Featured image: Oregon Expo Center in Portland (photo by Cheryl Landes) Updated November 24, 2018 Looking for quality, handcrafted gifts? Want to support small businesses? Do both at America’s Largest Christmas Bazaar at the Portland Expo Center for two weekends after Thanksgiving. The event features two halls filled with more than 900 booths of items … Continue reading Find fantastic gifts, support small businesses at America’s Largest Christmas Bazaar

Featured image: The Holiday Express awaits another journey on the Oregon Pacific Railroad in Portland (photo by Cheryl Landes) The chilly air on this Saturday morning after Thanksgiving isn’t stopping anyone from their morning walks and jogs along the paved trails in the Oak Bottom Wildlife Refuge in Portland. Ducks enjoy an early swim in the pond on … Continue reading Traveling with Santa and the elves on Portland’s Holiday Express

Featured image: Winter Wonderland's wreath arch flanked by poinsettias at the Portland International Raceway. (photo by Cheryl Landes) Updated November 21, 2018 It’s that time of year again when speeding cars take a break at the Portland International Raceway and the track transforms into the Winter Wonderland, one of the largest drive-through Christmas light shows … Continue reading Winter Wonderland a slow, festive ride on the raceway that pays forward

Featured image: NYPD officers march along Central Park West during the 2001 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. (photo by Cheryl Landes) After hearing the reports on the national news today about the extra security in New York City for this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, I thought about the first time we attended a parade there … Continue reading Watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade live: A chilly experience that warms the heart

Featured image: Beautiful fall colors near Stevenson, Washington (photo by Cheryl Landes) Dust off those hiking boots and pack your camera for a fun-filled weekend in the Columbia River Gorge. From Friday through Sunday, certain Stevenson, Washington, businesses are offering a 10% discount on food and other products when you show a picture on your … Continue reading Hike the Columbia River Gorge this weekend and enjoy Stevenson merchant discounts

Featured image: The waterfalls at Daggett Memorial Park in Montello, Wisconsin (photo by Cheryl Landes) When I travel and have the time, I follow different backroads to familiar destinations. Often I pick these routes from a map without researching the towns along the way to preserve the element of surprise at what lies ahead. The fun is … Continue reading Daggett Memorial Park offers respite for weary travelers

One World Trade Center rises from the ashes of Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, New York City. This photo was taken on September 28, 2012. (photo by Cheryl Landes) Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the Northeast. Two planes flew into the World Trade Center in New York City, another crashed … Continue reading Remembering September 11, 2001

Featured image: Sign at the entrance to Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui, Hawaii (photo by Cheryl Landes) Get a close-up look at a volcano crater. Walk trails through white sand dunes and lush forests. Marvel at the beauty of colorful arched rocks and deep canyons. Gaze at geysers shooting water or springs … Continue reading Every Kid in a Park initiative gives fourth graders and their families free admission to national parks

Featured image: The horse barn where the Door County Cowboy Church services are held Memorial Day through Labor Day (photo by Cheryl Landes) The summer sunlight casts a soft glow on the band dressed in checkered shirts and blue jeans through the windows of a white horse barn near Ellison Bay, Wisconsin. Four guitarists, a … Continue reading Cowboy Church offers simple, barrier-free worship for locals and tourists