Measuring almost 3,500 feet long, covering 20 acres and holding 66 million gallons of water, the San Alfonso del Mar Resort’s seawater pool in Algarrobo on Chile’s southern coast was just named the world’s largest outdoor swimming pool by the Guiness Book of World Records. Story and more photos.

“We are all of us resigned to death: it’s life we aren’t resigned to,” novelist Graham Greene once wrote. A growing number of Americans of all ages are embracing that idea by renewing a resolve to live life to its fullest. “Life Lists” - lists of things we want to do or see before we take that final step - have become increasingly popular. Dawn and I have such a list and try to check a few things or places off each year.

This month’s issue of Smithsonian magazine features an article on the subject that includes photos of 28 places its editors believe everyone should include on their own “lists.” And here’s the bottom line: Whether you visit only a couple of these destinations or all 28, your life will be enriched by the experience.

In recent years there has been growing competition between the world’s major cities as to who can lay claim to the title of best New Year’s Eve fireworks extravaganza, and 2008 was no exception. Travelburner has assembled the best displays they could find captured on video. Turn your speakers up, grab a drink and watch as these major cities quite literally blow up our taxes!

Check out this amazing full-screen 360 degree interactive panoramic image of Times Square, NYC, from teltip.com. You can zoom in/out with the Shift/Ctrl keys and move up or down and left or right with the arrow keys. Great pano image. Listen for the sounds of the street, music to New Yorkers’ ears… (Requires Quicktime)

Be sure to view the other QRVR panoramics on the site. I especially liked the one of La Basilique Notre-Dame, Montréal, with Pachabel’s Canon in D.

This post is the second of a two part series. Part 1 was posted October 13.

To refresh your memories, Dawn and I, along with friends Michael & Sisko and Doug & Candy, had jetted off to Las Vegas over the Columbus Day weekend to help Sisko live her long-time dream of racing an Indy-style race car. To bring her fantasy to life, Michael had given her just such a gift for last year’s birthday - the chance to attend the Mario Andretti Racing School program and race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway!

I photographed the event and had intended to post the images along with those in Part 1. But I wanted to give Sisko a photographic memory, an album, of her big day and didn’t want her to see the images online before she’d received it. I gave her the album as a birthday gift Saturday night and have posted a few of the images in an online album.

For those of you unfamiliar with Indy-style racing, these are 600+ horsepower, open-wheel, open cockpit race cars. In this abbreviated Andretti Racing School program, drivers are allowed to drive up to 145 mph - Sisko clocked 143 mph and, as you’ll see in the photos, waved for the camera!

It was a once in a lifetime experience for Sisko and we all enjoyed sharing in it.

Along with Saturday’s Japanese tea ceremony for Dawn’s birthday, we visited San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum and checked another item off our lengthy list of things to do or see. But it was so much larger than we’d anticipated that we failed to allow enough time to see it all. No worries, though, we’ll return another day. If you appreciate art and antiquities, the museum is definitely worth a visit. Just be sure to allow ample time to see all three floors! And be aware that, while photography is permitted on the 2nd and 3rd floors, flash is not!

Not knowing what to expect and not wanting to lug the heavy gear unnecessarily, I’d left my Nikon at home. So we relied on our little pocket Canon and Dawn’s iPhone, both handheld and without flash (not allowed!.) Still, we got some decent images which I’ve posted in an album. Feel free to browse. And let me know what you think of the new viewing module.

For her birthday, I had arranged for Dawn (and I) to participate in an authentic Japanese tea ceremony, something she has wanted to experience for many years. As a special honor, ours was overseen by Sekino-sensei, the 93-year-old teacher at Nichi Bei Kai in San Francisco, and hosted by her daughter-in-law, a master of tea ceremony. John, a senior practitioner, acted as her assistant as well as our interpreter and teacher.

Tea ceremony (茶道, chadō - “the way of tea”) is a traditional ritual based on Taoism (Daoism) and influenced by Zen Buddhism in which powdered green tea is ceremonially prepared by a skilled practitioner and served to a small group of guests in a tranquil setting, in our case a traditional tea room. Since a tea practitioner must be familiar with the production and types of tea, with kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics, incense and a wide range of other disciplines and traditional arts in addition to his or her school’s tea practices, the study of the tea ceremony takes many years and often lasts a lifetime. Even to participate as a guest in a formal tea ceremony requires knowledge of the prescribed gestures and phrases, the proper way to take tea and sweets, and general deportment in the tea room. Although Dawn and I had done some research on the subject of tea ceremony, each of the three major schools conduct their various ceremonies differently, so we relied heavily on John for instruction and guidance.

A significant part of the experience is becoming acquainted with the tools (道具, dōgu) and components used in the ceremony. There are many, but briefly they include a large iron pot which, in winter, is set into a recessed hearth and used to heat the water; a long bamboo ladle (hishaku 柄杓) with a nodule in the approximate center of the handle, used to transfer water to and from the iron pot; the tea caddy (natsume 棗) containing powdered green tea (matcha (抹茶); the tea scoop (chashaku 茶杓), usually carved from a single piece of bamboo or ivory and used to scoop tea from the tea caddy into the tea bowl; the whisk (chasen 茶筅), carved from a single piece of bamboo and used to mix the powered tea and water; and, of course, the tea bowl (chawan 茶碗). The best bowls are thrown by hand and some are extremely valuable, even priceless. Frequently named by their creators or owners, or by a tea master, bowls over four hundred years old, like the 16th century Black Raku chawan pictured below, are in use today but are used only on unusually special occasions. We were honored to use such a bowl in our ceremony.

Integral to the Japanese tea ceremony, and by far the most difficult part for me, is seiza, the basic position from which everything begins and ends. Both the host and guests sit seiza style, basically kneeling and sitting back on one’s feet, and maintain the position during the entire ceremony. All the bows performed during tea ceremony originate in the seiza position. If one isn’t used to sitting in this position for long periods of time, it can be quite uncomfortable, even painful. It certainly was for me, although Dawn had little difficulty.

Because ours was a somewhat formal ceremony, both our host and her assistant wore kimonos and we, had we owned them, would have been expected to wear kimonos as well. Dawn was the honored guest and so sat in the first position, with me to her left. She was served first and was the one to whom fell the honor of requesting permission for us to inspect the utensils before they were put away.

Our experience was memorable, enlightening and educational, a treasured glimpse into an ancient custom and culture. We were welcomed into another world and treated as honored guests. It was a wonderful and humbling experience!

Following the ceremony, we watched a student learning the intricacies of serving “thick tea.” I took the opening photo before we departed - left to right are John, our host’s assistant and our guide; Sekino-sensei, the school’s 93-year-old teacher; Dawn, the birthday girl and guest of honor; our host, Sekino-sensei’s daughter-in-law; and a student observer.

Those of you living in the Sacramento area are probably familiar with Apple Hill, an association of small working ranches, farms and wineries just off Highway 50 near Placerville. From March to December, but especially during the fall season, thousands of locals visit more than fifty small ranches to buy apples, enjoy delicious fruit pies, drink home made apple cider, picnic and relish a step back in time to a simpler life many of us remember with fondness. There are even Christmas Tree farms!

So, as we try to do at least once every year, Dawn and I made the short drive up the hill this passed Columbus Day. The weather was perfect, everything was in bloom — it was a beautiful day! Dawn had decided we would alter our usual route and visit some of the farms we’ve missed on previous trips. And she’d done a little research into a rare treat that had somehow eluded us all these years — apple cider donuts! According to her research (on her iPhone while I drove), the very best are those made fresh at Rainbow Orchards, so that was one of our first stops. Here’s the quote by Andy P. that led us there:

“Apple cider doughnuts from Rainbow Orchards. As you bite into one of these warm doughnuts, while smelling the subtle aroma of wood smoke from the cabins and homes in the area wafting down through the pines of the mountains, an incredibly pleasant, indelible memory will be created; a memory that your subconscious will beg for you to re-create year after year.”

Our verdict? Oh my God, they’re delicious! Probably the best donuts we’ve ever tasted! The secret, we concluded, is to get them hot, the minute they’re made if possible. What an amazing discovery! Other farms offer these guilty pleasures; I’m told Abel’s Apple Acres, on the main road and perhaps easier to find, offers donuts just as good. If you do nothing else in Apple Hill, you must try these heavenly delights!

We shopped for gifts, bought some jams and other condiments and, naturally, picked up a fresh apple-strawberry-rhubarb pie. There was even a scarecrow contest featuring creations by local Scout troops! We finished at Primus Vineyards, one of our local favorites, enjoyed some barrel tasting and took home a little wine. It was a wonderfully relaxing day.

We’d brought our cameras so we snapped several images as we meandered through farm country; I’ve posted some of them in an album for your perusal and enjoyment. As always, your constructive comments are welcome.

If you’ve never visited Apple Hill, there’s still time this season and it’s well worth the short drive from Sacramento. Maybe we’ll see you there — in the apple cider donut line at Rainbow Orchards or Abel’s!

It was the Columbus Day weekend, so Dawn and I joined friends Michael & Sisko and Doug & Candy and headed off to Las Vegas to celebrate Sisko’s birthday. It was a “big one” so Michael had arranged for her to drive an Indy-style race car on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a long-time fantasy. We were all invited to be part of the event and I brought along my camera to photograph it all.

Needless to say, Dawn and I took lots of photos, too many for one album, so I’ve divided some of my favorites into two groups. The first album, linked to this post, contains images taken in the hotel (Paris) and along the strip; at the Wynn where we enjoyed 6th row center seats for Spamalot, a hilarious musical based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail; and at dinner after the race as guests of friend Doug Roberts at Lowery’s Prime Rib. The next post will link to images taken at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before, during and after Sisko’s 143 mph streak around the track!

Dawn and I spent a few days in Orange County earlier this month to decompress. We took few photographs; I’d packed one “walk around” lens, determined to travel light, and Dawn’s new camera was still being repaired. Most images are of the Casa Laguna Inn, our digs for the second leg of our trip, with a few “wildlife” shots taken within walking distance of the Laguna Cliffs Resort in Dana Point, our first leg hotel. We strolled Laguna Beach and Balboa Island, Crystal Cove in Newport Beach, even ventured up to San Clemente, a first for both of us.

Our trip almost didn’t get off the ground — moving through airport security took an hour and forty five minutes! Our flight attendant told us they’d had to leave 37 people in San Diego because of backed up security! But once we arrived at our hotel, we immediately began to unwind. There’s something about sitting on your balcony with a glass of iced mint tea and a cool breeze in your hair, gazing at the endless blue horizon of the Pacific Ocean, that brings an almost instant calm to even the most troubled soul. And so we relaxed. It was wonderful!

We had forgotten, however, how warm — and crowded — Laguna Beach becomes at this time of year. We’ve usually visited during May when the temps are cooler and family vacationers haven’t yet arrived. We’ll remember next time. But we were finally able to attend the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters, an event we’ve wanted to experience for years. It was even more remarkable than we had imagined.

I’ve also linked to some Orange County images taken last May when we had a little more time and fewer crowds. An amazing contrast. I hope you enjoy them.

I know we just took a vacation last month, but Dawn and I are in serious need of some rest and rejuvenation as we lick our wounds from a disastrous turn of events with our home renovation. I won’t go into it now; we need to put it away for a few days, collect our thoughts and prepare for what will likely be a nasty legal battle.

But for the next few days, we’ll be taking a little walkabout. So although I probably won’t be posting for a few days (unless I decide to drop by an Apple Store), it’ll be a good opportunity for you to visit the “Archives” and see what you may have missed.

And hey, it wouldn’t kill you to comment, ya’ know…

The second leg of our road trip was a visit to Yosemite National Park. With summer vacations in full swing, there wasn’t a prayer of getting accommodations in the park, but we’d snagged adjoining cabins near the tree line at Evergreen Lodge, about 8 miles or so outside the park. What a delightful find! We’ll definitely return during cooler weather.

Since it was a first visit for both Cindy and Ray, we stayed pretty much on the valley floor, and hiked in to see the big sequoias which was on Ray’s “must see” list. And we enjoyed a thunderstorm, complete with lightning and hail as we sipped Irish coffees on the veranda at the Awahnee Lodge.

We even took a long and bumpy ride with a lodge guide up a fire trail to a clearing with a panoramic view of the valley below and watched the sunset while enjoying wine and cheese. It was during this outing that our guide reformatted Cindy’s camera card!

It was a wonderful vacation, all too short, of course. But we all vowed to return for a longer stay… During spring if I have anything to say about it. I’ve posted 25 images here. Enjoy!

Dawn and I vacationed last month with her sister and brother-in-law in the Carmel area and in Yosemite National Park. Cindy had visited Carmel with us before but neither she nor Ray had ever visited the park.

Now, summer isn’t my favorite season to vacation anywhere except where we can enjoy spring-like temperatures, but it was their vacation and their choice. And despite the heat and crowds, we had a wonderful time. We’re looking forward to vacationing with them again!

Everyone took lots of vacation photos although there were a couple of camera related “incidents” that momentarily threatened to spoil our fun: Dawn’s new camera inexplicably “quit” during the first leg of our trip leaving her reliant on her new iPhone for photos; and Cindy let a guide in Yosemite “set” her camera for her, accidentally reformatting the card and erasing all her photos from the Carmel leg of the vacation. I had taken the heavy gear so I’d pretty much limited myself to scenics and wildlife. But we were all surprised at how nimble the iPhone was in a pinch. Dawn was able to snap photos and email them instantly from wherever we were along the way! Very handy!

This linked album contains 14 images I took along Pebble Beach’s 17 Mile Drive. The original files are large, so I’ve “optimized” them to load faster on the website. I’ve noticed, however, that the colors are somewhat muted in the compressed form. My suggestion is that, once you navigate to the album, you click on each image to slightly enlarge it.. The colors will be a little brighter at that size. Then click on the enlarged image to remove it from the screen and continue using the arrows to advance through the photos (I hope that makes sense.)

I’ll post some shots from Yosemite tomorrow (I hope.)

It was a much needed and enjoyable vacation with wifey’s sister and b-i-l to Carmel and then on to Yosemite National Park. Both were firsts for Ray, and Cindy had never visited Yosemite.

We stayed at Carmel’s Vagabond’s House Inn, an old favorite of ours, and in adjoining cabins at the Evergreen Lodge just outside the park at Yosemite. As always, the park was magnificent and majestic. But I doubt we’ll ever visit again during summer - it was hot and crowded! Our previous visits have been in May when it’s been much cooler with fewer people, the falls have been more impressive and the overall experience has been much more pleasant. Perhaps a winter visit is in our near future.

This being a new experience for Cindy and Ray, we concentrated on Yosemite Valley and took the usual “postcard” photos. When Dawn and I next visit the park, we’ll do more hiking and focus more on photography. And I’ll have to be in better shape! This trip made me painfully aware of just how out of shape I’ve become over the past year. Hiking with camera gear used to be routine; this time it was work! Note to self: Hit the gym!

On our next to last day in the park, while sipping Irish coffees on the veranda at the Ahwanee Lodge, we were treated to a valley thunderstorm, complete with hail! Children ran to play in the rain while their parents ran to get them out of it. It was short and delightful! And we enjoyed a special treat on our last day, just as we were leaving the park. A deer was enjoying dinner in Cook’s Meadow and worked her way to within six feet of us as though we were old friends. The grass was deep, but I was able to grab several images of her as she feasted.

I’ll post more photos once I’m caught up at the office and have some time to look through them. It was a wonderful vacation and we feel rejuvenated and ready to resume our regular routines — at least until our next get-away.

We’ll be vacationing in Carmel and Yosemite National Park with Dawn’s sister and b-i-l so, unless I find a hot-spot on Half Dome, I doubt I’ll be posting until our return. In the meantime, explore the archives and see if you missed anything, maybe write some pithy comments…