Yes, it’s October. But no, that’s not a Halloween display. Rather, that pic offers just another gravestone and view from another idyllic island.

15 years ago, my kids got a gift they’ll never forget…or regret. 69 days of island hopping through 5 islands in the Caribbean. They got HOME-SCHOOLED! “Hardest math teacher ever!” they both told me. Often. And (otherwise) had the splash of a lifetime.  My son kept an online blog…A+!

One stopover was St. Vincent, as described and photographed in that there MYBA link. St. Vinny is an oft-overlooked Grenadine isle rich with mountains, authenticity, and perhaps a bit too much crime and pot growing (on those fertile mountain slopes). That keeps it quiet and off the snowbird migration routes.

Scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed there. Prices stayed delightfully on the low side. And the organic F&V were so plentiful that St. Vincent provides for many islands around them; farmer’s markets are filled with aggressive peddlers who send you home with more edible booty than you can carry. For about $20.

This photo was from a high-point stopover; cemeteries are often small and neighborhoody. This gent certainly has a fine view to decompose in.

• Every Autumn I fall back…

Fall has arrived in MN. After a long, luxurious summer, we now simmer in darkening daze, fleece everything, and the promise of, oh, 7 months of same or worse before we kick off boots and slip on flip-flops. Unless, of course, one finds a way to plan a warm, faraway getaway!

Would I return to St. Vincent? In a heartbeat, in an island-hopper plane, or even—if I could swing it—hidden in a coffin…if it came to that.

Stay warm. Dream an epic dream. And keep the faith…

This young explorer seems delighted to be in magical Carmel. Who wouldn’t be?

I snuck away for a late winter vakay last week. To charming, colorful Carmel-by-the-Sea, on the coast of NoCal. The weather did NOT offer that tropical glaze that we Northerners crave when winter won’t end. But the stunning beauty of the place quieted any complaining. As did the unique boutiques, the friendly folks, and the laid-back vibe.

My tech tools and toys took an overdue unplugged break, too…except of course for some irresistible pictures like this one.

Oh, to be a carefree boy once more, like this lad lost beside the sea. Then again, one often feels forever young when ambling a pristine beach and observing a fearless, curious seeker. A future BreakAway artist? No doubt!

Las Vegas is a love/hate destination. A place I’m excited to visit, and also happy to leave. 

Could there be any city anywhere that’s as entertaining and bizarre? People flock there like wild geese. Ginormous casinos and other-worldly attractions and major-league sports teams keep popping up, bringing yet more reasons to go and more humans to fill the bottomless void. So what happens in Vegas? I’d say…pretty much anything and everything!

But I’ll limit this travelog to a mere ~5 teasers of what I experienced. For now, at least, that’s quite enough.

• A son may show up!

Since my son plays football for the Las Vegas Raiders, I went to see HIM. And a game. Few feelings can compare to watching my little sportster perform on a stage like that with, oh, 80,000 of my best friends watching. Of course, the shock and awe of the violence hits me head-on, also—and he DID have a concussion this year, but was good-to-go for this game.

All to say, Daddies: Don’t let your babies grow up to be ballers. But if they do, keep cheering, coaching, and covering your eyes when necessary. As this was the last game, we had a blast for a few days after the season’s end. And indeed, we enjoyed both some touristy treats and some laid-back R&R.

• Surrogate sons may show up

What’s better than having friends you’ve known since childhood? Nothing really, except maybe gathering as a gaggle to root for one of your own on a faraway sports field. I’ve known these ‘boys’ since, well, babyhood in some cases. My thanks to them for letting me join the gang for all the partying and craziness. Yes, boys, I’ve still got it! (Whatever IT is…)

• You will see ostentatiousness that passeth all understanding

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? So out of respect for strangers I don’t know, I’ll admit I watched all, but will only tell some. Like…the dozens of beauty queens serving small ringside groups of rich fans nonstop treats (including these bottles of Dom). Like gussied-up groups emerging from larger-than-life limos to gamble their lives away. Like enough omnipresent security to trump the Secret Service.

Bright lights, big city? Blindingly so. Returning to a quiet hotel suite, thankfully, happens too, albeit at some absurdly late hours.

• You’ll experience attractions that dazzle and bedazzle

Who comes up with this stuff? Seriously, I want that job! Casino-resorts painstakingly modeled after Paris, Italy, and New York New York are just the beginning. Because within these mammoth structures are endless top-notch eateries, exclusive boutiques, blow-your-mind bars, and live entertainment that never sleeps.

Warning: Your eyes…and your brain…may explode. With glittery fountains.

• Cool stuff will surprise and delight

Stuff off the Strip happens in Vegas, too. And some of that may provide the best sight-seeing of all. The Freemont Street Experience—4 covered blocks of the original LV with a mind-blowing animation + light show on the ceiling—offers unique small(er) bars, limitless live entertainment (indoors and out), and a sense of history that’s an antidote to the sparkly new sprawl that has taken over.

Nearby, the Arts District brings a fresh, yet revitalized neighborhood packed with dozens of F&B establishments, thrift stories, galleries, boutiques, and buskers.

Also worth a mention: The uber-creative, hands-on attraction that comprises Area 15 (sampled in a recent post).

About Area 15: We cannot explain; you would not understand. So suffice it to say, when in Vegas…Go there! 

Would we say the same about Vegas…Go there? Hmmmm. I can think of, oh, 555 places I’d recommend first. Still, I know MANY folks who enjoy it, and fly there often. So yes, take that BreakAway and see for yourself.

You’ll have fun. Be wowed. And find yourself pondering did that just happen? for days to come.

Where DID they get all those statues?

When Autumn hits, my mind turns to Europe, as most of my time there seems to have been when summer ends, the tourists have retreated, the countryside is humming with harvest excitement (and treats), and the locals are throwing parties and fests all over—as they’ve done for centuries.

This lovely little villa comes from such a place and memory. Somewhere in Tuscany, surrounded by countless charming towns and vineyards. Such sights blur as you drive around until you feel like you’re hallucinating on some idyllic Disney ride.

I actually think I snapped the shot from a moving car. Probably on the prowl from one winery to another. Doesn’t really matter where…

If the wind is right, you can sail away…and find serenity. ~Christopher Cross

When in San Fran recently, I snapped this pic, and these sailboats blew up a priceless flashback from my memory bank…

Years ago, I found myself in San Francisco on a glorious, sunny Sunday. With friends who lived there, new and old. The two main sailors had been dear friends since Day 1 of college, and had become master sailors as youth on Lake Superior. Both had embarked on major voyages—including one who’d traversed over from Europe with parents and six siblings!

• SUB: California daydreamin’

Being spontaneous, free-living Cali types, they mused, “What a day! We should go sailing!” So we did, thanks to a boat rental firm they both knew and used. In no time, we were crashing through heavy waves and winds, ditching monstrous barges, and dodging the smart-ass, daredevil windsurfers who would dart in close to splash us (and loved to ride the barges’ tsunamis).

We started deep in the bay, running gradually against a stiff wind toward the bridge and sea. Though we had to be back by dark, Captain G said, “What do ya say, we’ve GOT to get under that bridge, right!?!”

• Keeping an unevel keel

We all agreed, cheered the ballsy challenge, and braced ourselves. Then we tacked, leaning sideways, back and forth—sometimes barely making forward progress—and confronting evermore angry barges as the bay got skinnier and each beast seemed determined to nonchalantly wipe us out like a rambunctious boy playing with toyboats in the bathtub.

Did we make it? Of course we did. Just as the sun went down, naturally. So we enjoyed a boisterous group hug while staring up at the legendary Golden Gate Bridge, turned the vessel about, and raced back to the marina by dark (almost)—thanks to now having…the wind at our backs.

FOTOFRIDAY parable summary: The bigger the memory bank, the richer the life.

Please keep investing.

Happy sails…