Another Québec City Adventure Part I

By on October 25, 2026 in The Pearl
“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right.” -Anonymous 
Old Québec (Vieux-Québec) is an amazing place to visit. Our first trip to this beautiful city was to celebrate Stan’s birthday in 2018. There’s so much to see, wonderful food to try, people to watch and history to learn. I think we could enjoy more than just three days. 

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Another Québec City Adventure Part I

By on October 25, 2026 in The Pearl
“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right.” -Anonymous 
Old Québec (Vieux-Québec) is an amazing place to visit. Our first trip to this beautiful city was to celebrate Stan’s birthday in 2018. There’s so much to see, wonderful food to try, people to watch and history to learn. I think we could enjoy more than just three days. 

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Walking Tour of Downtown Reykjavík, Iceland

By on October 25, 2026 in Kosmos

Sunday, May 17 — Since arriving in Iceland, we haven’t been sleeping well. It didn’t get dark until around midnight, and it got light again at 0300. While the hotel did have blackout curtains, the curtains exactly fit the inside … Continue reading →

Oct. 19 – Saratoga Springs, NY

By on October 24, 2026 in The Pearl

“Wrinkles only go where smiles have been.” -Jimmy Buffett

We’re taking another fall vacation. This time we’re on our way to Quebec City. It’s almost ten hours from our home in Lewisburg so we thought we’d do a little exploring on the way there. We’ve only been in Saratoga Spring to go to the horse races years ago. So we thought we’d spend part of the day to see what else this pretty little town has to offer. 

Saratoga Springs is named for the mineral springs in the area, which has made it a popular resort destination for over 200 years. It’s also known for thoroughbred horse racing. The Saratoga Race Course is one of the oldest and most famous thoroughbred horse racing tracks in the country. The Belmont Stakes are held here every June. Informal trotting and harness races date back as early as 1847 and the Saratoga Race Course was officially opened in August 1864. The city’s official slogan is “Health, History, and Horses”.

We chose the historic Inn at Saratoga Springs for our stay. It was built in 1843 and is the oldest continuously-operating hotel in Saratoga Springs. Initially it was a simple large boarding house for people who came to soak in the springs. In 1866 as tourism began to boom in Saratoga Springs it began operating as a true hotel.
This room at the inn is used as a sitting room and a dining room. The bottom pictures show our room.
We spent the afternoon at Saratoga Spa State Park. We hiked a little, sampled the spring water and looked at the old spa buildings. The park is renowned for its natural mineral springs, classical 1930s architecture and rich history as a premier health and wellness destination. In the 19th century, the area became a popular place to visit for the medicinal effects the springs held. The spa was named a state park in 1962. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, for its natural and architectural features, and for its role as the subject of early conservation measures. The park features mineral baths, walking trails and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Later in the afternoon we walked around the downtown area. The weather was just right for soaking in the sights of this beautiful little town and the warmth of the sunshine.

State Seal Spring is famed for providing a smooth, refreshing, and clean-tasting drinking water. It was wonderful and we filled our water bottle several times.
There are 13 distinct natural, cold-water carbonated mineral springs throughout the park. We tried three of four. Definitely not a fan of the more mineral tasting springs. Each spring has a little different properties, taste and beneficial qualities. Geyser Island Spouter (“The Geyser”) is a continuously bubbling and spouting natural carbonated spring surrounded by a growing dome and island of hardened mineral deposits called tufa.
We hiked along Geyser Creek. 

Some of the buildings in the park. There are two spas, an event building, two pools, a golf course, tennis courts, a preforming arts center, a car museum and twelve miles of multi use hiking trails.

We enjoyed dinner at a Spanish Tapas Restaurant called Boca Bistro. 

Toasting to my good friend’s birthday…she was celebrating in Turk and Caicos.
We had meatballs and  Shishito peppers. Both were very good.

Oct. 19 – Saratoga Springs, NY

By on October 24, 2026 in The Pearl

“Wrinkles only go where smiles have been.” -Jimmy Buffett

We’re taking another fall vacation. This time we’re on our way to Quebec City. It’s almost ten hours from our home in Lewisburg so we thought we’d do a little exploring on the way there. We’ve only been in Saratoga Spring to go to the horse races years ago. So we thought we’d spend part of the day to see what else this pretty little town has to offer. 

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Keith’s Perspective on Our Week in North Palm Beach and San Diego/Le point de vue de Keith sur notre semaine à North Palm Beach et à San Diego

By on October 24, 2026 in Kosmos

Saturday, April 11 – Friday, April 17 — This week has been fun. On Saturday, Dad and I went for a walk. On Sunday, we didn’t do anything. On Monday, we checked into a hotel and moved some stuff there. … Continue reading →

The Lava Tunnel Tour Part 2, Raufarhólshellir, Iceland

By on October 23, 2026 in Kosmos

continued… We came to another staircase, this one leading to a much wider platform where it was easy for us to gather around Dimitri. He pulled out a flashlight and started explaining the various features of the cave. He showed … Continue reading →

The Lava Tunnel Tour Part 1, Raufarhólshellir, Iceland

By on October 21, 2026 in Kosmos

Saturday, May 16, 2026 — Eric left for the conference at 0930. Since Christi and Keith’s tour wasn’t until 1230, we had a leisurely morning in the hotel room. We were still feeling tired from jet lag, and relished having … Continue reading →

Bunaken National Marine Park

By on October 20, 2026 in M/V Dirona

Indonesian’s Bunaken National Marine Park is a world-class scuba diving destination known for its dramatic vertical drop-off walls, crystal-clear water, and abundant, diverse marine life. Established in 1991 as one of the first of the country’s marine parks, Bunaken encompasses 345 miles2 (890 km2), 97% of it underwater. The park’s rich coral ecosystem includes 390 species…

The Golden Circle Tour: Friðheimar Greenhouse, Kerið Crater and More of Downtown Reykjavík, Iceland

By on October 19, 2026 in Kosmos

continued… The bus dropped us off in front of the greenhouse and we went inside. The greenhouse was enormous. It seemed to go on forever with row after row of tomatoes. Some of the rows had tables set up in … Continue reading →