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Archives
Author Archives: steve
Is Holland America the Worst-Run Cruise Line?
Over the past 30 years, I’ve been on more than 20 cruises. So many I’ve certainly lost count, but we’ve tried nearly all the lines, and they all have their pluses and minuses. In all those years, we’d never been … Continue reading
Posted in Mexico, Panama Canal, Travel
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Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
This was the best food tour I’ve ever been on, and we’ve been on quite a few. Our host Joanna was terrific, and the tour is quite diverse. It focuses on historic spots that you’d never find on your own, … Continue reading
Posted in Mexico
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Antigua, Guatemala
It’s a very long way from Puerto Quetzal to Antigua, particularly when there’s road construction, at least two hours in each direction. This was a very long day, but it was worth visiting Antigua at least once. Along the way, … Continue reading
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El Salvador
Today we visited the Finca Cuyancua cacao farm in Izalco, El Salvador. It was quite an interesting tour. We got to see the process where they graft good-tasting cacao onto more native roots. That is also cacao, similar to the … Continue reading
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Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Puntarenas was our gateway to the lush heart of Costa Rica. Our day began at the Sloth Sanctuary, where we saw a variety of animals, but the baby sloths were by far the star of the show. Private citizens are … Continue reading
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Panama City, Panama
A bit of a pointless tour to the Miraflores Lock since there were no ships going through. We saw a good IMAX movie, but I suppose we could have watched the equivalent on YouTube. Then we went back to the … Continue reading
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Caragena, Colombia
A lovely modern city, very different than what I was expecting. Linda was a bit dehydrated, so I had to take lots of pictures to show her what she missed. The small-group Cartagena Snapshot tour, led by our guide, Elkim, … Continue reading
Posted in Colombia
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My AI Assistant Has Changed My Life. And it was easy to set up.
A few weeks ago, I set up something that’s quietly changed how I work: a personal AI assistant that runs 24/7 on a small cloud server, remembers everything we’ve discussed, and helps me with projects that span days or weeks. … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
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Wispr Flow
This is a plug, and I’m sharing a referral link, but you will thank me for it. I have used a lot of apps in my time, and I regularly use AI, but there is one simple app that has … Continue reading
Posted in Books and Writing, Technology
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West Coast Cruise
In October 2025 we took a spur of the moment cruise from Vancouver down to San Diego and back. Since a lot of Canadians are not visiting the US these days it was a good deal. It was the first … Continue reading
Posted in California, Canada, Linda
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Okanagan Valley
Ever since Linda and I discovered wines in the early 1980s, we’ve been passionate about visiting wineries. With our move to Vancouver, BC of course we wanted to explore Bc’s prime wine region of the Okanagan Valley. Our trip was … Continue reading
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Vancouver Michelin Restaurants
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Linda Gets Her Wikipedia Page
I’m please to see that Wikipedia finally has a page devoted to Linda. It’s about time! As WED’s first female engineer she was really a trailblazer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_McBride_Alcorn She recently contributed a chapter on her early experiences at WED to my … Continue reading
Posted in Linda, Theme Parks
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Why I Replaced Business Cards with a V1CE Card—And Never Looked Back
If you’ve ever handed someone a paper business card and watched it disappear into their bag (or the recycling bin), you’ll understand why I was looking for a better way to connect. That’s when I discovered the V1CE digital business … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
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Make the IONIQ 5 Perfect!
As I mentioned in a previous post, after driving Teslas for twelve years I’ve upgraded to the Hyundai IONIQ 5, a far superior car. But there are a few things Tesla got right that Hyundai should copy. And fortunately they’re … Continue reading
Posted in Lifestyle, Technology
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Tesla is Toast
You may have seen that Tesla sales in Europe are down 45%, and the US stock is down 8% so far this year. It’s easy to blame these numbers on the fact that most Tesla buyers are exactly the opposite … Continue reading
Posted in Lifestyle, Technology
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Victoria, B.C.
Have I mentioned we’re moving to Canada? The combination of our daughter and her wife living in Vancouver, the politics of the US, and the heat and humidity of Florida have all combined to prod us to make some big … Continue reading
Eclipse 2024
We planned a year in advance for the April 8, 2024 eclipse, with flight reservations and hotel bookings in Austin, Texas, since it was one of the longest duration points. We flew in from Orlando, and Dani and Trish flew … Continue reading
Posted in Arkansas, Dani, Linda, Technology, Travel
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New Zealand
After cancelling several trips to New Zealand over the past few years, Linda finally got her chance to visit on a cruise aboard the Regent Seven Seas Explorer. I had been to New Zealand on a Tauck tour about ten … Continue reading
Posted in New Zealand, Travel
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Roadtrip: Chicago to Orlando 2023
With Dani and Trish moving to Vancouver, we decided to sell our condo in Chicago. So Linda and I flew to Chicago to cat sit while the girls explored Vancouver for a week, then we loaded up a rental minivan … Continue reading
Europe 2023
For our first post-pandemic trip out of the country, we decided to book a Tauck river cruise on the Danube. It would allow us to visit several cities and countries we hadn’t been to before. To allow us time to … Continue reading
LA to Chicago Road Trip
In June 2022 Dani and I flew to LA and rented and SUV to bring some keepsakes from Grandma Marjorie’s house back to Chicago. We wanted to take our time and visit interesting attractions over a two-week drive. The original … Continue reading
Posted in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Los Angeles, New Mexico, Travel
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AMI Zoom Wine Group Graduation
An In-Person Tasting of Old and Rare Wines # Vintage Wine Locale Value Rating Bordeaux 1 2010 Château Pontet-Canet France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac $224 95 2 2005 Château Lascombes France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux $101 92 3 1995 Dominus Estate Napanook … Continue reading
Posted in Alcorn McBride, Wine
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Alcorn McBride Crossword Puzzle
I made a puzzle!
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Zoom Wine Tasting Videos
(I only recorded sessions where someone couldn’t attend, so this is only about half of them.) 11/2/2020 Vistamar and Crown Point 11/16/2020 McManus and Roblar Petite Sirahs 11/18/2020 Evans Ranch Pinot Noir 2005 and Crozes-Hermitage 2/1/2021 Beckmen and Mollydooker 2/24/2021 … Continue reading
Posted in Alcorn McBride, Wine
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Online Wine Tasting – Monday Part 6
Mondays, beginning September 20 (except October 11) at 6:30pm AaronAlanDaniHunter & KaylaJim & KathyLoren & LarryLorraineMartinMichael & AuroraMike & SusanMindy & NicSteve I’ve tried to arrange the wines so that they become increasingly complex and full-bodied. Please put the week’s … Continue reading
Posted in Wine
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Road Trip: Pacific Northwest
This was a delightful 12-day trip around Washington State and part of Oregon. Dani and I initially planned it, but I was able to talk Linda into going, too. It was so much fun to have the whole family traveling … Continue reading
Posted in Dani, Dining, Family, Linda, Oregon, Theme Parks, Travel, Washington State
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Road Trip: Orlando to Chicago
In June of 2021 I sold the Lexus Ls460L to Dani and we took a road trip to transfer the car from Orlando to Chicago. It was our first trip since the Pandemic began in March 2020, so we started … Continue reading
Online Wine Tasting – Wednesday Part 6
AaronAlanAlex & LorettaDani & TrishHunter & KaylaLianaLoren & LarryMartinMike & SusanRachel & ChristinaScottSteve I’ve tried to arrange the wines so that they become increasingly complex and full-bodied. Please put the week’s white in your fridge at least 24 hours in … Continue reading
Posted in Wine
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