Baseball Behind-the-Scenes: A Tour of Petco Park

February 9, 2016California

I thought there would be grass. This was baseball, after all, and even though it was February, it never occurred to me that the green fields of San Diego’s Petco Park would be replaced with mounds of…dirt. What I didn’t know was that on the weekend of our tour the park had been transformed into … Read More

The Great Escape Room: San Diego’s House of Hints

January 15, 2016California

“Mrs. Peacock did it in the Conservatory with the Candlestick?”  Well, not quite… I first heard of “escape rooms” while doing research on Bilbao, Spain, for an upcoming trip.  The premise sounded intriguing:  You are locked in a movie set-like room and must solve a mystery using puzzles and clues hidden in the room in … Read More

Meeting My Hero: A “Carpe Diem” Day Trip

January 7, 2016California

This is not a political post. It is a story of carpe diem, of saying “yes” when it would be much easier to say, “next time.” Some background: I’ve always been a big fan of Jimmy Carter. Ever since he campaigned in Des Moines when I was living there, I found him fascinating and inspirational…his … Read More