Las Vegas, NV
[1994, 1997, 2001]

My parents retired to Arizona and loved to gamble in Nevada. In 1994 they voiced a desire to see my brother and I again and so, since they were willing to pay for the trip and Bob was willing to show me how to travel, I agreed to go along and am I ever glad that I did! Thus begin my adventures with travel.

We flew from SeaTac to Las Vegas and stayed at the Excalibur Hotel.

We had a great time watching the jousting and doing a little blackjack playing. Mostly I discovered that Las Vegas is really a great entertainment center. We went on a virtual reality ride at the Luxor, shopped for heraldric coffee mugs in the gift shop. Walked along the New York streets of New York, New York. And had a very relaxed and entertaining time inexpensively. I found that I liked Las Vegas.

I liked it so much that a few years later, when my teenage son and I wondered what to do for a vacation, we flew to Las Vegas and he enjoyed the jousting, the virtual reality games, the amusement parks, the shows, almost as much as I did. When we returned home, he got a promise from me that for his college graduation I'd send him and a friend back to Las Vegas! And we did for his 21st birthday!

Then in 2001, my siblings and son and I went to Las Vegas (and the Star Trek experience at the Hilton) as part of our trip to Arizona for our parent's 50th wedding anniversary.

Lake Havasu, AZ
1994

As part of the trip to Las Vegas, we took a van trip down to Laughlin, NV where we met our parents and after a day gambling there (I went to the movies), my parents took us back to their trailer home on Lake Havasu in Arizona.

The lake is beautiful! I enjoyed walking around the fake-medieval-english town and over "London Bridge" which was moved, stone by stone, from London to Lake Havasu a few years ago. But the real joy came from seeing the lake at dawn and reading Poe's "El Dorado" for I truly felt like I was gazing on the "mountains of the moon".

Bob and Dad and I took Dad's fishing boat across the lake to a resort for a little morning liquid breakfast (tequila). Then Dad showed us how he fished. Unfortunately the fish didn't cooperate.

England and Scotland
August/September 1995
 

What can I say about a trip to Europe! Fantastic! In 1995, Arlene "Callie" Hills had planned to go to the WorldCon (Science Fiction Convention) in Glasgow, Scotland and asked me if I wanted to go along. Deep in debt and without a clue (much less a passport) I said sure! Next thing I knew I was landing at Heathrow (with a passport, of course). We spent several wonderful days in London visiting places like the Tower of London, the London Museum, seeing "Miss Saigon" at a theatre in Drury Lane, making a pilgrimage to Temple Church, seeing the British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Library, not to mention shopping at Harrods. I sure learned how to get around huge London using the Underground (as their subway system is called).  It was very strange since I really dislike large cities (having grown up as a boy in a town with a population of 600) and don't care much for even Seattle. But for some reason London was absolutely wonderful and I've been trying to get back ever since!  After a few days in London, we went to York which is probably my favorite English city for its medieval feel. The walls and gates are still mostly intact. York is also home to the Jorvik viking museum.  Then on to Scotland and Glasgow (which I nicknamed the "Tacoma of Scotland" which is NOT a compliment). The SciFiCon was so-so to me, but I did manage to find several bottles of Lochan Ora at a local whiskey shop so I was happy. Unfortunately, due to the con lasting four days, I didn't get to see much of Scotland.  Next was a quick trip back to the south of England to Canterbury. The sights of the Cathedral, the tomb of the Black Prince, the local pubs, were really great.  Then over to Dover to stand on the top of Dover Castle keep and look across to France! Dover is really a nice little town and sure enough, they have white (chalk) cliffs.  Then the train to Arundel for an arts festival which was supposed to have jousting but ended up being more of a local arts fair. Still, there was something about watching Shakespeare being performed on the grounds of Arundel Castle on a summer's evening that was wonderful. And the castle is amazing too. In fact, I stayed at a nearby "castle" (14th century bishop's residence) with towers and drawbridge and all!  During the trip I also had the pleasure of hearing choirs and organs perform in York Minster, Canterbury Cathedral, and Arundel Cathedral. The timing was lucky to be able to find performances during the exact times of my visit.  Then the trip was over and after one last day in London, it was time to fly out of Heathrow and head home.	Tower of London  London, England      Temple Church  London, England.        York Minster York, England
Fitzalan Chapel  Arundel, England.   St. Mary's Abbey  York, England   The Shrine of  Thomas Becket  Canterbury, England.   Canterbury Cathedral  Canterbury, England

San Francisco
1996

One of the best things about my job as Instructional Technology Librarian at the Evergreen State College is that my then Boss (Bill Bruner) sent me to several conferences in really cool locations. While I don't usually have much time for sightseeing during the conferences, I learned to take a few days off as part of the journey so I can do a little sightseeing afterwards.

In 1996 I attended the American Library Association conference in San Francisco. While I had passed through SF a couple of times (by car on the way to San Mateo in '81 and at the airport on the way to England in '95) I had never actually spent any time IN San Francisco.

I enjoyed the conference a lot and found a great italian place that served tequila chicken pasta and pear cider on tap! I also got to tour Chinatown and went down to Fisherman's Wharf and walked past the Maritime Museum over by the Presidio. The Cable Car was a blast, late at night, hanging on the outside in the dark.

Washington, DC
1998

Once more for the American Library Association conference, I travelled. This time to Washington, DC! After the conference, I spent a few extra days including spending the 4th of July with friends in Maryland. While in DC I took an evening tour of the national monuments. I also spent a day in the Library of Congress doing research on Ella Wheeler Wilcox plays. Beautiful library renovation. I also went to the National Archives and some of the Smithsonian museums as well as the DC Zoo.

Monterey, CA
1998

Once more to a conference, this one Internet Librarian in Monterey, CA. What a beautiful town! It was November and yet shirtsleeve weather. One evening they closed the main downtown street for a local market. I had lunch on Cannery Row and visited the amazing Aquarium. After the conference, my companion, Kim Cook, and I went through Pebble Beach and stayed at Carmel and visited my first Mission. Then on to Big Sur along the coast.

Pacific Northwest
1998/1999

I can't really call these trips "travel" since they weren't far from home, but I had an amazing chance to travel with Kim Cook several times during these years. Sometimes it was just a day trip to the Olympic Mountainss or Portland, Oregon, but it also included conferences and travel to Vancouver, BC; Victoria, BC (including Butchart Gardens!); Seattle; Boise and McCall, ID; Lincoln City, OR; Seaside, OR; Dayton, WA (for a family reunion); Mount Rainier, and Ocean Shores for the 1999 Edwards family vacation. I can't imagine how many miles we travelled all in our own "backyard", but they were marvelous trips and I will always remember them with joy.

Southern California
1999 After attending the EDUCAUSE conference in Long Beach, CA (which included an evening hosted by Microsoft aboard the Queen Mary), Kim Cook and I took almost two weeks vacation time and "did" southern California. Santa Monica, Ventura (to visit friends who also study Ella Wheeler Wilcox), Disneyland!!! (okay, so I was 45 when I first got to Disneyland, I got there at last!), Medieval Times, Hollywood (staying at the cabana room across from Marilyn Monroe's at the Roosevelt Hotel!), Universal Studios, Capistrano (and the Mission), San Diego (I was a member of the San Diego Zoological Society), and the Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island! It was a blast, but by the time we arrived in San Diego for the second conference (Internet Librarian 1999) I was beat and glad to be able to slow down before flying home. Click on graphic above to see more photos!

THE WAR LORD Charleton Heston, 1965	Me, 1999
When visiting Universal Studios backlot, I had a chance to have my photo taken in front of the tower used in the movie The War Lord. The image on the left is Charleton Heston as a good Norman Knight entering his domain. The one on the right is me at the same spot in 1999.

Monterey
November 2000

I attended the Internet Librarian 2000 conference in Monterey in November. As usual, it was sunny and beautiful! I spent some time reading in the sunshine while sitting in this old Mexican square.

Oklahoma!  2000-2001

THE MOVE! Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma.  March 2001  After 23 years working at the same place and a lifetime of living in the Pacific NorthWest, I quit my job and packed up everything I own and moved to Tahlequah, Oklahoma where I was a faculty Librarian with Northeastern State University.  My son, Will, and I drove a Ryder truck filled with everything I own and hauled my 1993 Taurus Wagon behind the truck. We took almost a week to drive the 2,400 miles from Washington State down through Oregon, California (went through a sandstorm near Bakersfield), and then over the high desert to Arizona where we visited my parents briefly before heading out on I-40 to cross Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and arrive finally in Oklahoma. Quite an adventure for both of us. We stayed one night in Clinton, OK after passing through Bushland, TX. Will said that we couldn't stay in BUSHland and went to CLINTON instead.   I never thought I'd say it, but I enjoyed parts of my stay in Oklahoma. Tahlequah is a nice small town (about 10,000 residents with 8,000 students at NSU). Our Unitarian-Universalist Church there is wonderful and I really enjoyed playing music with some of their many musical groups including "Celtic Jam" and the Bell Choir.  Side trips included Tulsa which is pretty much just a big city not unlike Tacoma, WA (which is not a compliment), Stillwater (home of Eskimo Joe's) and through the Ozarks to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where they have a used bookstore that rivals Powells in Portland.  I did get to participate in Old Fort Gibson Days (performing with the Irish band, "Celtic Traditions") and saw my first Civil War re-enactment.

Eastern Oklahoma      Northeastern State University      Fort Gibson

Blacksburg, VA
March 2001

After arriving in Tahlequah, I immediately flew to Blacksburg, VA for training with VTLS. I was there for a week between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains.

Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
June 2001

NSU sent me along with a team of faculty to a week long conference on the beautiful campus of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Tumwater, WA
July 2001
THE RETURN!

Having had enough of Oklahoma, I packed up again and driving through Kansas (including Russell where my great-great grandparents were married), Colorado (including Denver), Wyoming (where I ate buffalo meat), Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and finally back to my home state of Washington. I now reside in Tumwater, just south of Olympia and my home is actually just across the street from my alma mater, Tumwater High School. I'm very glad to be back home in the Pacific Northwest. I love to travel, but I live here.

Kingman, AZ & Laughlin, NV
November 2001

My parents had their 50th Wedding Anniversary November 28th in Kingman, AZ. My brother Bob, sister Carolee, and son William and I flew into Vegas and drove to Kingman. After the party the whole family drove to Laughlin, NV for a wonderful dinner at the Riverside (overlooking the Colorado River) and then back to Vegas and finally home. Quite a four day trip!
 

Mud Bay near Olympia, WA
April 2002

The William Cannon Footpath at Mud Bay near Olympia, WA opened in April 2002. I enjoyed a spring walk around the Puget Sound inlet on Sunday, April 14, 2002 and have put together a series of photos of the nature trail.

TEXAS!
April 2002

In April I needed to attend the Innovative User's Group conference in Houston, Texas. Rather than just go for the conference, I spent a week with Mary Elizabeth Davis touring the state. We started at Austin, the state's capital. I rented a cabin on Cypress Creek in Wimberley (in the Hill Country) and dined on barbeque at The Salt Lick. Of course I had to visit San Antonio and The Alamo and the Riverwalk. And then one quick day in Galveston on the Gulf of Mexico before ending up in Houston at the Galleria for the conference.
 

Texas Capitol at Austin	Cypress Creek, Wimberley	Rich at The Alamo
The Elissa. Texas Tall Ship.		On the Gulf of Mexico at Galveston

San Jose, CA

April 25 - 28, 2003

Traveled by Amtrak train from Olympia to San Jose for the Innovative User's Group meeting. 20 hour train ride was quite an experience, nice to have done but not anxious to be repeated.

Las Vegas
August 2003

Went to Vegas again to visit my father for his 75th birthday!

Victoria, BC
August 2003

I go to Victoria almost every year now. I seldom take photos anymore and haven't listed it on my travels page because it seems so close to home. But it's worthy of more good words than I can say!

Boston, MA
April 2004

In April I needed to attend the Innovative User's Group conference in Boston. While I did spend most of my time locked up in conference meeting rooms, I did manage to get out and about with my companion, DeDe Teeters, and discovered the sites of historic Boston (albeit in 30 degree weather with snow!). I saw the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides), though only at a distance. Had dinner in a Boston Irish Pub. Took a tour of the historic districts and sites including Harvard & MIT across the river in Cambridge.

At the monument to the 54th MA Infantry (seen in the movie Glory) on Boston Commons.

Las Vegas/Laughlin, NV
March 2005

Went down to visit our father with my brother Bob and my sister Carolee and son William. Stayed in Laughlin for a few days.

San Francisco, CA
May 2005

Down to SF for the annual Innovative User's Group meeting. Met Steve Metcalf and went to a Mariner's vs A's game in Oakland.

Denver, CO
April 2006

Four days in Denver for the annual Innovative User's Group meeting. Very interesting pedestrian mall in the downtown center. Found a wonderful German restaurant, Cafe Berlin, only a few blocks from the Hyatt Regency.