Downtown Gatlinburg wasn’t always filled with cheesy souvenir shops, wax museums, and fast food joints. In the years before Dollywood and the miles-long carnival strip of Pigeon Forge, this eastern Tennessee town was known for craftsmen and artisans who occupied shops and roamed the city streets, demonstrating their skills.
As tourism grew, escalating rents drove the [...]
Discover the Real Gatlinburg: The Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community
Blogging Boomers Carnival #132 at the Boomer Chronicles
This week’s Blogging Boomers Carnival is stuffed with interesting articles ranging from why boomers are not at the head of the line for H1N1 flu shots to the top ten fears about growing older. And that’s just a small sampling – you’re definitely going to want to check it out. Read a brief summary of [...]
Living Beneath the Herbert Hoover Dike at Lake Okeechobee
With growing anticipation I approached the town of Moore Haven in central Florida, where I expected to catch my first glimpse of Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater lake lying completely within the United States. I negotiated a long curve into town, watching for the lake to emerge on my left. Nothing. No water, no [...]
Diva For A Day At The Ritz-Carlton In Palm Beach, Florida
After dinner, I stopped in the lobby to arrange for a 7:30 a.m wake up call the following morning.
“We’ll be happy to do that, Ms. Weibel, and would you like a follow-up call 15 minutes later?” asked the woman behind the front desk.
My jaw dropped open. I have always wondered why hotels don’t offer this [...]
Win A Vivitar Underwater Digital Camera Just By Watching Travel Videos
EarthTV.com, which broadcasts live video from more than 70 worldwide camera locations on six continents, has announced a contest that offers entrants a chance to win new Vivitar underwater digital cameras. Entrants need only register on earthTV and earn “miles” (i.e. points) by clicking on various worldwide camera shots; every click gets you closer [...]
Blogging Boomers Carnival 131 At So Baby Boomer
It’s that time again! Time for the weekly Blogging Boomers Carnival, where you can read summaries of a dozen different posts discussing a dozen varied subjects of interest to us midlife folks! See one you like? Just click through to read the full article. Check out this week’s carnival at So Baby Boomer.
Moon Tahiti – Another Great Guidebook
Several months ago, author David Stanley offered to send me a copy of his guide book “Moon Fiji,” for which I wrote a glowing review. Since I was so impressed, Stanley offered to send me Moon Tahiti for review as well.
Travel guides, while unquestionably useful, are hardly the kind of books one chooses for an [...]
Your Next Perfect Trip Could Be Waiting At Ruba.com
You want to take a vacation and you’re looking for inspiration. Or maybe you know generally where you want to go, but you need guidance on the best things to see and do when you get there.
The newest travel site in town, Ruba.com, is a visual guide and tour review site that helps travelers discover [...]
Sarasota’s Lovely Bayfront Park
I’ve lived in downtown Sarasota for nearly three years and thought I’d seen everything the city center had to offer until the other day, when I took a walk along Sarasota Bay. Just two blocks from the heart of downtown I discovered an arched entryway leading to Bayfront Park, a half-mile long peninsula jutting into [...]
Blogging Boomer Carnival #130 At Gen Plus
After a brief respite for the Labor Day holiday, our Blooming Boomers Carnival is back and roaring to go. It’s hosted by Gen Plus Reinvent 50 Plus, where you’ll find a synopsis of this week’s featured posts, which range from an explanation of why the Harvest Moon seems brighter than a regular moon, to which [...]
After years of working 70 hours a week at jobs I detested, I felt like the proverbial "hole in the donut" - solid on the outside, but empty on the inside. Searching for meaning in my life, I abandoned my successful but unsatisfying career and set out on a six-month solo backpacking trip around the world to pursue my true passions of travel, writing, and photography. 
















