You can look at this web page on your phone, but it will be difficult to read. It is designed to be viewed on a full size monitor or at least a tablet.

I spent much of my childhood studying maps and dreaming of journeys to far-off places.

In the Kensington section of Philadelphia where I grew up, everyone was much the same - Protestant or Catholic with grandparents or great-grandparents who had been born in Europe. At that time, in that place, pizza was an exotic substance. Chinese food came in a can and was accompanied by Uncle Ben's converted rice. It was a good life, but I was curious about how people in other places lived.

Soon after we married, Walt and I bought a Ford van and a pile of basic camping equipment.

"Finally! " I thought. " My travels have begun. "

He even decided to go to graduate school in Canada - a 5 year sojourn in a foreign land! Our next move was to Madison, Wisconsin, and then a really big step - Hawaii.

"Well," I thought, "if I'm not destined to continue traveling, at least we have landed someplace exotic."

The years passed. Travel meant taking a trip back to Philadelphia to spend time with family. Those were wonderful trips, but I wondered if I would ever see all those foreign places I was longing to see.

It was 2002 when we finally made our first trip outside North America to the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, and we've returned to Japan many times since then - slowly venturing further and further from the usual tourist attractions.

When we retired in 2017, we were eager to cover more ground. Our goal was to visit two foreign destinations each year in addition to squeezing in a trip or two to the Mainland to visit family, friends, and state and national parks. Although there are places on our hope-to-see list that we would only visit on a group tour, traveling alone is our preferred method of touring. Things were going great until the coronavirus pandemic erupted during our trip to New Zealand in March of 2020.

We managed to make several Mainland trips when the number of COVID cases fell, and now we're finally traveling internationally again. It's great to wander the streets and parks of foreign cities, visit the museums and historic buildings, see remarkable scenery, and sample strange foods once again, but it's the quiet travel moments that are truly special - a person who takes the time to help you find your way, the exchange of pleasantries and conversation with a stranger, or just sitting in a park or cafe relaxing and enjoying a different style of living.

Keeping these pages up-to-date is a massive project, but I've had help. Many thanks to Walt for handling the server set-ups and providing technical support when needed.

Also, the pictures on these pages are a collaborative effort. When we travel, Walt and I are always passing the camera back and forth, and our daughters Lisa and Jeanette also contribute their pictures when we travel with them.