Things can change on vacation.  It could be luggage that shows up late.  Or hotels that fall through, rental cars that aren’t there, or worse.  Thousands of travelers to Europe lived this possibility in April when a volcano in a faraway land erupted.   It was an exercise in their ability to improvise, rearrange and [...]

Summer heat.  You have to love it.  And if you don’t, choices boil down to coping or changing hemispheres regularly.  Here’s survival techniques picked up during my years in Texas, Tunisia and Italy.
Schedule: Follow a Mediterranean rhythm; schedule your most strenuous activities and outdoor time in the early morning and late afternoon.  (Who would have [...]

Just a postcard from the road today, before we see the innovative felted garments of Linda Veilleux… Wish you were here!
Catch trip photos on the twitter feed, but here’s another.  Yesterday we visited Shelburne Farms, which was awesome for its agricultural stewardship philosophy, architecture, vistas and of course, cheddar cheese!
The East Coast heat wave hit [...]

Musing on the difference between needing caffeine or needing the coffee break itself, it occurs to me once again the importance of savouring the moment.
Learned about a very interesting U.S. lacemaking boom in  The Laces of Ipswich: The Art and Economics of an Early American Industry, 1750-1840
Anyone out there on Goodreads?  I’d love to see [...]

Essentially, a tour operator sells experiences.
We organize a series of events, take care of details, gather the group, provide the setting and support.
We then share our idea of this experience to prospective clients.  Folks who think it sounds great decide to come along.
But the experience truly happens thanks to those people who come along.  This [...]

Last week was wet and wonderful.  However, technology and I seemed to be on different wavelengths.  The office phone was not forwarding to my cell.  Many apologies to those who we missed.  You’ll hear from me today.  Plus, my traveling photo tweets never showed up on my timeline (Twitterrific, you’ve always served me well, were [...]

“Miss Rumphius”  by Barbara Cooney is my favorite children’s book.  I didn’t get to grow up with it, but I made sure that my kids did.  As a child, Miss Rumphius decides her three goals in life.  How she will meet them, she’s not quite sure, but,
“In the meantime Alice got up and washed her [...]

As details for the July’s tour, Vermont Craft and Cuisine are stitched together, I’m always struck by the passion and enthusiasm of the farmers, winemakers and artisans…. not too mention the people that have signed up.  Vermont Tourism obviously agrees with me, and their You Tube channel features some of these people.  Check out some [...]

Funny how this web of life connects!
If you’ve hung out with me virtually or in real life, you know that Tactile Travel focuses on the textiles, the food and the people that give each place its soul.  And if you’ve listened to the podcast lately, you’ve heard me tell stories about Winehug , that snazzy [...]

Life is full of surprises, and in this episode of the Virtual Cappuccino, we keep the balance in all kinds of ways!  There’s some amazing historic textiles on display in Italy this May.
In Florence:  Coperta Guicciardini
In Rome:  Saint John in Tapestry
In Turin:  The Shroud
We also talk about volcanoes, Carlo Petrini and daydreams.
Grab [...]