Travel Stories, Cruise Reviews, and Cultural Adventures

GLORIOUS CONCERT HALL, SCULPTURES, WORLD CLASS ARTISTS COMPLEMENT NATURE'S OWN GRAND STAGE AT TIPPET RISE

Big Sky Country on the Stillwater River -- looking from our friends' home, John and Laurie Beers, toward High Chaparral.   BIG SKY...

Bruce Keller, known by family and friends, by his surname, and Christene "Cookie" Meyers, reveling in smooth sailing after two years of...

OREGON HAS a special place in my family's heart. And, like memories of family, Oregon's coastal towns have a timeless quality.  Coos Bay evokes happy memories of a bygone time. It's retained that small-town charm that means the cafe waitress greets you and knows how you like your coffee. Yet it has big-city attractions and amenities -- a lovely resort hotel staffed by friendly folk, proud of the area and eager to share their knowledge. Fine shopping. Nature.

A few blocks from Las Ramblas, tourists usually take in Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia. GLOBAL CITIZENS MUST STAND TO HALT TERRORISM,...

Discover the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon—one of America’s premier theater events. Featuring classic Shakespearean plays and modern productions, this iconic festival delivers world-class performances in a charming, walkable town known for its vibrant arts scene.

Wading, not quite walking, on the water, sisters Cookie, left, and Olivia, make their way to the wedding on Beverly Beach. Behind them,...

North Coast Repertory Theatre ends its 35th season with a bang. "At This Evening's Performance" is a thoroughly likeable tale about a troupe of actors in a Soviet bloc-like police state, struggling to make magic on stage. Cygnet Theatre's acclaimed production of "Animal Crackers" offers unadulterated fun. DELICIOUSLY FUNNY, FAST-PACED TREATS KEEP US ON OUR TOES AND ENJOYING A LAVISH GLUT OF THEATER  CONFECTIONS STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER and theater mark

The Museo Picasso Malaga, above, opened in 2003 and features nearly 300 paintings.  Below, Merced Plaza which gives way to the Picasso...

Hornblower's Barefoot Music Cruises are on tap every Sunday through Aug. 27. The new concept combines San Diego's attractive skyline,...

What do a bell, a wheel and a pendulum have in common?  You'll find out at the Exploratorium. Sights and sounds merge and dance as Steve Ganner shares the wonders with his mesmerized daughter Penelope.  KIDS OF ALL AGES ENJOY EXPERIMENTATION, DISCOVERY AT UNIQUE INTERACTIVE MUSEUM ON SAN FRANCISCO'S WATERFRONT   James Brian Ganner and sister Penelope Margaret  have fun with a magical spinning cloud chamber. Bruce Keller has fun with invisible forces and spinning  effects in o

SeaWorld's new Orca Encounter is a more politically correct production which still captures the beauty, grace and power of the...

The view from our hotel balcony in Fiji last year -- knowing we will return is helping the recovery from transplantation. While Cookie...

Editor's Note:   Three weeks ago, we described our journey up the transplant list at Scripps Center for Organ and Cell Transplantation, a world renowned facility luckily 10 minutes from our San Diego home.  We detailed the 19-month process leading to the midnight call that a donor had been found. Now -- four weeks from the May 13 surgery -- we continue the complex story of recovery with a look at the "ups and downs" and the caregiver's essential role. From left, writer Rick

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER Editor's Note:   Two weeks ago, we described our journey up the transplant list at...