We’ve taken several trips with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), and really enjoy the experience of The Haven, a ship-within-a-ship concept that NCL pioneered in 2005 and many other cruise lines have since duplicated. Haven guests have exclusive access to restaurants, bars, lounges and public spaces in the Haven area, and priority access to restaurants, shows…
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Point Ruston
Point Ruston, near Tacoma, is an easy weekend getaway for us at only a 60- to 90-minute drive from our apartment. We really like the Water View Suites at the Silver Cloud Hotel, pictured above, with their sweeping view to Commencement Bay and Point Ruston. Something of interest is always happening, either on the water…
Ottawa
Ottawa, Canada has played a big part in our lives. James lived in Canada’s capital for much of his formative years, and we first shared an apartment together there in 1984 during a Co-Op student work term. When we lived in Toronto in the 1990s, we often visited for the Winterlude winter festival. But we’ve…
Peats Bite
We celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary and Jennifer’s 60th birthday in style with a crazy weekend trip to Peats Bite in Sydney, Australia to. The restaurant, famous for its long, relaxed, multi-course gourmet lunches that sometimes extend well into the evening, has hosted many celebrities, including James’ doppelganger, Queen guitarist Brian May. In planning the…
Trans-Arctic Cruise Across the Top of the Planet
The first cruise ship transit of the Northwest Passage took place in 1984 when the ice-strengthened Lindblad Explorer completed a 43-day journey from New York to Japan carrying 98 passengers. As the ice coverage has shrunk rapidly due to climate change, an increasing number of cruise ships and private yachts have made the passage. But…
James from the Early Days
James and I met way back in 1982 at the University of Victoria. Their alumni magazine, the UVic Torch, recently interviewed him for an issue themed “Bold Types”, about UVic graduates who have forged fascinating careers on their own terms, their own way. 1983 in Victoria, Canada James and I met way back in 1982…
Zoox Hayward Start Of Production
Celebrating the Zoox Hayward plant entering its start of production phase. This 220,000 square foot state of the art manufacturing plant in Hayward, California will be capable of assembling 10,000 robotaxis annually with a peak output of 100 units per week. It’s great to see this innovative vehicle fabricated in America and another step closer to scaling…
Seattle World Cup
Seattle made its FIFA World Cup debut this month, cementing its status as a premier soccer city. The host-city selection was a vindication for passionate Seattle fans who were long-disappointed when FIFA bypassed them for the 1994 World Cup. Back then, the options for play were the aged Kingdome or the University of Washington’s Husky…
Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen has a real off-the-edge of civilization feel to it. The capital of Svalbard, a mountainous, remote and glacier-covered Norwegian archipelago situated halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, Longyearbyen sees constant daylight in the summer and complete darkness in the winter. Snowmobiles, the main form of transport for much of the year, litter…
Oslo
Despite living in Norway for many months aboard Dirona, we never reached Oslo. The farthest east we sailed was Farsund (where we were frozen in the ice for several weeks). We finally reached Norway’s capital as part of our trans-arctic trip across the top of the planet. The ship would depart from Svalbard, and rather…
