After much prompting, Travels has decided to offer some of our favorite photos for sale.
While the prices are good, please feel free to just look. Travels loves to know that people enjoy the passion.
Over time, more shots will be added, so feel free to bookmark the following url:
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/douglas-waterhouse.html

And let us know which are your favorites!

Paul McCartney in Chicago at United Center 7/9/14

Last night Travels saw Sir Paul at the United Center in Chicago. He clearly had rebounded from the sickness that had forced him to cancel a number of shows!

The show lasted between 2 &1/2 hours to 2 & 3/4 hours depending how one counts the time between encores. But no matter. He was in good voice, and his band was outstanding! One could not help but notice that some of the songs were slightly rearranged to work better with an older man's vocal range. Hell! He's not 22 anymore. None of us are. (or won't be....)

Live & Let Die has become a concert staple. As fun as it is, Travels has seen Sir Paul too many times to get excited about the fireworks. And yet, last night was the best we have ever seen! It is good to know that he & his staff do not get lazy.

But, Travels must put forth one complaint, knowing that he may be in a small group of those who agree. Sir Paul McCartney has had an amazing career. Beatles, wings, solo & now this fantastic band! Albums upon albums with songs aplenty. And yet, his shows are basically a greatest hits show with a few extras (mostly the current album) tossed in. His catalog is so deep, one wishes that he'd mine it a bit more in concert.

But we will take what is given and enjoy. The lad puts on one great show.

How to Help Animal Shelters Save Pets!

Travels loves animals. Almost all of our dogs over the years have been from animal shelters and humane societies. These folks do a wonderful job saving our furry friends.
But they always need help!
ShelterDoggies.com is a site that can help make a difference with no cost to you!

If you ever buy anything on the internet, go there first and link to your favorite internet store by way of ShelterDoggies' link. You will go directly to your favorite store AND ShelterDoggies will get a small commission that will enable them to write checks to animal shelters to help them do their wonderful work.
Your price on whatever you may buy will not be affected.
Everyone wins.

If you buy anything from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or any other internet retailer, you should do so through ShelterDoggies.com.

We're All the Same, But Different

Mrs Travels recently hosted a group of German business men and women at a business meeting in New York City.
At lunch time they all ordered food to be delivered. Mrs Travels thought that it would be delightful to order sandwiches from one of the over-the-top delis that NYC was once famous for. Overstuffed sandwiches for all!
When the lunch arrived, the Germans looked at the mile high sandwiches with shock. So much meat! (Anyone who has traveled in Europe will smile at the differences between the amount of meat in a sandwich.)
"Is there a problem", she asked? She was focused on the mile high pile of meat on each sandwich, of course.
The reply: "How will we taste the bread?"

To all travelers

Travels wishes he could take credit for this one, but - alas - he saw it somewhere on the internet.
Nevertheless it is a great quote and a true one:

No one with a thick passport can have a narrow mind.

Think on this and get on with your travels.

Does the New York DMV have a sense of humor or any sense at all?

Travels had to renew his driver license as we all need to do from time to time. A great piece of ID in today's world and ever so helpful when renting a car.

Now the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles may or may not be better or worse than where you live, but they are rather sub-par in service. Good advice is to always bring a book or magazine as well as enough coin to feed the parking meters. (Trust me they patrol those meters more often then many others. A ticket would just add hurt to all the time spent/wasted at the DMV.)

But I had great amusement while waiting for Godot to process me. There behind the counter, just to the right of the eye test chart was a poster warning of the dangers of DUI. DUI is a real danger on today's roads and reducing that danger is clearly a good thing. And, I am told, that posters can help get a message out to the public.

But, really, does anyone really think that Stevie Wonder is the right star to be featured on such a poster? I love the guy's music. However, I will state for the record that no mater if Mr Wonder is drunk or sober, I'm not getting into a car if he is behind the wheel.

One has to wonder about the brain trust behind the New York DMV.

Walt Disney World African Kingdom park in Orlando, Florida

Well, after a long time away from this blog, Travels is back.
In July Mrs Travels and I went to Walt Disney World in Florida. The Animal Kingdom park knocked us out. It is so much more than a zoo. The safari ride was surprisingly close to our actual South African safari experiences. Sure, it was Disney and all. But they really did a great job during the 13 minutes of safari in the park. (tip: try to sit on the left hand side of the car. I think the picture opportunities were better on that side.)
For the bird lovers among you, there are walk thru areas with amazing creatures! This one caught my eye, but I failed to write down what it is. Beautiful, nonetheless!

Enjoy!