I’ve been travelling a lot lately, which both delivers the promise of one of this site’s charters and keeps me trained for the rigors of rambling. In the last five weeks, I’ve done long weekends in Kansas City, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Okoboji (IA). Expect reports from the fields and beaches soon…

Meantime, this shot happened during sundown from a deck in Okoboji, a beloved getaway  of mine since childhood. Obviously, the dock crews work harder than vacationers know. Here, hundreds of docks and lifts await their annual migration back to the lake, in a twisted and noisy dance not unlike the spring rituals of the birds and animals hiding all around.

Soon, the weather (and water) will warm up, the vacationers will barge in by the thousands, and summer will spring into hot action. Then the season will fade away, like a beautiful but too-brief sunset. Summer is short. Step out and find your warm comfort zone before fall and the chilled docks come cashing ashore again!

BreakAway promotes the power of music—to wash away your worries, to touch the spirits, and for daily entertainment. Live music offers one of the finest pleasures on the planet. Which is one more reason to warm up in Mexico; authentic music happens everywhere there—like this troubadour busking for spare change on the malecon in Mazatlan.

If you’re traveling with children, their eyes will pop when a brassy mariachi band blasts over the dinner table. On the romantic side, nylon-string guitarists serenade and soothe diners and sweethearts. But my favorite memory? A wandering trio harmonizing  Guantanamera with 3 sizes of guitars, tableside, on a candle-lit beach at (what is now) the charming Petit Lafitte resort near Playa del Carmen.

Whenever I hear that song, my mind goes back to that sublime scene. Music makes memories…the most precious thing in life.

When spring finally arrives in the Great Cold North, people hit the water. It’s okay to be late for supper, church, or that FOTOFRIDAY blog post. Just BreakAway outside and ride the warm wave.

Never mind the snow in the forecast this weekend. Everything is right on schedule.

New Orleans may be the funnest city in America, if not the world. Where else can you get round-the-clock music, incredible food, incomparable culture, and a party that never stops? A long weekend in NOLA provides a perfect BreakAway; you’ll come home feeling like you were worlds away, and for a long, long time.

Halloween, on the other hand, turned downright scary at times. Oh sure, the costumes were insane. But the crowds were even crazier—at times so thick and crushing you could barely move, breathe, or hear yourself scream.

So go to NOLA, by any and all means. But think twice about visiting during Halloween, Mardi Gras, and the super-popular times. You’ll find it easier to laissez les bon temps roulez!

If I were an Influencer and had lots of followers, we could have a little contest with this image. What is it? The winner would get, say, some lipstick.

So I’ll just tell you: It’s palms, an odd window, and a feeble solstice sundown struggling to shed light on an icy St. Paul. Thanks to the Como Conservatory, where a stroll always warms the spirits—especially in winter.

First, the bad news: The bar you see here most certainly got shredded by the Cat-5 hurricanes that pounded St. John and the Virgin Islands in 2017. Now for the good news: A replacement recently opened, also in Coral Bay, and it looks even better. So are the pics in this article!

It’s called the Lime Out—named after the local-ism limin’, which means to go out and…party! The owners also own a successful eatery called The Lime Inn. Get it!?!

I love everything about St. John. So I emphatically recommend this establishment. To get there, you’ll need a boat. Or to swim well. You’ll also need an airplane to St. Thomas, a cab ride to the ferry station, a ferry ride to St. John, and a car ride traversing St. John to Coral Bay. Sound complicated? It is. But here’s the best news: It will be worth it.

NOTE: This post may be late today. Read on; you’ll understand…

Few feelings compare with the buzz of boarding a plane. You’ve planned, stressed, packed, and prepped. Then, finally…away we go! When flights run on time, that euphoria really takes off.

Lamentably, that sensation often crashes. That’s been too true lately since Sun Country was bought out by investment bankers who are failing miserably. Fly with them and you may really need the MYBA mantra, Everything is right on schedule.

So does this picture evoke delight? Or dread? Only time will tell…

When a large, long shelf collapsed recently, a million mementos and countless photos came crashing down. Ironically, I had gone into that closet to clean and purge. Guess I was about 555 pounds too late!

The matchbook collection—dating back decades to the days when such things (and smoking) were commonplace—was to be the first to go. But once I dove in, I realized most of those memories had no other mental cue. Needless to say, I ended up saving a bunch. And getting lost in the cities, restaurants, resorts, bars, and other places I had been back when.

Memories are priceless. So is the art of getting away, whether for a quick drink or a RTW sabbatical. So those matchbooks aren’t all garbage, after all. Perhaps there’s a performance piece in my future where an audience member picks a random one out of a fishbowl and I must tell the story?

Don’t count it. But don’t throw away your memories, either!

Here in MN, winters last long and test sanity. So we create curious pastimes that might strike Californians as crazy—like ice-fishing, snow-shoeing, and (of course) snow-sculpting. Some call me the Snow Whisperer.

This particular creation required fast photography action, or the flowers that dot the i would freeze and droop, just like we humans do. But faith pays; even the longest winters eventually end. As will this one. Someday…