There is no more storied race track in Formula 1 racing than the Autodromo Nazionale in Monza, Italy. Construction of the track was completed in 1922, and it has been the site of the Italian Grand Prix since the introduction of the Formula 1 championship series in 1950. This years’ Formula 1 Championship has featured a fierce battle between Lewis Hamilton of Team Mercedes and Sebastian Vettel of Team Ferrari. After 12 races this season, Sebastian Vettel had a slight lead over Lewis Hamilton, setting the stage for an epic battle at Monza, the home track of Ferrari. Continue reading
The Great Truffle Hunt
The town of Alba in the Langhe region of the Piedmont in Northern Italy is famous for its truffles, which are a form of fungus that grows in the roots of specific types of trees, primarily oak. Truffles are highly prized by chefs and foodies all over the world, as an exotic addition to pasta, eggs, potatoes and other foods. There are two truffle seasons in Alba – black truffles in the summer and rare white truffles in the fall. White truffles from Alba normally sell for over $1000 per pound, reflecting their rarity. Continue reading
The Road to Monza
It has been 4 months since my last Blog post, and much has changed in both my life and my outlook. I have put the past behind me, and I am firmly focused on the future. To explain a bit more, I will repeat what I posted on Facebook. Continue reading
The Treasures of West Texas
In the Summer of 2015, Melinda and I began a long-planned downsizing of our life in Portland by selling our house on Langworthy Terrace. It was a great house and home to many good memories. There were Christmas mornings, celebrations for birthdays, proms and graduations, and many nights watching movies in our home theater room. It had a big deck, where we cooked out and hosted neighborhood parties and on occasion Melinda’s book group.
With part of the proceeds from our sale, we bought a townhouse closer to downtown and a motor home. We loved the motor home; it was just the right size for two people and a dog. Continue reading
The Last Road Trip
Some days life seems great, other days I feel like a ghost roaming among the remnants of my past. I suppose you cannot avoid the past, you just have to learn to live with it. Melinda and I had many great adventures, so now that my big trip is over, I will share a few. I will begin with the last road trip. Continue reading
Tsukiji Fish Market
I am back in Tucson now, adjusting to normal life. My trip around the world was indeed a grand journey. I traveled 35,115 air miles. Here is the breakdown.
| Miles | ||
| Tucson | Dallas | 810 |
| Dallas | Ft Myers | 1020 |
| Ft Myers | Dubai | 8269 |
| Dubai | Hong Kong | 3682 |
| Hong Kong | Auckland | 5680 |
| Auckland | Queenstown | 636 |
| Queenstown | Wellington | 398 |
| Auckland | Melbourne | 1640 |
| Melbourne | Adelaide | 398 |
| Adelaide | Singapore | 3359 |
| Singapore | Tokyo | 3293 |
| Tokyo | Portland | 4810 |
| Portland | Tucson | 1120 |
| 35115 |
Isana Sushi
When I was in Adelaide, I met an American woman from Sydney who worked for Google and managed the YouTube operations for Southeast Asia. She often traveled to Tokyo on business, and she recommended that I try a sushi restaurant called Isana Sushi in the Roppongi neighborhood of Tokyo. The restaurant is a 7-seat sushi bar with only one chef named Junich Onuki. There is no menu, you simply get what the chef has selected at the Tokyo fish market that day. Junich spent ten years working as a sushi chef in London, so he speaks excellent English. Four years ago, he returned to Tokyo to pursue his dream of opening his own sushi bar.
Tokyo
I am now safely home in Portland, but still feeling the warm glow of Tokyo. This may have been the best stop of the entire trip. It is the dead of winter in Tokyo, and the weather can be miserable, but I stumbled on to two glorious days with blue skies and temperatures in the mid-50s.
Singapore
Singapore is an island nation strategically located at the tip of the Malaysian Peninsula, immediately north of the equator. Records show that it was already a thriving trading port as early as 1400. In the 16th and 17th Centuries, Singapore was controlled first by the Portuguese and then by the Dutch. In 1819, Sir William Raffles arrived and set up a British trading port for the East India Company. Singapore became a Crown colony in 1867.
Ketut Liyer
Memory is a mysterious and powerful thing. To digress a bit, here is the string of memories that Australia conjured up for me. Melinda and I were married in Las Vegas on July 5, 1999. The next day we went to St. George, Utah and spent a few days touring the national parks in Southern Utah. I got sick, and it was really hot. We did not have the greatest time. Fortunately, we had planned to take a trip a few months later to Australia for our real honeymoon.
