Hello to everyone!
We recently discovered this site and found it to be in congruence with
our passion for travel and all things related (e.g. food, wine, friends, etc.). So, by way of introduction, let me tell you a little bit about ourselves, our travels, and what we are looking forward to doing.
1. About Us
Tammie and I met over 20 years ago and it was love at first sight (at least for me). I knew from the moment I gazed into her topaz-brown eyes, I was destined to spend the rest of my life with her. We had a wonderful, romantic courtship where we traveled over most of California, forayed into Mexico, and went on several cruises. I think this is how how we caught the travel bug as it was intertwined with the springtime of our romance. OK, enough gushy stuff.
We lived near San Francisco for about 8 years after we were married. One day while spending a 2 hour drive home on the highway of no movement, I finally concluded I had had enough of Silicon Valley. So, we decided to buy some land my parents owned along Lake Michigan and build our dream house there. We did not know how I would earn a living there, but heck, sometimes you just have to do something different. Tammie planned the entire house as well as furnished it. She is quite remarkable in her talent for designing and decorating.
We have been in Michigan for over eleven years and love the place. And obviously, I was able to acquire gainful employment. Lake Michigan is beautiful and we live among the sand dunes. It is winter now, and no else resides here during what we think can be the most spectacular time of the year. We hunt the dunes for treasure when they are clear of snow. The area to the south of us is used by ORVs in the summer. They lose money, tools, jewelry, you name it. It makes for a lot of fun and good exercise to boot.
We both enjoy travel, food, and of course, wine. After moving to Michigan, we began to shift from doing cruises a couple times a year to traveling to Europe. Tammie developed this love of all things France and I have to admit that I am somewhat of fond of the place myself. We used to go to Europe a couple times of year, but my work has kept me quite busy, so we have had to cut that back. Our last trip was in August, 2007 when we went for five days of purely walking about Paris with no particular direction or plan. We had seen most sights before and we simply wanted to be out and about to discover whatever came our way. We did, however, plan some nice dinners and wine activities. I especially remember dining at this one restaurant with THE BEST cheese plate in Paris. Wow, the plate was as big as the table and you could partake of over 30 cheeses and eat as much as you wanted (which I did!). Add to that a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (2000 Cuvée du Vatican) and it was as close to heaven as one gets. We also had interesting encounters with kidney dishes and also found the most romantic place to eat in Paris. Anyway, I digress. Needles to say, we have enjoyed some great trips to France, Italy, and other European destinations over the last 12 years. And, we are looking forward to many, many more in the years to come. Perhaps the only thing that keeps us bound to home is our cats. We love them and always have such mixed emotions when we do go on a trip. Oh well, conflict always exists and can not be totally eliminated.
I work in the software industry and Tammie is a cheerfully retired femme de maison (bad French perhaps, but it does fit). I am currently working on a new startup that is doing a VOIP (Voice over Internet) device. I get to work from home which is really cool. The rest of the team is out in Washington DC and San Francisco, CA. (see
Toucan Global for more info). I do get to travel to both places now and then allowing me to build miles for our European addiction. And Tammie, God bless her, keeps busy with decorating tasks, her friends, our cats, and a myriad of other activities. BTW, she is a really good resource when it comes to travel. She is the ultimate packer and knows a lot about traveling in Europe. When we went on a cruise of the Mediteranean with several friends a few years ago, she set up these wonderful excursions for wine tasting and cooking. The one to Châteauneuf-du-Pape comes instantly to mind. She hired a bus, set up private tastings at a couple of the best vinywards, and still had time for us to visit Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for shopping (at which is peerless). If anyone out there wants some hints, she is a good one to ask (
tawby_tnb@yahoo.com)
A couple years ago we managed to survive a year of college French classes together. Was that an interesting episode! Since I was teaching a computer class at the college at the time, it was nice to have a classmate to ride along with me to the school (35 miles away). However, I found out that she is highly competitive and thought she needed to be the class star. I must say that her Eiffel Tower report was the hit of the class with all the AV she was able to provide. Plus, she made these Eiffel Tower shaped chocolates to go along with presentation. And, did I mention that our teacher was a raving chocoholic? Anyway, we did learn a modicum of French and have employed it successfully while in France.
We enjoy fine food and have taken many cooking classes both in the USA and abroad. When you live in a remote part of the world like we do, you have to learn to make some nice meals or you simply will not have any. As to wine, we try to keep our cellar full. But alas, it does seem to have a permanent leak.
We have a case of wonderful wine coming from a friend of ours who is the proprietor of a vinyard in the southern part of the state (and make perhaps the best wine in the state -- see
Wyncroft Winery ). He makes a Burgundy style wine that is simply great and his Chardonney is outstanding.
Finally, a remarkable milestone for me comes with the writing of this missive.
I have been in the computer industry for about thirty years. I was at the forefront of the Internet revolution and have been engaged with many aspects of this technology. But, until now, I have NEVER written to a blog or subscribed to any such a system. I guess I always rationlized that I did not have the time for such work. And, with email, I could get my message to whomever really needed it anyway. Times change and I found this such a compelling venue that I could not resist!
2. Our Trips.
Having gone on way too long above, I will attempt a brief summary.
France:
a. 5 trips to Paris (Tammie went alone once to do some photography).
b. 4 trips to Provence (in the slow style). We roomed at a bastide near Bonnieux twice for about 10-12 days each).
c. 4 cruises that stopped in many French ports on the Mediterranean and in Bordeau.
Italy:
a. 2 10 day slow trips staying at a cottage in Tuscany near Radda in Chianti.
b. Northern Italy
c. Rome a couple of times
d. 4 cruises to various ports.
Spain:
Several days in Barcelona and 2 trips on cruises
Germany:
A business trip to Darmstadt
England:
Three trips to London plus several cruises (both transatlantic and to the European continent).
Other: (usually associated with a cruise)
Portugal, Turkey, Egypt, Greece (ah, the Greek islands and Santorini),
Japan for a month for me while on business
3. Where to Next.
We would love to study French a bit more and do it in France. I have a good understanding of the language mechanics, but Tammie speaks and undertands the spoken word much better. I have read of Kaydee studying in Aix-en-Provence and
I am going to learn more about this avenue. Right now, 2-3 weeks would be all that we could do in the short term. Maybe this will have to wait until retirment?
Otherwise, our next big plan is to do a walking trip in France -- maybe from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. It sounds ambitious, but we have been training for this one for a little while. Maybe when I get a little less busy with the new company, sigh. Oh, and what is there for us to do about the cats? Perhaps, we will need a short 10 day fix to Provence to tide us over until time is not at such a premium.
Slow Travel Talk 
I feel like I know you and Tammie well enough to invite you over for dinner 
