In Praise of the Firemen of Fallen Leaf Lake

On a recent road trip to the Lake Tahoe area, my daughter and I stopped in Fallen Leaf Lake in search of a highly-recommended waterfall. The only way in is a windy one lane road. It took twenty minutes to drive five miles, and I prayed the entire time that no one would come the other way. We arrived safely and parked near the general store. The... read more

Baltic Sea Cruise

Awake at 3:30 this morning with jetlag, I have ample time to blog about a wonderful cruise on Viking’s ocean liner, The Star. The journey started in Norway and ended in Stockholm. We traveled with our dear friends from northern California who we’d been on a river cruise with a few years ago. Our husbands were a bit leery of traveling with 900... read more

Girls Weekend In Austin

The annual trip this year took us to Austin, Texas. As the resident tour guide, Barb took us to some of her favorite places and some new ones as well. On most of our excursions, the red granite dome of the capitol building was a welcome sight. You may think that July is a hot month to visit Texas. You are right. We were warmed by triple digit... read more

Traffic Calming

As a former Boston driver, it took me a while to understand how San Diego drivers behave. The habit that astonished me most was that they wait in orderly lanes prior to the exit ramp to get off the highway. In other words, they don’t cut in at the last minute to make their exit. Recently I saw something even more amazing. On a drive through... read more

Giving back to Ricardo Haller

Ricardo Haller is a wonderful person who has worked many years supporting the ViaSat family. I am sharing the GoFundMe website we have started for him on valsroad. If you are able, please visit the website at the link below. Much love and gratitude to... read more