Remi every weekend (at least more interesting than walking around the block).  In mid-June 2010, Tracy and I brought these two corgis […]

A Cavalcade of Colors Lightscape – Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanical Garden Visited: November 2021 Whenever I hear there’s going to be an event that includes more than one million lights (a few more than we put on our house during the holidays), it piques my curiosity. So, when […]

To Boldly Go …Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds (Skirball Cultural Center) – Los Angeles Visited: October 2021 When Tracy asked me if I wanted to visit the Skirball Cultural Center to see its temporary exhibition entitled “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds,” just like a fully vaccinated Vulcan, I immediately knew […]