October 11, 2017: France has initiated high speed train services through the popular French Countryside — travel between Paris and Bordeaux in about two hours and about the same for travel between Paris and Rennes. Over 30,000 seats a day are available. Seems wrong though to be in a hurry when traveling the beautiful French countryside!!!
October 6, 2017: Bomb sniffing dogs, many now costing more than $25,000 each, are more popular than ever — and in very short supply. Technological advances in explosive detection still can’t match the trained bomb sniffing dogs sensitive and discerning nose. TSA now has more than 1,000 dogs working airports, train stations and other high traffic locations — and needs to acquire 300-500 yearly to replace the dogs that age out between 8-10 years. Currently, the best places to find explosive sniffers is Germany, the Netherlands, and Eastern Block countries. Only one out of two dogs makes the final cut — and many of the final candidates don’t make the team!
October 4, 2017: Yup — with the new MUGMATE coffee-tea filter set up. It weighs only one ounce, does away with the need for paper filters and easy to use — just add your own favorite ground coffee and hot water. Available for $16.95 — great for campers or if you’re tired of bad airline inflight coffee, why not brew your own!!!
October 2, 2017: How about Dinosaur Digs? Head for the North Dakota Bad Lands — and look to join a small group of Dino diggers — bone dry lakes and rivers, along with some very rough terrain, host these groups. Recent finds include a mummified duck-billed dinosaur, hornless rino and fossilized tortoise. For more information, check with local North Dakota chambers or the North Dakota Geological Survey. You might really “dig” this adventure?
September 29, 2017: Yup — this new fad is trending (albeit somewhat “off the map”) in northern California, Oregon and Washington. Lodging is usually in a small tree house set deep in cannabis growing country — with no running water or electricity — and rates ranging from $125-$300 a night. Guests can partake legally with locally grown weed and don’t need to hide in the bathroom. AirBbB might be the place to start? Watch out for hidden fees that can add more than $100 per night for the stay.
September 20, 2017: For centuries, free flowing water has not been a problem in Rome. Severe drought and extremely high temperatures have forced the city to consider water rationing and shutting down many of the ancient free flowing aqueducts and fountains — including the Vatican where more than 100 fountains have already been shut off — many in St. Peter’s Square. Future visitors to the popular Italian city and Vatican may need to bring their Holy Water from home!
September 18, 2017: Spirit Airlines recently was delayed leaving Las Vegas after a passenger removed all their clothes while boarding — the passenger was removed and held for observation. Brings “cautious” new meaning to visiting the Vegas strip?
September 13, 2017: Disney has announced plans to bring “immersive” Star Wars attractions to select shopping malls around the US. The new attraction, set first to open near Disneyland and Walt Disney World, will focus on a walk through virtual reality experience —where guests can engage and interact with each other and Star Wars character experiences. Look for the settings to include a large Disney retail merchandise “experience” as part of the adventure!!!
August 25, 2017: The ultimate in comfort foods — a warm, soft, tasty, chocolate chip cookie is 79 years old this year. In 1938, the owner of the Toll House restaurant in Whitman, Mass, accidentally added a cup of chocolate chips to the cookies she was baking to serve with ice cream — she called her creation a Toll House cookie. One year later she sold the Toll House name to Nestle for $1 cash. The cookie creation survived the Great Depression, a couple of wars and even space exploration to become something special in American lifestyle and taste!
August 14, 2017: Dinnah, a live 20+ lb fresh lobster, was stopped recently at Logan Airport in Boston on the way to be served for dinner in Savannah, Georgia. Dinnah, packed, labeled, and in its own special insulated container, was held up for additional security TSA performs on checked baggage — nothing illegal about shipping a lobster and all the documentation was in order — TSA agents just decided they wanted their picture taken with the overweight ocean celebrity.
