VANCOUVER, BC
THEN AND NOW

My love affair with Vancouver began at age ten. Even though it was a mere three-hour car drive from my hometown of Seattle, it seemed a distant land of exotic teas, English toffee and towering totem poles. With spectacular views of snow-capped mountains and pristine bodies of water at seemingly every turn, it was a fascinating blend of beauty and multi-cultural sophistication that even a young adolescent could recognize.

A Bavarian Oddesey

It wasn't my German heritage that stimulated my desire to travel to Munich, nor my Alpine expertise to see Innsbruck or love of everything Mozart to see Salzburg. My admiration of the art produced in those regions and the renowned art museums were the initial inspiration for our journey. . Along the way we would be sure to experience delicious food, beer and wine and learn something of the culture, history and scenery of some of the most beautiful regions in Europe.

Do You Know Who Sergeant York Was?
In 1941 Hollywood made a move entitled "Sgt York" and it featured one of tinsel town's biggest stars of the day, Gary Cooper in the title role and, like many others I'm sure, I grew up thinking that Sgt.York looked like Gary Cooper. Not true, by a long shot! The movie was made because Alvin C. York was America's most famous soldier of WW1, winning the nation's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor.

A McDreamy McMeel

Celebrity Irish chef Noel McMeel is a charmer --- self assured, boyishly good-looking, and positively exuberant about food. It's no wonder he's caught the fancy of television audiences throughout the UK, cooking at the forefront of an edible revolution blazing across Ireland. I had the great pleasure to sit and chat with him recently during his lightning quick promotional tour of the U.S. at the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel.

Impressions of Seattle 2
Allan Troy Smith continues with his photographic theme of life in Seattle. The photos are from the 20th annual Fremont District Fair Solstice Parade.

A Deep Blue Frost

Frank Frost learned early what it takes to stand out in a crowd. In a family of thirteen children, you might even say he was born to it. All eyes were on Little Frank the day his father brought home their first piano.

Las Vegas:
Still the Only Game in Town

Some travel destinations remain untouched to avoid confusing everyone. Some make changes to thrill the public. Las Vegas, Nevada has no illusions as to which it wants to be: it keeps reinventing itself and the crowds keep coming.

The Aleutian Ballad
For the last two winters, I have found a TV show in which I can take a great deal of comfort in watching others suffer even more miserably than myself on a nightly basis. This treat to my weary eyes was found on the amazing Discovery Channel series "Deadliest Catch," a show that chronicles the lives of crab fisherman in the Bering Sea.

An Assumption in Bled

The secret to a successful marriage is for a husband to carry his bride up all 99 steps to the Church of the Assumption on the Island in Bled, Slovenia.

3 Priests

A priest, a Southern Baptist preacher, and a rabbi all served as chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette .

Don’t Feel Sorry for Vero Beach
Vero Beach will not be a ghost town when the Dodgers finally pull up stakes and leave for Arizona. Anything but!

People of Guadalajara
Ms. Roskamp explores the relationships between the Mexican people and the great plazas, cathedrals, architecture and sculptures of Guadalajara.

Yellow Brick Road to Sedona
When I got off the plane in Phoenix and joined my friends to drive to Sedona, Arizona, I carried not only my luggage but a quest for an answer to some inexplicable question.

Conquering Nebraska's
Panorama Point

Self Care on the Journey
Traveling locally or globally, many of us need reminders of how to care for ourselves. I have observed in my work that many people do not take the time to nurture themselves, that is to care for themselves in a meaningful way.

Talking Turkey
As I stand at the edge of the lush sloping 25-acre gardens of the Istanbul Hilton, I breathe the air of two continents and gaze out over the gleaming blue Bosphorus Strait.

Eating off the Beaten Track in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is not a city short on great food; reputation and internet research can surely lead you the way. But if you want to experience something different...

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE IN AN ACCIDENT
Most of us think we know the protocol to follow if we are involved in a traffic accident but when you are actually involved in an accident your adrenaline starts pumping, you may be injured, and your ability to think can be clouded.

This month's Beatle Beat Contest: Name the Beatle lead vocalist on the following songs: TAXMAN Choose John Paul George Ringo HELTER SKELTER Choose John Paul George Ringo TWIST AND SHOUT Choose John Paul George Ringo DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET Choose John Paul George Ringo WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS Choose John Paul George Ringo Your Name: Your email: The winner will receive a rare Beatles LET IT BE bag and runners-up a Beatles postcard. You can also send your answers to Editor@TravelingBoy.com

Beatle Trivia Winners

And the winner of last month's "Are They on the Cover of 'Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band'? contest is Skip of Washington, DC, who correctly answered all the questions.

Runners-up: Brent of Seattle, Nancy of Chicago, Jennifer of West Hollywood, Elia of Canoga Park & Paul of Seattle.

Skip wil receive a recently pressed copy of a 'Sgt. Peppers' CD, while the runners-up a rare Beatles postcard.

Answers:
TRUE OR FALSE -
ARE THEY ON THE COVER?

1. Bob Dylan: True
2. Dylan Thomas: True
3. Thomas Edward Lawrence: True
4. Laurence Olivier: False
5. Oliver Hardy: True
6. Thomas Hardy: False
7. Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali): False
8. Stuart Sutcliffe: True
9. Pete Best: False
10. Shirley Temple: True

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race in public accommodations, publicly owned or operated facilities, employment and union membership and in voter registration. The Act allowed for cutoff of Federal funds in places where discrimination remained.

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American folk singer and social activist Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) was born in Okemah, Oklahoma. Best known for This Land Is Your Land, Union Maid, and Hard Traveling.

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Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) was born near Oslo. He was the first to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean via the Northwest Passage. He discovered the South Pole in 1911 and flew over the North Pole in a dirigible in 1926. In June of 1928, he flew from Norway to rescue survivors of an Italian Arctic expedition, but his plane vanished.

* * *

Nelson Mandela was born the son of a Tembu tribal chieftain on July 18, 1918, at Qunu, near Umtata, in South Africa. He became a lawyer, joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944, eventually becoming deputy national president in 1952. In 1964, he was convicted for sabotage as a result of his participation in the struggle against apartheid. He spent the next 28 years in jail, but remained a symbol of hope to South Africa's nonwhite majority. Released in 1990, he was elected was elected President of South Africa in 1994 in the first election in which all races participated.

TRAVEL QUOTE

STIRING TIMES IN AUSTRIA
The empire is made up of health resorts; it distributes health to the whole world. Its waters are all medicinal. They are bottled and sent throughout the earth; the natives themselves drink beer. This is self-sacrifice, apparently.

--- Mark Twain

TRAVEL TIPS

Cutter's Way (1981) 109 Minutes
Widescreen 1.85:1

Directed by Ivan Passer. Written by Jeffrey Alan Fiskin; based on novel 'Cutter and Bone' by Newton Thornburg

Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Heard, Lisa Eichhorn, Ann Dusenberry, Stephen Elliott, Arthur Rosenberg, Nina Van Pallandt

Other features:
Color; interactive menus; scene access; trailer

Czech expatriate Ivan Passer ('Intimate Lighting') brings the film noir to the blue skies of Santa Barbara, touching upon the disillusionment and paranoia of the post-Vietnam War era in this cult classic. John Heard gives a Shakespearean performance as Alex Cutter, a disgruntled, hard living Vietnam War veteran, missing an arm, leg and eye. The underrated and underused Lisa Eichhorn plays his long-suffering alcoholic wife. Jeff Bridges as Richard Bone, an aging California 'Golden Boy,' reluctantly helps Cutter in his Ahab-like obsession to pin a recent murder on a wealthy Santa Barbara businessman. Is the murder a cover-up and part of a conspiracy or just Cutter's fantasy in an attempt to bring direction to his life?

Initially released in 1981 under the title 'Cutter and Bone,' United Artists pulled the film after three-days due to a scathing review by Vincent Canby in the NY Times. A few days later; scores of glowing reviews appeared in other publications. The "art" division of United Artists Classics then re-released the film under the new name of 'Cutter's Way.' Canby later saw the film again, and this time gave it a positive review.