Picture of the Moment - Roadside Shrine in Mexico

There are tens of thousands of these lovingly-maintained roadside shrines in Mexico, devoted to various saints of the Roman Catholic church. St. Jude Thaddeus (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot) was one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus, traditionally martyred by an axe. He is the patron saint of "difficult cases." This little chapel is located just west of the remote iron mining district of Hercules, in sparsely-populated western Coahuila State near the border with Chihuahua. I took this picture one late afternoon in January of 2011 while working in the region.

Hercules, Coahuila, Mexico. January 2011

Three Sweaty Men and a Princess

Ruby Princess at the port of Kuşadası, Turkey.

When our older two boys began to take interest in the world at large, my wife and I devised a plan for special travel experience with each of our sons individually. Stacey takes the boy on a special mother and son trip when he reaches age ten, and I follow with an adventure of our own when he is fourteen. The personalized itinerary is tailored to each son's specific interests at the time. We've been blessed so far to have the financial means to travel internationally, but the most important takeaway isn't the destination. It is a week or so for my wife or I to spend quality time with a son and build a lifetime of memories. Hopefully the boys learn something without suspecting we're trying to educate them.

My oldest boy Thomas spent a week on Kangaroo Island, South Australia with his mother several years ago. He has long been interested in Ancient Rome and Greece, at least as much as a fourteen-year-old can be, and for his father-son trip last August (2013) we settled on a Princess cruise of the eastern Mediterranean with bookend visits to Venice and Rome. My father became aware of our plans that spring, and Thomas was OK with a stowaway. Dad has always wanted to travel in retirement, and he was happy to oblige my prerequisite to center the trip around Thomas' interests in antiquity and need to do our own thing, so we made a natural team. Dad's only request was to dip his toes in the Adriatic.

Then we three settled back while Stacey made all the arrangements for us, knowing that if it was left to me we wouldn't get beyond my driveway. An organized wife is another blessing that I don't take for granted. We'd be travelling between points of interest in style and comfort. But it was apparent we'd see a lot of ruins, we'd do a lot of walking, and it would be very hot.

Over the next several weeks I'll sketch my perceptions of three generations of American men sweating across the Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean seas by boat between Italy, Croatia, Turkey and the Greek Islands.

One of my favorite pictures from the trip. Thomas (l), me and Joseph Orobona (r). We're on the east (back) side of the Parthenon, at the Acropolis in Athens.

Picture of the Moment - Daintree Rainforest

The southern cassowary is a large flightless bird native to the tropical forests of New Guinea and north-eastern Australia. When we visited the Daintree rainforest in Queensland in 2009, we came across these slightly modified signs indicating a "sleeping policeman" (speed bump) ahead. I think it illustrated the threat of speeding vehicles to the endangered cassowary quite well. It may be the third largest living bird, but it's no match for a car.

It's not often I think graffiti augments a public service message.

Unfortunately, we didn't see a live bird in the wild (though we saw a few saltwater crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the Daintree River). But there's plenty of opportunity to encounter native wildlife at the Daintree Discovery Centre in nearby Port Douglas.

Unexpected Detour from 35,000 Feet to Paradise

Several hours after departing Sydney, flight AC34 began to bank and the captain's voice came on the tinny intercom, usually not a good sign so deep into a transoceanic flight. Passengers and crew had discovered an acrid, burning smell coming from one of the business class washrooms. Now that they mentioned it, I noticed the sharp, electrical odor. Our next stop was clearly not going to be Vancouver. The captain continued to say the closest airport that could handle a Boeing 777-233(LR) was Fiji, about an hour back along our route. As a frequent business traveller, I'm not typically fond of deviations from plan, but this had the element of novelty.

The detour to Fiji seemed interminable. I wasn't overly concerned in terms of safety, but when your ride is smoldering at 35,000 feet you don't have the consolation of terra firma. However, we landed at Nadi International Airport without further incident at 5:49 pm local time on June 16th, 2013.

A couple screen captures of AC34 landing in Nadi from Youtube. A short video can be found here, posted by BonnieBula. Don't expect any fireworks.

Picture of the Moment - Water Lilies in Bali

If you look through the artificial veil of an All Inclusive resort, you can still find moments of sublimity.

Club Med, Nusa Dua, Bali. April 2009.

This Apple Will Keep the Doctor Away for a Lifetime

There's another Big Apple. It's located in Ontario...and it really is a big apple! The Big Apple in Colborne is a highway landmark east of Toronto and the biggest "red delicious" in the world. It's one of those curious, over-sized monuments to a local specialty that are particular to North America and Australia. After two decades of regularly driving past this landmark on the way to Kingston and the 1000 Islands (and my parent's home in upstate New York) and back, we finally stopped today to try one of the apple pies.

Along with a country-style cafeteria and gift shop, the enclosed bakery floor has large windows that allow visitors to watch the pie assembly. While my wife looked through an assortment of pies, the kids and I wandered the country store and and looked at displays of antiques.

Outdoor activities were obviously curtailed during our early-spring visit, while we were still under the thumb of the polar vortex. However, the website lists complimentary outdoor attractions including 18 holes of mini golf, shuffleboard, bocce, ping-pong and a kid's train ride. There is also a picnic area and a petting zoo featuring an assortment of farm animals. There are public restrooms, including a family washroom, inside the main building.

The Big Apple in Colborne, Ontario. I photographed from the back to capture the way it used to look. Now there's a big smile on the front side.

Open all year from 8:00 a.m, - 6:00 p.m., the Big Apple is located about an hour east of Toronto on Highway 401, just off the freeway and exit 497. It would certainly be a good rest stop heading eastbound after a hectic drive through the greater Toronto area. We enjoyed the apple pie!

Pictures of the Moment - New Zealand Traffic Jam

A typical daily commute in the Toronto metro area includes stretches on Highway 401--the busiest in North America, and one of the busiest and widest in the world. People are in a hurry, and no one appreciates the view.

In New Zealand, where sheep outnumber people approximately 7:1, the countryside commute is a little less hectic. But there can still be traffic jams. You decide which environment is more pleasant.

Some of these commuters are going against the flow of left-hand traffic. Somehow, they don't provoke road rage, and waiting is an enjoyable part of the experience. This picture was taken on the south island in September 2008, near Castle Hill and close to State Highway 73 between Darfield and Arthur's Pass.

These locals live dangerously on the road shoulder without any bike helmets. Five years and change later- have I worn any socks from this flock? Have I seen any in the deli? Sheep numbers in New Zealand have dropped steadily since the early 1980s peak, strongly suggesting option "b."