In a warm July afternoon in 2013 following a 32-hour flight, Thomas Lee, a prominent Southern California dentist, and his wife Lita, first set foot in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, a landlocked country in central-east Africa with a populace in great need. The couple were beginning a passionate, heartfelt mission along with the Lees’ 17-year-old son Nathan, five medical doctors, a nurse, pharmacist, four support staff, and the Lee’s pastor and his wife.

The Lee’s were greatly aware, as is the world, of Rwanda’s appalling past. In 1994 a government-sponsored genocide unfolded during which an estimated 800,000-plus ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by dominant Hutu forces, and some 300,000 children were left orphaned.

The Lees’ first impressions of Kigali were of having been propelled backward fifty years in time. They observed vast throngs of people moving about on the streets, many clutching yellow plastic water buckets, deftly evading swarms of chaotic motor scooters negotiating for space, while a thick blanket of gray clouds combined with a choking haze of dust and gas fumes covered the landscape.

Working tirelessly on the comeback trail from its horrendous past, the Republic of Rwanda, bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is among the smallest countries on the African mainland, and slightly smaller than the state of Maryland. With few natural resources, the country’s economy is overwhelmingly based on subsistence agriculture. Coffee and tea lead the major exports.

Rwanda’s stunning landscape

Rwanda boasts one of the highest population densities on the continent, and yet the average life expectancy of men there is just 54 years. The country lacks a concrete social and medical infrastructure for the disadvantaged, which unquestionably contributes to the low life expectancy and was one of the factors that drew the Lees to Rwanda.

The faces of Rwanda’s future

The Lees were discussing a much-needed vacation from their busy and demanding “Leading Edge” dental office in Granada Hills, California. The office, designed by personable Dr. Lee, an avid jazz aficionado and University of California Berkeley alumni, is reminiscent of a boutique art gallery with rare photos of jazz musicians and posters decorating the walls, along with some striking images of Rwanda.

Following a long work day and with jazz playing in the background Lee remembers that “it was my 50th birth year, and our 25th wedding anniversary and I was discussing with Lita places to visit–possibly someplace we’ve never been, do something off the chart, set aside two weeks and climb Kilimanjaro, or go on a safari. Then in January, 2013, on an unforgettable Sunday at church our lives were forever touched when we listened to the testimony of Rwandan, Jean Claude Rwagasore, and his incredible survival of the genocide as a 12-year-old-orphan.”

Dr. Lee kneels in prayer with a young Rwandan boy

After a long pause Lee continues, “Jean Claude, now an esteemed Rwandan attorney and Director of Best Family, shared his life story about how he and three young orphan boys the same age came together on the streets to share and survive. Quickly the orphan group became eight and rapidly expanded, eventually becoming the starting point of Best Family Rwanda” A stirring power today, Best Family Rwanda is a ministry dedicated to making Jesus known to the orphaned children in Rwanda through holistic development.

“Incredibly, during this time,” Lee explains, “another orphan came to Jean Claude and Best Family pleading for help and was warmly accepted, though during the height of the genocide, while Jean Claude hid in a closet, he watched the orphan’s father murder Jean Claude’s father and sister; his mother was lost in the chaos on the streets.”

“After all this,” Dr. Lee said, “I quickly put aside the safari, Kilimanjaro and all the rest, and realized I needed to do something for those in need of help. I was struggling to ask Lita if she would like to go to Africa, and to my surprise she mentioned it first.”

Dr. Lee begins his work as curious Rwandan children look on

Dr. Lee said that he had no clear ideas about Rwanda, but it was like God was speaking to both him and his wife, a strong voice from above calling out, and it was at that moment their hearts were moved to travel half-way around the world to Africa to serve at an orphanage and share the dental expertise Dr. Lee had to offer.

Dr. Lee and his small dental staff

“We prayed, and decided with great fervor that Rwanda would be our personal mission. My 50th birth year and celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary would take place in Rwanda. I felt this is what I was created for: to help the children of Africa.

Dr. Lee performs a procedure on a stricken Rwandan woman

Another confirmation took place when a church member at the Garden Christian Fellowship in Chatsworth asked us if we would be interested in a mission to Africa treating orphans.”

On that memorable first trip to Rwanda, after a prayer breakfast, Dr. Lee, along with his team, set up his portable dental chair, surgical light and equipment, and organized a clinic in Kigali’s Nyarugunga sector. They connected with a pastor who is providing education and Christian training at his small school for poor children who were roaming the streets aimlessly, had no money for public school, and were in great need. Moving to the Gasharu sector working with Best Family, Dr. Lee treated widows and victims of the genocide.

During that first two-week mission the Lees were floored to see hundreds of people, many with throbbing pain in their mouths, patiently waiting for help. In Gisenyi, close to the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the team set-up in the Noel Orphanage which houses some 800 children. The staff were so lacking in help that they asked some of the team members to hold small children ages six months to one year for 15-minutes in order for the children to experience meaningful human contact. Regardless of the ongoing difficulties, the Lees found the people to be calm, a smile on their face, quietly waiting in line, exceedingly polite, soft-spoken, and considering their history, cheerful.

“I was seeing about twenty patients a day, and despite the long days, if someone is in bad shape I can’t just let them walk away. A young man was in great pain suffering with an infected wisdom tooth that was impacted sideways in the gums. It took almost two-hours to extract, but it was a great feeling to see a smile on his face.

“At the tail end of the last day I noticed a lady in her mid-20s, the left side of her face badly swollen, with a high fever, and breast-feeding a two-year old baby. I removed two badly infected teeth and administered antibiotics. If I hadn’t been there for her she would have died. She had nothing to eat in three days and was in appalling shape. It was an incredible feeling to know that I saved someone’s life. With only 28 dentists in the entire country and with the average wage two dollars a day, and the charge for a filling $40, dental care for most Rwandans is out of the question.”

July 2016 will see the Lees’ third mission to Rwanda. Together with the medical team, they will be providing medical and dental treatment, holding a soccer camp for the children, teaching Bible-based lessons, and scouting for a location to set up a community dental clinic in a few years, which will be dedicated to providing free dental treatment for the orphans, vulnerable children and widows.

“Regrettably, sodas and candy are a special treat in Rwanda,” Dr. Lee said, “Therefore the country is badly in need of preventive education. My goal is to find bright students and send them to dental school to set up dental clinics and establish a dental center to train dentists,” Broadly smiling, “For me, all of this is imprinting in Rwanda the footprints of God. I will be striving to heal and bless the children though gospel-centered health care ministry. This is my calling.”

While the Genocide is forever a concern, the other side of Rwanda, seen through the far-reaching eyes of tourism, is a land of steep mountains, deep valleys, and numerous lakes, and is home to elephants, giraffes, hippos, zebras, leopards, and friendly people. The country is a noted destination for those who covet the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the rare mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in the far northwest of the country. The gorillas somehow survived the war-torn period though other animals were not so lucky.

With Christianity the largest religion, and official languages English, French and Rwanda’s melodic Kinyariwanda, Rwanda offers an opportunity for those planning a holiday to make very special memories. Dr. Lee and Lita, who have yet to see the gorillas, have found their calling there and feel enormously blessed.

Dr. and Mrs. Lee with the children of Rwanda, each holding a toothbrush kit

His Hands On Africa

The Lee’s through the newly established non-profit organization, His Hands on Africa, are working towards providing scholarships to dental schools, build free community dental clinics, establish a superlative dental center to provide dental care and training for young dentists who will be future leaders in Rwanda, and eventually send out these dentists to other African countries in need of help. For more information on how you can help the children of Rwanda please go to, www.hishandsonafrica.org

This article was originally published in 20013.

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Sam McKim, a renowned artist and Imagineer worked for Walt Disney Studios, Burbank and Walt Disney Imagineering Glendale for 32 years, 12 years directly with Walt, and was honored with a customized memorial plaque window at Anaheim Disneyland, which is the official “Hall of fame” for those who heavily shaped the park’s history.

John Samuel McKim, was born in North Vancouver, Canada, in 1924, with a sketching pen in his hand and DNA shouting, “artist to be,“ at a time when tours were offered around Stanley Park and Capilano Canyon in a motorized black Model T Ford for one dollar a person, and blazing neon lights were first installed along Granville Street. While, south in the United States, Calvin Coolidge was president, and the Roaring 20’s boom was flying high with jazz and flappers, and Anaheim, California, population 9,000, was known as the “Valencia Orange Empire” with thousands of acres of citrus, covering most of the county, and completely surrounding the city of Anaheim by a sea of orange trees. Sam, known as Sammy during his early years, was the second son in a family of five; his father, Walter McKim of Scottish descent, worked for the Canadian government and was noted as a worthy and respectable man, who helped and lent a hand to other Scottish immigrants, but unfortunately suffered from harsh, long-lasting health struggles, was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and because of the highly infectious disease, was forced to live away from his family except for short visits, and in 1938 an autopsy revealed that he had been misdiagnosed, and suffered from heart problems, not tuberculosis.

Hard Times

Sam’s mother, Lydia McKim, raised the children, and was the resilient matriarch of the family, juggling finances and emotional strain of her children, with help from her father, during extremely difficult years, which, at the time, for the family, was only one step away from poverty. The McKim family moved to Seattle, Washington, searching for a better climate and a better life for Lydia’s husband, Walt, and father, John Henry Thorne Edwards, called Gramps, a Welshman who fought in World War I and was severely gassed by the Germans. Three more children were added to the family, and the McKims lost their Seattle home, and in 1935, during the Great Depression, finally settled in the northeast San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Gramps the maternal Grandfather for Sam and his siblings, transitioned to the primary male household figure in 1935, and Hollywood negotiator.

Hollywood Childhood Stardom

Sammy, 10-years-old, always with a smile on his lips, a positive thinker, with a handy sharpened pencil in his pocket, was always sketching interesting people, buildings, and pulling significant moments from his imagination onto paper, when Gramps, a hardened, European veteran, invited Sammy to visit a relative with him who worked at the MGM studio lot in Culver City, where a scene unfolded, not unlike a page from a bestselling novel, and a moment in time that drastically transformed the life of the McKim family. By pure chance a casting director noticed a young boy, not unlike Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, with tangled thick red hair, a distinct face spotted with freckles, bright eyes, and a captivating smile, quickly realizing he might be a perfect type character for some upcoming films, and handed Gramps a recommendation letter. Days later, with Sammy on his arm, he delivered the letter to central casting to register him, which launched the McKim family from strenuous times to a new life. Sammy, with his grandparent the business manager, and negotiating contracts, performed in 34 films in just six years from 1936 to 1940, as did his four siblings, who performed in 70 to 80 films combined during the 1930s to 1950s, working as uncredited extras and bit-part actors, thanks to Gramps. But Sammy, with his engaging smile and intellect, became a notable child star. His first movie was a Jane Withers movie titled, This Is The Life under contract to 20^th Century Fox Pictures, working seven hours a day with another three in the studio’s classroom, he was soon promoted from small uncredited roles to major supporting roles and $50 dollars a week, the equivalent of over $1,000 dollars today. During some 20 Hollywood years, he worked for Republic Pictures, MGM, RKO, Columbia, Universal, and Warner Brothers. Sammy played the young Kit Carson in The Painted Stallion in 1947, appeared in The Lone Ranger Serials in 1938 starring as “Boots,” performed in recurring juvenile roles in The Three Musketeers, appeared with John Wayne in three films, and also Spencer Tracy and Rita Hayworth. However, Republic Pictures wanted to elevate Sammy from a recurring sidekick to a star headliner with his own standalone film series, but during negotiations, his grandfather firmly insisted on more money than the studio was willing to offer, and the entire proposal collapsed, and, unfortunately, on November 16, 1938, Walter passed away from the results of a heart attack.

A Slight Walt Disney Connect

Sam was dedicated to the craft of acting and films, but his heart was always pulling him to art, and he was constantly sketching in-between shoots, during downtime on the sets, and on film locations. He said, “I’d draw caricatures of the actors, and they would sign them for me.” Working as a young western film star, he did a magazine photo ad for the Ingersoll Mickey Mouse watch, and in 1939 he auditioned for the voice of Pinocchio, was second place on the audition, losing to Dickie Jones, and in 1942, Sam sent some artwork to the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, to be considered as an animator, but received a form letter mentioning a possible job in the mail room.

Active Army Duty and the Distinguished Service Cross

Shortly after this negative response from Disney, Sam, in 1943,enlisted in the Army, attended Officers Candidate School, and as a 2^nd Lieutenant, age 19, was sent with the 89^th Infantry Division to Japan for occupation duty, where he joined the 11^th Airborne Division, making six parachute jumps, earning the nickname, “Eager Beaver.”  As the war in Europe drew to a close, Sam volunteered to be transferred to the Pacific Theater to experience active combat duty, was shipped to the Philippines, but World War II finally ended, returned from army duty. Sam enrolled via the GI Bill at the Art Center College of Design. The day he graduated in 1950, he was drafted back into the Army, and the Korean Conflict. Sam was assigned as an aerial observer in the 1^st Cavalry Division, flying in a light unarmored two-seat, reconnaissance spotter plane flying over dangerous and highly contested space between allied forces and North Korean/Chinese lines, and was shot down by enemy fire, crash landing and stranded in highly volatile “no man’s land.” The pilot was hit in a thigh artery, and Sam, using his core infantry officer’s training, applied a tourniquet, established a perimeter to protect the pilot, spent hours under darkness, evading capture, and finally rescued by a helicopter. After 14 months in Korea, Sam received the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest U.S. military decoration, for displaying extraordinary heroism under fire, combined with tactical combat leadership and battlefield survival skills.

Meeting Walt Disney

“Hi, I’m Walt Disney, and who are you?”

Sam used the GI Bill once again to attend the prestigious Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, earning another BA. The master film director, John Ford, who has four Academy Awards and holds the most “Best Director” in Academy Awards history, worked with Sam in Ford’s film, The Plough and the Stars, with Barbara Stanwyck, and always promised Sam better roles, and later did contact Sam with a supporting role in The Long Gray Line with Maureen O’Hara and Tyrone Power. Sam received the script, was fitted with attire for the part, when 20^th Century Fox Art Department offered him a full time position as a professional artist, illustrating coming attractions for the screen. For a moment he was dramatically torn from following his childhood dream or acting. He turned down John Ford, the friendship ended, and he never heard from him again. Working at 20^th Century Fox for 17 months, Lyle Wheeler, the head of the art department, had important connections at the Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, and sent Sam over for an interview on a cool Monday, December 6, 1954. They reviewed his portfolio, and Sam was added to Walt’s group of first Imagineers who were designing Disneyland Anaheim on a temporary two-week trial contract. Sam reported to the studio the next day on December 7^th. Walt’s feedback was brief, highly enthusiastic, and directly led to his hiring. Then a few days later Walt scanned Sam’s detailed old-west drawings, he was so impressed by the sheer volume and narrative action of the artwork that he immediately threw out the temporary two-week contract, bypassed the trial period, and made Sam a permanent member of the core WED Enterprise design team. On Sam’s first day, he was in a room with six other artists in the Animation building at Disney’s Burbank studios, when a mustached gentleman stuck his head in the door, and looking at Sam, said, “Hi, I’m Walt Disney, and who are you?” Sam introduced himself, and Walt thanked the artists from the collection of various studios for their help in building Disneyland. A few days later, Sam was walking towards Walt in the Animation building and greeted him, Walt replied, “Good morning, Samuel!” This was before name tags, and surprised, Sam later remarked, “I couldn’t believe the boss remembered my name.”One morning, early on, Walt popped into Sam’s workspace, and said, “Samuel, what do you think of a mouse as a major character?” Sam worked closely with Walt for 12 years and said, “I very much cherished those years with Walt.” Walt liked Sam and his talent and assigned him various assignments, before he passed away, December 15, 1966, at the age of 65 at St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank, just across the street from the Disney Studios.

Sam McKim’s Disney Portfolio

Sam’s background as a Hollywood child actor and incredible art skills helped capture the exact concept that Walt wanted for the park. Walt immediately shifted Sam’s responsibilities to establish the look for the entire sector of the park, relying on his vast cinematic experience to bring high-energy action to the park. Sam’s first assignment was creating inspirational interior concept sketches for the legendary Slue-Foot Sue’s Golden Horseshoe Salon in Frontierland and the shooting gallery. He created the colorful Pirates Map, for Pirates Souvenir Magazine the early concepts for the Haunted Mansion, and interior ghost interactions. He was involved in the planning of the Fort on Tom Sawyer’s Island, the Columbia Ship, Jungle Cruise, the Indian Village, and animals and figures along the river’s edge. Furthermore, he designed the preshow production artwork for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. In 1958 he created the first highly detailed large format souvenir maps that were sold in the park, and the official commemorative map for the1992 opening of Disneyland Paris. Contributed early scenic and atmospheric illustrations for Pirates of the Caribbean, and the New Orleans Square attraction, and conceptual sketches for the Disneyland Monorail system and Main Street, USA’s architectural ornamentation window names and graphics. Other artwork includes the Carousel of Progress in It’s a Small World, and concepts and paintings for all four major Disney designed pavilions in the 1964/65, New York World’s Fair.

Epcot Center

Sam developed early conceptual layout designs for Epcot, and foundational inspirational wings for the park’s architectural aesthetic. In The Hall of Presidents, he was the art director for an incredible amount of detail, and all of the audio animatronic Presidents, he painted the grand historical artwork in the anteroom, and layout designs for the Epcot American pavilion; painted the iconic “Giving Thanks,” and incorporated the likenesses of several famous fellow imagineers directly into the art work, and also created concept work for the Norway pavilion boat ride.

Sam McKim retired in January 1987, and in 1991, he was pulled out of retirement to develop the official commemorative map for the 1992 opening of Disneyland Paris, and also shared his expertise teaching night classes at Art Center College of Design for ten years. In 1996 Sam was honored with the “Disney Legends Award.” Also, in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Frontierland, the company named their Disney Vacation Club Member Lounge, “McKim’s Mile House.”

Final Thoughts

One afternoon a thug was in Sam’s neighborhood and unsuccessfully trying to break into homes. Sam caught a glimpse of him, the police were called, and they asked Sam if he had, by chance, any description of the man? Sam pulled out a sheet of paper and drew a sketch of him and handed it to the startled officer. They caught the man, and the police thanked Sam, noting that his sketch was an identical likeness of the man.

Many incredible memories of my great neighbors Sam and his late wife Dorothy, who never once spoke about their achievements, and who always seemed to be smiling. Countless thanks to their two sons, Matt McKim, retired Walt Disney Imagineer, sculptor, and designer, and Brian McKim, former animator and feature illustrator. Sam McKim passed, July 9, 2004, age 79.

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With incredible stories to tell, the remarkable roadway is as earthy as a blues singer, as touched by fatigue as an aged opera singer, and as wonderfully passionate as a Hollywood diva, and conveys surprising charm around its every bend.

Tagged “The Road of Dreams,” “The Main Street of America,” and “The Mother Road,” as portrayed in John Steinbeck’s novel “Grapes of Wrath,” the currently dubbed Historic Route 66 offers astounding possibilities for folks with a sense of discovery and those willing to relinquish freeway clutter and the monotony of Interstate Highways.

The great pathway, a long silk ribbon leading to a gleaming pot of gold in the far distance, was established in 1926 extending from Chicago to California, a whopping 2,448 challenging miles of sweeping scenery. Originally ending in Los Angeles the highway was later extended to Santa Monica, and, according to historians, entirely paved by 1937.

Winding through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, Route 66 was the first ever United States transcontinental highway, and from its launch was the legendary setting for overflowing sagas of broken dreams, and innumerable tales of first-person adventure encountered along the lengthy journey. During the Great Depression of the 1930s and the devastating Midwest drought that created the Dust Bowl, when countless families lost their farms and homes and in desperation turned to migrant work, Route 66 became their paramount prospect for a new beginning.

Last Chance gas pump

The highway beckoned like a mischievous rascal, yet despite the prospects of a difficult journey, travelers shared lofty expectations and hoped for a touch of luck and an opportunity to find work and some palm-laden sunshine out west.

The popular catchphrase “California Here I Come,” was ringing on the lips of Route 66 travelers as they cautiously maneuvered overloaded vehicles not up to the task, discovering that gas stations are not always conveniently located, that flat tires and boiling radiators were a given, and that blazing neon-lit hotel signs glowing like beacons in the night all too often included the ominous and unwelcoming “No Vacancy.”

California’s 286 miles of Route 66 meandering through San Bernardino County can capture the hearts of those with a bit of imagination. The county, with an area of 20,105 square miles, is the largest in the United States by area, larger than 71 different sovereign nations. History buffs with camera in hand, and a tank of petrol, can enjoy the awaiting nostalgia, and experience an era of Americana that remains an enduring legend.

With much of the vast landscape, rolling hills, lingering night sky, and enormous horizons locked in the remarkably unchanging California time capsule, one can picture the original travelers negotiating San Bernardino County and hear the humming whirl of a million tires. Today, large numbers of Historic Route 66 aficionados, as well as club members from the United States, Holland, Germany, and the California Historic Route 66 Association, are reliving Route 66 history and the captivating highlights.

Through the 1960s weary travelers from the east were ecstatic upon arriving at Needles, the first California Route 66 stop. A proud town of 5,000 residents established in 1883 on the Arizona border and now bypassed by the Interstate Highway, Needles is lined with buildings from the first half of the 20th century, and was a location for the 1940 movie, Grapes of Wrath, and the popular Route 66 television series.

Eleven miles southwest of Needles at the Moabi Regional Park tucked away on a Colorado River channel adjacent to Route 66, Pirates Cove Resort & Marina hosts a large Historic Route 66 sign on the original signposts. Nearby is the trusty Old Trails Arch Bridge, a pathway across the Colorado River for dust bowl immigrants and other travelers from 1916 to 1947. Converted to support a utility line, the bridge remains in use today.

Opened after the heyday of the Mother Road, the resort, a large family-style RV and boating destination, is an opportune pause for today’s Route 66 travelers, offering narrated boat trips on the Colorado River, nature walks, dining opportunities, and exclusive, five-star, kitchen ready, river-front accommodations.

The Kelso Depot Visitor Center was once a booming center for the Union Pacific Railroad during the time of the mighty steam engines. Today it is a designated U.S. Historic District located in the 1-6-million-acre Mojave National Preserve, a fascinating side excursion via I-40 and Kelbaker Road, and a shard of a desert ghost town. The depot, circa 1924, has museum exhibits, historically restored rooms, café, theater, bookstore, and an amusing outdoor, freestanding jail, perfect for the over-served ruffians of the day.

Southwest of Kelso off Kelbaker Road, the Kelso Dune Field, covering 45-square-miles, rises some 650-feet into the sky. Accessed by a three-mile gravel road, the wind-swept dunes, at times, can be heard singing a timeless, wordless and unending desert song.

Returning to Route 66 via a thirty-minute drive to Amboy, population eight, today’s travelers can stop by Roy’s Café (named for one of the owners), an historic landmark in Route 66 lore, noted as the only food, lodging, and gasoline stop for miles in the eastern part of the Mojave.

Visitors can sit at the original 1940s lunch counter, enjoy Roy’s famed Route 66 Root Beer, and feel as if the Mother Road is giving you an endearing embrace. The lone gas pump is a bit ragged around the edges, while across the highway a small post office mails “wish you were here” postcards stamped Amboy.

A few miles west the Pisgah Crater and the 6,000-year-old Amboy Cinder Cone Crater, emerge on the horizon. Further down the highway is the famed Bagdad Café, popular with Europeans who descend by the busload. Sometimes it is frivolous French tourists beset with the celebrated café’s awesome ambience, who pose for pictures as if in the throes of a Paris fashion shoot. Other days German fills the air, or the sibilant lisp of Castilian Spanish. Prince Albert of Monaco, forgoing a bus, also has memories of the Bagdad Café.

The 1988 cult film Bagdad Café, borrowing characters from the café and starring Jack Palance, was filmed here creating yet another chicken-and-egg conundrum: Was the café chosen because it already gave the appearance of an uproarious movie set, where anyone from Elvis to Bogart could be standing around enjoying the place? Or did that look rub off on it during filming? Either way, it has a Hollywood look all its own.

Walls are plastered with travel memorabilia from every corner of the world. Hundreds of hats line the ceiling while an old jukebox on its last legs is willing to play after a kick or two, just loud enough to be heard over the noisy floor fan working hard to cool a few tables.

Barstow, a 30-minute drive from the Bagdad Café, is another Route 66 bonanza.

A bypassed desert jewel, the tree-lined roadway runs smack through downtown past 15 huge wall murals and the site of the fascinating Route 66 “Mother Road” Museum tucked away in the historic Casa del Desierto Harvey House, dating to 1911.

Visitors can pick up a t-shirt and browse among the exhibits. Near the west end of town the Route 66 Motel, one of the oldest motels in the city, in keeping with the era, has rusted vintage cars and Route 66 memorabilia decorating its yard.

The first sight of The Bottle Tree Ranch, 20 minutes from Barstow, etches itself in the memory as an outrageously whimsical vision of life on the other side of somewhere. Friendly owner Elmer Long created a forest of 200 one-of-a-kind bottle trees using a mish-mash of junk yard treasure items such as typewriters, pistols, telephones, deer horns and road signs including one that reads Route 66, Bagdad, CA 1893.

Greeting visitors after the short drive to Victorville is a large sign reading, “Old Town – Route 66.” Nearby is the celebrated, five-star, Route 66 Museum, noted as one of the largest and most complete museums on the Mother Road.

The museum showcases everything from a 1966 Volkswagen and classic teardrop trailer, to old Pepsi machines, juke boxes, signs reading “Gas, 18 Cents,” and joyful memories of Route 66’s glory days and driving holidays. Sharon Foster, a Museum Board Member said, “Admission is free, there is parking for everyone, and remarkably, 60 percent of our visitors are international.”

The historic discoveries along Route 66 are endless. The notable 1949 Wigwam Motel, 42-miles from Victorville, on the border of Rialto and San Bernardino, was depicted in Disney’s Pixar film, Cars, along with Route 66 and Roy’s Café. At the Wigwam nineteen 30-foot-high teepee-style accommodations created for Route 66 travelers of concrete and stucco live on.

The Mother Road, sharing its name with Foothill Boulevard runs through the heart of Rancho Cucamonga past Vince’s Spaghetti Restaurant, a family tradition since 1945, serving spaghetti and meatballs to eager diners on Saturdays.

Though Ontario is a few miles south of the original Route 66 route, the city celebrates Route 66 with the Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion Festival. For three days each September several thousand classic cars are on display along with 16 rotating bands, dancing and food stands.

Those with a clamoring for a taste of olives can tour Ontario’s world-renowned Graber Olive House producing olives since 1894. Located on 4th street, Graber has been awarded numerous honors with their hand-based equipment. There is not a computer to be seen and family members reside here helping to create a friendly feel in the packinghouse.

A couple from Chicago enjoying their second Route 66 journey and the classic car festival in Ontario remarked, “The future is somewhere ahead, the moment is now, but nostalgia is forever.” It is the perfect motto for Route 66 travelers young and old.

When You Go

County of San Bernardino, California; www.sbcounty.gov/

This article was originally published April 2017.

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A cluster of five mountains like ancient trusting friends encompass Lake Como with tales to tell. They tower to the horizon in a domineering maze of peaks, deep irregular valleys, and crusted sheer-sided facings. Deeply sculptured from wind and rain, and often cloud-covered, they stand like faithful world-worn sentinels. Tagged the Pre-Alps, the mountains cast long shadows across the lake’s glacier-formed deep blue water creating a textured moment of sun and shade. Residents and visitors alike recognize that in only a few places on the planet are water and mountains in such remarkable intimacy and the recognition inspires soft expressions of awe and delight.

The mountains of Lake Como, like so much of Italy, refer to the past, where the Romans once roamed, dusty cathedrals with rusty bells abound, and villages and towns such as Como, Bellagio, and other hamlets are entrenched on the shores of the lake or carved into the mountains with steep staircases. Tunnels were dug through granite and sandstone leading to narrow two-lane roadways originally designed for horse and carriage, all magically sculpted into the base of the mountains with a master chisel. The mountains have been compassionate and patient, but for those searching for a parking space is when a lucky moment can happen.

Lake Como, the third largest lake in Italy and the deepest, a short 40-minute train ride from Milan, resembles a scrawny, long-legged inverted “Y”. Master artists with easels in hand are challenged, writers and poets search for their voice, starry-eyed long- awaited proposals ring true, and where many experience a rejuvenation of spirit in the ever-changing and wistful essence of this extraordinary setting. The magic of Lake Como has exerted its pull for hundreds of years; aristocrats, royalty, and people with wealth were captivated and built fascinating palaces, mansions, and villas overlooking the lake with terraced gardens, sculptures, and fountains, some with enough rooms to house a small army, while others are only accessible by boat.

Carefully maintained Taxi Boat Varenna motorboats operated by skippers with immense skills slice through the water leaving a trail of foam cleverly avoiding the reliable ferry and gleaming white sailboats with sails billowing, while taking passengers on a lake tour or to their hotel. Nevertheless, the mountains dominate: as resident and travel consultant Celia Abernethy said, “At any given time there are more hikers in Lake Como than sailors because the mountains offer some of the best hiking in Italy, laced with trails for all levels of fitness and with views forever.“

Cruising the lake via a motorboat or tour boat, villages and small towns appear at lake’s edge like a colorful mosaic.

Lecco Living

On this day in October, the sun glistens on the ruffled water and large groups of tourists have found their way to Bellagio, dining at sidewalk cafes, waiting for a lake tour, and crowding the Bellagio shopping passageway. Energetic servers bustle about to meet their client’s needs, and numerous languages collide in the lake air. To enhance and retain the magic of Lake Como and gently slip away from the tourist trail, the town of Lecco, a 30-minute drive from Bellagio on the eastern branch of the lake, where Lake Como narrows to form the Adda River, is an unspoiled and authentic homebase unfamiliar to most Lake Como visitors.

A great strolling town with pedestrian walkways and a riverside promenade, Lecco is the perfect place to meet Lake Como residents and browse family-owned boutiques not found in Milan, to take pleasure in two large town squares lined with sidewalk cafes, and to see the remains of a Roman wall that once encircled the city and a striking stone bridge spanning the river dating to 1386. Hiking and cycling paths that could take weeks to fully explore can be arranged with or without a guide, and provide a chance to visit farms producing honey, cheese and produce, and with luck catch a quick glimpse of the elusive Lake Como fox. A few days in Lecco is Lake Como validated.

Lake Como Cooking

Remaining off the beaten path, Mandello del Lario, an alluring port village tucked away between Lecco and Varena on the eastern leg of the lake, is home to Mamma Ciccia Cooking Academy. Mamma Ciccia, ala Silvia Nessi, a tall, attractive blonde, has been offering the popular four-hour classes in English for ten years at her restaurant, and often features Michelin-starred guest chefs. For children ages four to ten, a session called “Cooking is a game” pulls them into the fun and art of cooking. Smiling, she said, “For visitors to really understand Lake Como and Italy’s culture one has to fully explore the cuisine.”

In the hills above Bellagio, the 17-room, family-owned, Hotel II Perlo Panorama, circa 1922, offers one of Lake Como’s most spectacular dining vistas from a terrace that seems to be floating in the clouds. The meal itself is a romantic, five-minute-kiss lunch or dinner with award-winning Executive Chef Redolfi Alessandro who sources organic produce from local farms and perch and whitefish from the lake. For hundreds of international travelers to Lake Como the hotel is a priority and enhances the magic of Lake Como.

When You Go

Contact Travel Consultant, Celia Abernethy for Lake Como and Milano itineraries and travel guidance at ed****@mi*********.com ; Mamma Ciccia’s Cooking Academy, in**@ma*********.it ; www.mammaciccia.it; full day lake tour, Taste & Travel, guide, Elena Pettinicchio; www.tasteandtravelitaly.com; water Taxi & Boat, Hotel II Perlo Panorama, in**@il*****.com.

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A large brown building adjacent to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California, two days before the famed 137 Rose Parade, themed “The Magic in Teamwork” with Grand Marshall, former Laker basketball player, Magic Johnson, leading the way, hosts an incredible scene of controlled chaos. Massive floats: Honda, Princess Cruises and the States of Mississippi and Louisianna, are covered amidst scaffolding and ladders, with tables of flowers and tools, while a fusion of workers, volunteers, and artists are focusing on finishing details. Narrow, slippery passage ways are filled with hustling workers, as the bouquet of flowers and plants tickle the nose.

The scene is a tug at the heart, the art work created with flowers, seeds, barks and natural foliage are museum quality, and seems as if it should be preserved for ever. A mother and son in a wheelchair, decorating the Princess Cruise float, who at that moment had been working on the float for eight straight hours, the mother, stopped for a moment, looked up and smiled, this is my 36th experience here, while numerous others said this was their seventh or eighth float challenge, and not necessarily a social gathering but smiles and hugs at the end of the day. The Princess Cruise float depicts the newest ship in their fleet, the Star Princess, which had its maiden voyage, in October 2025, departing from Barcelona. The artists and volunteers have created a float with 300,000 flowers, and somehow have artistically depicted an Inside Passage journey with towering glaciers, eagles, whales, bears with eyes that stare back at you in wonderment, and waves that seem wet to the touch. Then you realize underneath all this finery is a motor vehicle to move 42, artistically decorated floats more than five miles down Colorado Boulevard. As one volunteer said, “Viva 2026!”

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The natural world of grapes, leaves, and twigs are stunning, consuming, eyes, ears, nose and fingertips with the maze of brilliant green vines, the rustle of soft leaves fluttering in the light breeze, the earthy smell of the soil, and the rough texture of the illustrious vine trunks growing out of the ground as stubborn and stiff as the gnarled legs of an ancient human. Time stands still for a moment at the heart of this vigorous vineyard, as if it is holding its breath in anticipation of the drinkable art this man creates from the bounty of nature.

The sun slips behind wispy clouds, the flight of a hawk casts a brief shadow over the restless green, as Herold, soft-spoken, introspective, and unassuming, gently touches a cluster of fledging grapes the size of small pearls. Full of promise as yet unfulfilled, they are reminders of the often-unpredictable rhythm of life in a vineyard, and a private space for embracing new discoveries, holding on to old secrets, and bearing the burden of history. Tiered hills with vines creeping skyward create a sanctuary for work and life and stewardship. Here, Herold underwent an intense journey while grappling with the sheer multiplicity of variables in Napa’s micro-climate, the changing balance of rainfall and sunshine, Napa’s 33 different soil series, the vagaries of harvesting and fermentation, a mosaic of 44 different wine grape varieties, and more. With great resolve, he created prize-winning wines with the care Van Gogh devoted to his paintings.

The Bennett Vineyard is hallowed ground where Herold first sourced the fruit from which he created the wine that launched him into the world of wine-making and earned his reputation as the founder of the esteemed Merus wine. Touching a vine and carefully examining a leaf, he said, “I like to plant so the sun is overhead. The leaves protect the grapes. You can feel the energy in the vines; it surrounds you. There is so much life here! I see mountain lions, coyotes, and migrating wild turkeys that unfortunately love the fruit.” Gazing at the rows of vines that were spread across the terrain in a mesmerizing pattern designed by a master craftsman and smiling, he continued, “For me, a vine that struggles does not make good wine. A happy vine is happy wine.”

Panama City

One of five children, Herold was born in Newport, California, and at age four moved to Panama City in the early 1960’s when Panama and the United States were struggling for control of the Panama Canal and debating which flag should be flown at its entrance and exit. Herold’s father, Raymond, was a successful psychiatrist, and, along with his wife Marisa, an avid angler noted for catching world-record sailfish. “I had a special childhood in Panama,” Herold says. “I loved to bike around the city, skateboard, and fish with my parents. I was a kitchen helper and my mother was a lasting influence. My parents always entertained a lot. They served French wine at dinner and there were always lots of flowers on the dining room table and in the house. Helping in the kitchen, I thought the smells were exceedingly persuasive and memorable, and to this day I love to cook.”

Mark was fully immersed in the vibrant culture of Panama, absorbing the cuisine of his Panamanian mother, the lifestyle of a Panamanian fisherman, and the practiced skill and anxiety of casting a line into a ruffled sea. At age 16, when hormones are rampaging and life is both buoyant and intense, his parents divorced and Herold moved north to Southern California with his father. The transformation of cultures was an enormous windfall for Mark Herold. Fluent in Spanish, he now lived in a State noted among the world’s great wine producers with more than 2,000 wineries and growing. His persistent wine and vine alter ego, a tenacious shadow always lingering about, was exceedingly pleased with his new home.

Bordering on being a professional student and at one time planning to study culinary arts in Paris, Herold enrolled at U.C. Davis and was honored with a Ph.D. in Ecology with an emphasis on nutritional bio-chemistry. While at Davis, he hooked up with a professor who owned a winery and immersed himself in the fall harvest as a volunteer. Mark was finally following his heart. For two productive years, the large family-owned Joseph Phelps Winery was Herold’s stomping ground. Hired as a Research Enologist, he studied the art and science of winemaking and the phenolic profiles of grapes, which was an important stepping-stone on his path.

Magical Meru

Sitting in his Napa tasting room, a swordfish mounted on the wall, he said, “I simply was fed up working with other people. I felt confident and thought if they can do it, I can do it.” In 1998, in a three-car garage in the heart of Napa with six borrowed French oak barrels from friends and family, he and his former wife Erika Gottl created Merus, which in Latin means pure, unmixed, undiluted and completely absolute. For Herold, it means making wine from the most carefully chosen fruit in exceedingly small quantities, with unsparing attention to detail, striving always to reach a new level of excellence. “To make it work,” Herold said, “we often shared tastings with the neighbors and particularly those who were not too happy with us, and thankfully, after a few years, we finally outgrew the garage.” Merus was a huge local and international winner offering intense complexity and color from fully mature fruit.

Sharing Expertise

Mark Herold’s entrance into the world of wine was confirmed with the opening of his own Napa tasting room, and appointments as consulting winemaker at the exclusive Celani Family Vineyards and winemaker at the award-winning Kamen Estate Wines. Owner and vintner Robert Kamen, an articulate and passionate screen writer and producer of 20 major films said, “Mark Herold has to be among the top three Napa Valley winemakers. He’s consistently produced world-class wines. His wines take on a personality, and he has a close relationship with Latino growers and workers and uses Spanish every day. Mark is creative and precise, operating on two levels, art and science, and with his own form of organization allows the grapes to speak through the wine.”

The Bennett Vineyard, a Napa garden of dreams gracefully blessed with a veil of emerald green, is vibrant beneath a lively sun and the gate is always left open for Mark Herold.

Tasting Time

• Mark Herold Wines, 710 First St., Napa, California
• Celani Family Vineyards, by appointment only.
• Kamen Estate Wines, 111 B East. Napa

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PARIS, France — Magically enchanting and much-loved Paris, the Urban Empress of Europe, remains eternally young and amorous. Occasionally vain, always passionate, and with a long and turbulent history, the legendary city has a special flair for life that has captivated many of the world’s most inspired artistic talent.

French plaque honoring Hemingway — Left Bank of Paris

After the Great War and during the 1920s and ‘30s, Paris was the place to be for artists and the forward-thinking avant-garde looking to etch their mark, while novelists and writers quickly recognized that it was far easier to be acknowledged by the small innovative Parisian publishing companies than to catch an editor’s eye in the States.

During this most exhilarating period in 20th Century American Literature, Paris was the destination for an amazing assortment of international expatriates, including some 30,000 Americans many clutching one-way tickets to the City of Lights.

Some arrived in Paris in search of panache and identity, while others, overwhelmed by the complex and tenacious city, became lost in heart-wrenching dreams of discovery and triumphant achievements.

The French franc was a colossal friend, the exchange rate a whopping 25 to 35 francs to the dollar, while Paris’ free-flowing alcohol was a further attraction as long as hard-line prohibition had the upper hand in the United States. Parisian nightlife, animated cabarets, freethinking ladies, and French wine were all treasures to behold.

Hemingway’s Paris. He lived nearby.

On the vibrant Left Bank of Paris, in the Latin Quarter and Montparnasse, Ernest Hemingway and wife Hadley, bespectacled James Joyce struggling to publish Ulysses, and F. Scott Fitzgerald with his flamboyant wife Zelda, both giddy from the publication of The Great Gatsby, had settled in, along with photographer Man Ray, always ready to capture the moment. Pablo Picasso and writers Ezra Pound, Djuana Barnes, Nancy Cunard, Sherwood Anderson, and eccentric John Dos Passos, along with a memorable list of other authors and artists, were also part of the heady Paris scene, and friends of Hemingway.

Bigger than life and significant to the literary and artistic scene, Gertrude Stein, writer, serious art collector, and a remarkable influence on writers and artists, cleverly tagged the exiles The Lost Generation, backed by her jealous lover, Alice B. Toklas, who fiercely disliked Hemingway. The exiles included a cast of street characters with stories to tell, who were lounging at sidewalk cafes often deep into their cups, discussing literature, sharing gossip and jealousies, wondering where life and careers were headed and when the next dollar would materialize.

Hemingway’s Paris — Left Bank

Mercifully, much of the great city has remained suspended in a timeless bubble, making it easy to relive the Lost Generation, to tread on the ancient stones that Hemingway and friends negotiated, sit at the same sidewalk cafes and restaurants, see the gardens, hotels, churches, cathedrals, and lodgings that once upon a time were their stomping grounds.

The reflective adventure comes together with Oriel and Peter Caine’s prestigious Paris Walking Tours, founded in 1994 and recommended by the Paris Tourist Office. The Caine’s, who are themselves esteemed authors and scholars, engage knowledgeable English-speaking guides whose contributions to the tour include appropriate humor and fascinating encyclopedic insights.

Paris walks — Hemingway’s Paris

Following the guides through any of the two-hour walks, Hemingway’s Paris, Writers of the Left Bank, The Village of Montmartre or Saint Germain-des-Pres, gives the sense of having moved through time, setting the stage for an irresistible mélange of literary and artistic history.

A magnificent destination of monuments and striking architecture, each turn of a Parisian corner invites a celebration of the senses that embellishes the timeless link to Hemingway, and a city glowing with imperishable splendor and earthiness that can grab your heart and hang on for a lifetime.

Hemingway’s favorite restaurant where he worked on
“The Sun Also Rises” and short stories

Via a touch of imagination supported by the images of Woody Allen’s excellent film, Midnight in Paris, and Hemingway’s memoir recalling his life in Paris, A Moveable Feast, one can envision him strolling along the narrow, winding cobblestone streets, Fitzgerald at his side, Zelda, edging between them wildly dancing the tango and hoping for an open bar.

With Lost Generation thoughts flowing, you might hear a bit of Hot Jazz and pass by Kiki, the classy lady of the night, a favorite artist’s model, who never met a man she didn’t like. You might pick out Josephine Baker’s bluesy voice, floating through the night air from the intensely popular Folies Bergere where Baker, a favorite of Hemingway, often performed in her adopted homeland with Chiquita, her pet Cheetah.

Gertrude Stein’s home and salon at 27 rue de Fleurus, now a private resident, once decorated with priceless Gauguin, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, and Cezanne paintings and long noted as the most distinguished salon in all Paris, was an important gathering place for a coterie of famous artists, writers, and trend-setters including Hemingway and European Royalty.

Down the street, Malcolm Cowley, famed writer, poet, and critic, lived and wrote at 1 rue de Fleurus. Famous for having reportedly once floored Hemingway in a friendly boxing match, Cowley became the spokesman of the 1920s American expatriates.

A celebrated bookstore for Hemingway and other famous writers

Sylvia Beach’s Shakespeare and Company on rue l’Odeon, the only English-language bookstore on the Left Bank, was another celebrated gathering place for writers. Writers could buy or borrow books there, Hemingway often noted for doing the latter.

The bookstore closed in 1941 during the German occupation of Paris and never reopened, but in 1951 another Shakespeare and Company opened in tribute to Sylvia Beach. Steps from the Seine and the Notre Dame Cathedral, the bookstore, featured in Midnight in Paris, buzzes with camera-toting visitors with a literary liking.

Hemingway’s Residence, Left Bank of Paris

After experiencing the famed bookstore, it’s astounding to walk past the Hemingway’s old neighborhood on rue Mouffetard where they rented their first apartment on the third floor at 74 rue du Cardinal Lemoine. A small women’s clothing store on the ground floor is aptly named Under Hemingway’s.

Hemingway’s Paris: La Rotonde, Boulevard du Montparnasse

Along Boulevard du Montparnasse are a cluster of legendary cafes; La Rotonde, La Coupole, Le Dome, and Le Select, home to Mickey a 19-year old cat, all within walking distance, all fashionable today, just as they were when they were the center of life in the 1920s with their people-watching sidewalk tables, and churlish waiters.

Reams of material have been written about the significant cafes and their eminent patrons, but Hemingway’s preferred café, also on Montparnasse, was La Closerie des Lilas. He often sat in the corner with a cafe crème, writing some of his finest short stories and working on his brilliant novel, The Sun Also Rises.

Hemingway’s bar: La Closerie de Lilas

Incredibly, the bar retains its period ambience confirmed by a framed black and white photo, circa 1920s. A small copper plaque inscribed with his name is embedded in the bar, along with a small photo of him above the bar. One can imagine Hemingway sitting here chatting with Fitzgerald and Joyce, while in the background Cole Porter is playing the piano to an audience of wistful lovers on the prowl. Years later, one of Hemingway’s numerous haunts was the famed Ritz Hotel on rue Cambon, where his name is now honored with the intimate Hemingway Bar. Hemingway spent his time in the hotel imbibing aperitifs with the celebrities of the day and observing the carefully coifed, costumed, and accessorized French women, who were undeniably elegant.

Ritz Hotel, Paris

Ritz Hotel, Paris — Hemingway’s Bar

Nearby, the mighty Seine, dotted with barges and sight-seeing boats, flows along tree-lined walks where embracing couples shimmer and shake, brusque vendors sell books, prints, and paintings, and old-timers cast for fish.

Hemingway and wife Hadley lived above this boutique

Parisians remark that the more Paris changes, the more it stays the same. For Hemingway, the City of Lights was an ageless enclave of beauty, style, and history, and where, through much effort, his distinctive writing style developed.

When You Go

Contact Paris Walks at, www.paris-walks.com; pa***@*********ks.com; check the five-star Paris Sightseeing Pass offering visitors access to over 60 top attractions including the sightseeing bus, metro, a Seine cruise, and other discounts. www.parispass.com

Related Articles:
Versailles and Avignon; Montpellier, France; Provence; Monet’s Gardens, Giverny

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A Forkful of Travel

The grassy smell of earth is steadfast while the swirling rhythms of Ireland are creating an ecstatic visual harmony, as a wash of air ruffles the trees. The sea, mutating from turquoise to deep blue, to hues of green, is etched and sliced by the wind with little streaks of warmth, as the sun beats a ceaseless tempo. The Irish landscape opens to mossy hillsides, thick woodlands, a canopy of leafy trees lining the roadway, lush fields with grazing horses’ tails twitching, and small fishing villages with small-town charm. Our memorable and narrow two-lane back road route is leaving the wall of traffic behind and leading us past the mysterious beauty of the ageless Norman and Anglo-Irish castles, endless and classic hand-made dry stone walls, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site designed by ancient master craftsman. The road continues past Georgian architecture, thatched cottages and huge, lavish country estates with immaculate gardens and fine dining.

Medieval round stone towers, built from the 9th to the 12th centuries for defensive purposes and habitation for wealthy families, protrude skyward in the lush landscape, and appear like lost ancient watchtowers in search of a home. Eight implausible national parks are scattered throughout the island, where delicate spider webs cast shadows against the bushes, while green mottled paths cut across the landscape made by animals who come for a drink during the darkness of night. A mist rises in luminous tendrils disclosing a feel of another time as a large bird launches from the weathered roof at St. Cronan’s Church of England in County Clare, dating to the 10th century.

Traveling the back roads, Ireland’s esteemed treasures of a vanished era are vividly brought back to life with Dublin-based, John Colclough, who has an astounding photographic memory, an intense love for his country, and can open doors to the ageless and mysterious splendor of Ireland’s castles. It’s estimated that some 10,000 castles and ruins are scattered throughout the landscape, with most dating from the 12th to the 16th centuries., while Killyleagh Castle in Northern Ireland, dating back to 1180. These castles were once homes to royalty, as well as centers of religion, fortification, and detention. However, comfort and ease of living was adrift in the massive, damp and musty, lime or sandstone rooms and during the numerous wars all was lost if the spiral staircase was destroyed. Suspending history in place, several castles and former castle sites have been ingeniously transformed into ultra-luxurious five-star hotels and restaurants, earning recognition as some of the best in Europe.

Ashford Castle

Ashford Castle, built in stages as far back as 1228 in French Chateau-style, is bordered by 350-acres of attractive gardens, fastidiously manicured grounds, and the serene Lough Corrib, the largest lake on the island. At first sight of the castle and its imposing limestone façade, imaginations take flight. One envisions the rumble of a grand, four-wheeled carriage drawn by two sturdy horses, guided by a proud coachman in a black top hat, with an eager young footman holding a lit taper, leading two elegantly dressed, veiled ladies to the entrance. The five-star Ashford, in the West of Ireland in County Mayo is listed in the Red Carnation collection, once the home of the Guinness family. It is unbridled Irish luxury with gleaming Waterford Crystal chandeliers, rooms with silk-lined walls, era antiques, and Egyptian linens.

The George V dining room with black tie service, dinner jackets for gentleman, denim and shorts inappropriate, is led by Executive Chef, Liam Finnegan, 41. He said, “I have a staff of 50 and a large organic kitchen garden with vegan and vegetarian offerings, straight from the garden to the table, and our organic salmon is the best you’ll find in Ireland. The classic Irish soda bread recipe is from my grandmother, and we make our own vinegar, jams and sauces using seeds from the garden.” Lunch was a balance of tastes with slices of organic chicken dressed with tangy butternut squash, a garden salad, and a Cured Organic Salmon with a dab of horseradish, cucumbers, honey and soy. Finnegan explained, “Ireland was offering organic cuisine long before organic was a catchphrase.”

Ballynahinch Castle Hotel

Built on the site of a 1384 former castle and though modified, Ballynahinch retains the architectural integrity of a castle and luxurious former Irish country estate. Found in the west of Ireland on the Wild Atlantic Way in Connemara County Galway, overlooking a salmon fishery, amidst 700 acres of woodlands, rivers and greenery, Ballynahinch, with 48 bedrooms and suites, is a rainbow mantle of attractions for the epicurean. Michelin-starred, and a luxury member of Relais & Châteaux, Executive Chef Danni Barry, 40, with a staff of 14, was “Chef of The Year in 2024”, and the Owenmore was awarded “Ireland’s Fine Dining Hotel Restaurant in 2024.” She said, “My dad was a farmer, and we all had to help out. I cooked in Belfast for 20 years, traveled Europe, and love the long-lasting organic Irish cuisine. Our garden and Green House are a great asset, as is fishing, a great part of Ireland’s cuisine. Reservations a week or more in advance for this exquisite dining experience with views of the rambling Ballynahinch river, floor to ceiling draped windows, candlelit tables, chandeliers dimmed creating subtle lighting, a harpist playing relaxing chords, while servers are offering classic refined service. Chef Dani has a large walled garden to source from, while her West Coast scallops are created with smoked black pudding, slices of pungent beets, apples and tangy cauliflower. Savory and layered with taste was a halibut baked in brown butter, dressed with pickled celeriac, in a roast bone sauce, and with fresh, organic walled garden greens.

Ballyfin

Ballyfin Demesne, luxurious and celebrated, quietly lures guests back to the early 18th century with its extravagant and historic large format art collection of people you would love to meet and who once roamed through the palace-like rooms with whispered secrets. Ballyfin is simply an Irish treasure, not technically a castle, but an elaborate castle-like estate. Every interior detail in this distinguished destination has a story to tell with ornate period furniture, damask fabrics, Chinese porcelain lamps, gleaming Empire mirrors, crystal chandeliers, inlaid timber flooring, including an original mosaic floor imported from Italy. Elegant Regency clocks where time has stood still, and who have a story to tell, along with opulent gold leaf candlestick holders that once lit the way for countless guests with their dancing flames. Hidden away in the library bookcase is a concealed door accessing entrance to an 1855 glass conservatory. The neo-classic building, 1826, has an abundance of old-world charm and warm Irish hospitality that engulf you like a heartfelt embrace, while guests can be greeted at the outer entrance with horse and carriage, as Head Butler and Coachman, Lionel Chadwick reins in two white horses who know the way and prance by entrance doors of solid Santo Domingo mahogany and marble pillars imported from Italy. Emerging on the horizon is Ballyfin’s intriguing backdrop, the immense Slieve Bloom Mountains in a blaze of artistic purple heather, attracting a gathering of fickle clouds.

Ballyfin, honored with five-stars as well as Michelin-starred, is located in the center of Ireland, on a 614-acre estate, which includes Executive Chef, Richard Picard-Edwards’ eight-acre walled produce garden that intensifies dining in the lavish Van Der Hagen dining room with a blazing chandelier, tables with crystal and silver, and to set a mood, light piano music in the background. Chef Picard-Edwards, offering a high level of culinary creativity, creates a menu focusing on the best of seasonal produce with savory sauces, an extensive, award-winning tasting menu and freshly caught cod dressed in a sprinkling of pine nuts and tasty garden mushrooms.

Ballyfin’s 20 distinctive bedrooms, fit for royalty, are each named and each with a personality, as well as a private one-bedroom Garden Cottage. The Westmeath has a dome canopied 18th century French carved bed positioned permanently in the center of the room, surrounded by richly patterned walls, and draped windows exposing a brilliant patch of green and Chadwick’s carriage with two-white horses passing by. A guest from Madrid said, “For all this elegance and history, Ballyfin is far from a hotel, it’s like being a guest in a private estate with not a drop of pretentiousness, which is nicely replaced with classic Irish hospitality.”

Birr Castle

Birr Castle, a 40-minute drive from Ballyfin along one-lane country roads lined with trees and the classic, low-lying hand-made walls, is an uplifting encounter with nature and Irish history, accompanied by songs of unseen birds and drifting clouds. Birr Castle, an historic landmark with a castle on the site since 1170, once the ancestral fortified home of the O’Carroll/Carroll Clan, who ruled the area from the 14th to 17th centuries and later the noted Parsons family, is surrounded by 120 acres of parklands, as the river Camcor weaves through a landscape past six miles of walking trails, a lake, and waterfall, rare trees, award-winning formal gardens, tall 300-year-old Box Hedges, the oldest wrought-iron suspension bridge in Ireland, circa 1820, a Science Center, and the Great Telescope that took six strong men to move into place, and for 70 years was the world’s largest reflecting telescope. When visiting the private home castle of the Earl and the elegant Countess Lady Rosse, a one-hour guided interior tour can be arranged with reservations from mid-May to August. One can experience one of the top five private libraries in Ireland, pointed gothic windows, and footsteps of history to ignite the imagination. The Birr’s Courtyard Café offers a menu selection of scones, various hot foods, a tasty soup of the day, and sandwiches, ideal for a casual lunch in an uppermost nature setting.

Dromoland Castle Hotel

The teeth of autumn cast long shadows on the magnificent castle, a raw wind with little streaks of warmth, igniting the imagination of people come and gone. The ancestral home of the O’Brien family since 1014 is set on 450 acres. Most of the five-star Gothic castle with 97 guestrooms and suites, hails from the early 1800s, and complete with a chapel, golfing academy, and 18-hole golf course. The stones bear the faint imprints of guests from throughout the ages, who have admired the resplendent Dromoland setting, where love affairs have wandered and drifted within the timeless castle. Although, one woman, possibly in her 50s with dark wavy hair who lived here in the 1800s has decided to make the castle her permanent home. She has been seen by various people on the second and third floors descending the staircase to the extravagant Earl of Thomond dining room wearing a dark blue satin gown. A server in the restaurant said, “Regardless, our attractive lady must have been the gourmet of her day, a connoisseur of fine cuisine for sure.” Executive Head Chef, David McCann, has been creating at the Earl of Thomond since 1995, was awarded Chef of The Year in 2018, and Dromoland honored as Best Hotel in Ireland in 2024. McCann, widely traveled, cooked in London and Dublin’s finest restaurants, said, “For me, it all began with my mother who loved to cook and bake too. The organic produce is all local suppliers, our herbs from the walled garden, we use organic flour, and I believe Irish butter and dairy products are among the best in the world. I have a talented hand-picked staff, a strong relationship with the farmers, enjoy hosting the local school children, and I do know some of our guests which range from presidents and celebrities to neighbors. I have 22 tables in the Earl of Thomond, and realized years ago, a great thing about dining is that people socialize.”

Our dinner at the Earl of Thomond, Chef McCann recommended most of the menu, but we selected a nicely presented Shellfish Bisque created with a touch of brandy, ginger and a bittersweet tarragon with suggestions of citrus and licorice. A flaky, puff pastry, Wild Mushroom Pithivier, enclosed with creamy mashed potatoes, truffles and chives, was a winner. We shared a Traditional Caesar Salad, which was a dedication to quality with garden baby romaine, a sprinkle of croutons, Parmesan cheese, and dressed with the chef’s Dromoland sauce. McCann’s rich culinary history was forefront in the savory Burren Smokehouse Salmon Platter, enjoyed with bits of dried onions, baby capers, a splash of lemon, and the classic brown Irish soda bread. A Custard Tart settled the evening, designed with Chantilly cream, plum and blackberry compote. With only a minimum of imagination, we could picture the attractive lady in the satin gown dining under one of the sparkling chandeliers, champagne glass tipped.

Lismore Castle Gardens and Gallery

Led by John Colclough along ancient postal roads, a thin layer of fog covering a green forest, we arrive at the massive Lismore Castle’s fortified entrance, the setting pulling us back in time with visions of horses and carriages and a 17th century guard at the gate with a musket and long curved sword. The thick-walled castle, with turrets and towers, dates to 1185, was built by King John on the site of a seventh-century Lismore Abbey monastery, overlooking the Blackwater River to order to guard river crossings. It has endured wars and week-long sieges. The Gothic Revival castle in Waterford County, near

Lismore town, is the private home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and their family. Entry involves access to a contemporary art gallery with changing exhibits, and one of Ireland’s historic, romantic and wistful gardens. The tiered gardens were designed on seven acres, protected by 17th century defensive walls, and noted as the oldest continually cultivated gardens in Ireland.

Castle Keep For Family and Friends

Lismore can be booked for weddings and celebrations, complete with the family’s private staff including a butler, and dining with a head chef blessed with culinary skills who presents breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. Lismore is offering 15 bedrooms without door locks and television for 27 guests, and a medieval ambience for life-long memories.

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Lift A Fork

The Sea of Cortez sparkled like a blanket of dazzling diamonds, while a soft and cooling breeze ruffled the towering palms and gently moved through the massive, beachfront Hacienda Del Mar Los Cabos, filling the air with freshness and tranquility. The setting was serene and peaceful, with the sun slowly dipping below the horizon, leaving a breathtaking blaze of pastel hues that bathed the sails of a yacht tilting to port. There is an easygoing rhythm to the resort, perhaps dictated by the cadence of the sea, the echo of waves sweeping onto deep, soft sand, and a welcoming staff, attentive and professional, and with a smile on their lips.

The 11-acre resort, at the tip of Baja Sur, 1,000 road miles from the San Diego, U.S. border, opened in 2014 with 270 guest rooms and suites and is located on the celebrated 20-mile-long Los Cabos Tourist Corrido that separates San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. On this stretch of roadway overlooking the mighty Pacific Ocean and the historic Sea of Cortez, a favorite of tattered pirates who would sail in for lifesaving fresh water, are a collection of some of the finest beachfront resorts in the world, as well as eight stunning golf courses, and the award-winning Hacienda del Mar, a proud entry in this elite collection.

The spacious resort is designed so guests are never rubbing elbows, even with its five pools, a full-service spa, a large fitness center, a kids club, an embracing, consecrated chapel ideal for weddings of all religions, a convention center, and for returning guests, a Private Club. All of this is set within a framework of sustainability at its finest. However, the core of the expansive Hacienda del Mar is romance and camaraderie, an enthusiastic abrazo under a deep blue sky, and the ever-changing Sea of Cortez. It’s that kind of place. Upon entering the resort, the stunning Plazuela offers a vibrant showcase of “authentic Mexico,” with its artistic décor, vibrant tiles, meticulous landscaping, and exquisite Mexican craftsmanship. But most striking is the cuisine, which truly captures the essence of the country.

Master Chef, Jose Lazcarro

Highly acclaimed Master Chef José Lazcarro, 39, has earned international recognition and numerous prestigious awards. He oversees seven of the resort’s dining venues and with his expert touch, the Mexican flag is flying high. He was born and raised in Puebla, a city with an outstanding dining reputation and the home of Mole, a treasured Mexico creation. Lazcarro traveled the world gathering menu ideas and has created an elevated dining experience for the Hacienda Del Cabo guests, preparing modern Mexican and International cuisine. With incredible lineage and a caring family, including four sisters, a grandfather who ignited his passion at age six for cooking, and a father who owned Puebla’s La Noria where Lazcarro furthered his skills. Lazcarro attended university in Puebla, and the Culinary Institute of America. He has honed his skills at some of the finest restaurants in Mazatlán and further refined his craft with two years in Paris, eight months in Barcelona, and at the elegant Little Nell Hotel in Aspen, Colorado. A highlight of his career was being selected by the Mexican Embassy to represent the country on a culinary promotion to South Korea and Hong Kong.

He said, “Cuisine is an art. With a staff of 110, I work 10 to 13 hours a day and you never stop learning. I’ve traveled much of the world and lived in Canada, but the challenge for me is to present authentic Mexican cuisine, which varies from region to region. The seafood, of course, is local. The shrimp comes from Mazatlán, and the vegetables and fruit are sourced from the heart of the country,” he said. Smiling, he added, “What truly supports me in my work here at the Hacienda is that I’m deeply in love with a wonderful woman. We’ve been together for eight years and married for one. We live nearby, and I’m a lucky guy.”

The Pitahayas Wine Cellar

Pitahayas Restaurant was previously on the Tourist Corridor before the resort was constructed. The resort kept the name alive with a new beginning and with Master Chef Lazcarro at the helm. The Pitahayas wine cellar, Casa de Santiago, has seating for seven at a round table with comfortable leather chairs, subtle lighting and formal service which sets the mood for a romantic evening. Chef Lazcarro arrived at the table with hot bread straight from the oven in a wooden box, warm melted house butter and large shrimp in a light batter bathed in a pungent pesto dressing. Fresh heirloom tomato salad and lightly grilled oysters trimmed with candied garlic butter, yuzu, Parmesan cheese crumble and a sprinkle of chives, were also served. Additionally, a delightful Shrimp Tempura was prepared with a spicy peanut and tamarind sauce and a touch of ginger. A surprise was the Duck confit gordita bathed in succulent Oaxacan black mole and a flavorful Goatfish in a tangy chili and ginger mix that fell off the fork, leaving a savory lingering sensation. A colorful dessert tray with coconut passion fruit, strawberry tartar, creamy chocolate, and corn cake were all a perfect marriage with the bold and structured 2023 Casa Magoni Cabernet from Valle de Guadalupe in Northern Baja.

Tomates Buffet Breakfast

On an early morning from the room’s balcony, countless scores of puffy wind-blown clouds covered the resort and sea with a patch of blue hovering on the horizon. The rhythm of the day was set by the swirling whispers of the waves, yet it posed no dilemma for the California gray whales Pitahatas

that were passing by on their way south to one of three Baja lagoons. Breakfast is a huge delight at Tomates. It adjoins the Plazuela courtyard, offering inviting patio dining, where a friendly tortilla maker can be found working diligently over a hot griddle. Authentic Mexico comes to life through the chef’s curated selection of dishes inspired by Mexico City, including Charred Tomato Salsa, Tinga de Pollo, Huitlacoche, Raja Poblanos with corn, Salsa Habanero, and Chicharrón Prensa—pork marinated in a rich, peppery red sauce. The menu also features tamales from the ancient Aztecs, Baja Nopales Asados—a tangy roasted cactus—and an abundant selection of fresh vegetables and fruit. Meanwhile, two cooks in an open kitchen prepare Lazcarro-style omelets upon request.

A stroll along the inviting beach to smooth, weathered boulders and tide pools carved by the relentless sea, reveals the vastness of Baja Sur. The cadence of the waves tickles our toes as the sea mirrors the sky and seagulls glide gracefully in the breeze. Suddenly, as from nowhere, a sun-tinged hotel security staff appeared, advising us to step back a few feet from the waterline, explaining that large waves can unexpectedly surge in and sweep you out to sea. It’s long been noted that the Sea of Cortez and Pacific Ocean in Los Cabos are unsafe for swimmers due to rip currents, but public beaches that are safe for a dip are roped off. It is also recommended that divers swim with a local guide, rendering the attractive Hacienda swimming pool extremely alluring.

Tahona Tacos

With the sea at our backs and the distant boulders on the horizon, we enjoyed lunch at the Tahona patio, surrounded by tall, fluttering palm trees and an open kitchen, where savory aromas drifted skyward. At the heart of the patio sits a large Tahona, an ancient and ingeniously crafted heavy stone wheel used for grinding cactus to make tequila. The name “Tahona” comes from the Nahuatl language of the Indigenous Aztecs. The small dining area with a soft breeze rustling the napkins, was another favorite with guests and veteran Baja aficionados. Many commented that Tahona has the most flavorful tacos in Los Cabos, if not in all Baja, and one sitting is never enough. First served is a plate of fresh Guacamole sprinkled with bits of tomato. The busy grill on the patio, produces small slices of chicken or beef on open-face tacos, and hand-made tortillas dressed with radishes, greens, and shredded carrots and purple cabbage. A selection of dipping sauces includes Salsa Tatemada, a delicate and richly flavorful charred red sauce, along with enough limes to supply all of Los Cabos—Mexico proudly known as the world’s Lime Capital.

De Cortez

Hacienda del Mar, designed to capture the essence of Mexico in its expansive setting and offering world-renowned cuisine, has somehow preserved an inherent, cherished intimacy that makes the property feel personal and welcoming. The De Cortez Grillhouse is a favorite among honeymooners and those seeking a romantic evening. With the lights low, the menu offers enticing options such as Endive & Blue Cheese with charred walnuts and creamy honey-Gorgonzola, Wood-Fired Sourdough Caprese Flatbread, an Organic Salad with a sweet and sour mustard vinaigrette, and Italian Pasta with Fresh and Smoked Salmon. For a truly memorable dish, Chef Lazcarro recommends his Iron Cast Seafood, a decadent mix of scallops, shrimp, fish, mussels, potato gnocchi, and fennel. To complement the meal, a 2023 Casa Magoni Cabernet, bold and structured, from Valle de Guadalupe in Baja Norte, which adds the perfect touch, while background music and exceptional service make it a memory keeper.

When You Go

The dining options at Hacienda del Mar Los Cabos are vast, making it a paradise for any epicurean who appreciates the rich flavors of Mexico. Additional choices include a Tapas & Sushi Bar, La Terraza Del Santo, where guests savor chocolate clams, yellowfin tuna, and a menu full of creative delights; The Grill, offers Alaska salmon, whole lobster, organic chicken, a Butcher’s Board, and homemade ice cream; and Trattoria, a guest favorite that delivers a quick yet authentic culinary journey to Italy. The resort is a one-stop destination, yet nearby lies the vibrant city of San José del Cabo, with boutiques that are sure to draw you in. The historic San José del Cabo Cathedral, dating back to 1730, stands as the southernmost of the Jesuit missions on the Baja Peninsula. Its two bell towers, imported from Spain, ring out a warm welcome to guests every Sunday.

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The Atlantic Ocean, rhythmic, fickle, and unpredictable, bares its teeth with white, foamy waves that embrace the soft, sandy shoreline. Agile Sandpipers, feathers dry, dart along the wet sand, deftly dancing to evade the surf as they search for snails and crustaceans, while small land crabs scan the surface for a quick meal, and scurry about as if cleverly electrified by the ceaseless formations. The North Carolina Outer Banks, OBX, are a breathtaking treasure: a 200-mile ribbon of barrier islands and spits stretching off the coasts of North Carolina and Southeastern Virginia. The islands line much of North Carolina’s shoreline, revealing a vast, untouched beachfront, including the majestic Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Surrounded by history, culture, vibrant marine life, and the ceaseless rhythm of the Atlantic, a coastal region offering a natural harmony beneath ever-changing skies and drifting clouds. In its southern reaches lie the enchanting towns of Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and Nags Head, where visitors can enjoy exquisite dining, charming boutiques, lively nightlife, and a rich culinary bounty from the sea.

Barefoot beach weddings

In the northeastern Outer Banks, anchored by the historic Currituck Beach Lighthouse (circa 1875), the landscape is dotted with three-story, wood-framed homes and venues ideal for large, romantic, barefoot beach weddings, and recognized as one of the state’s most popular wedding venues. The homes here share a similar style and construction, often featuring balconies and the Outer Banks hallmark, the seemingly identical sandy wooden steps leading down to the beach. At dusk, as the sun sets in a wash of pastel hues shaped by the offshore breeze into a subdued sky, a leisurely stroll along the shoreline might end with mistaking someone else’s beach access for your own-and possibly ending up in their kitchen. The legendary Outer Banks stand alone in North America as one of a kind and are one of the culturally distinctive regions on the East Coast. It is easy to feel the pride of ownership and a protective essence of a land with stories to share. The Outer Banks Conservation Group, with an incredible ecology-minded decorum, have instilled a pride of ownership. The roadways are virtually free of litter and the broad expanse of beaches that extend for miles, are among the most pristine in North America. Adding to the splendors are 12 national and state wildlife refuges scattered throughout the Outer Banks, and eight distinctive golf courses with ocean views.

Graveyard of the Atlantic

A nightmare for sea captains of old, the Outer Banks and surrounding seas, have recorded hundreds of shipwrecks. Well before the advent of lighthouses, the “Bankers,” as they are called, would light bon fires to warn approaching ships, while a few other Bankers with devious thoughts would leer the ships to the shallows with disastrous results. Today, there are five lighthouses on the Outer Banks sending out their safety signals. All are historic with stories to fill a book and span over 115 miles from Corolla to Ocracoke Island. Built in 1875 and now owned by the Outer Banks Conservationists, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse was the last major brick lighthouse to be illuminated on the Outer Banks. Nicely restored, it sends out a guiding beam visible up to 18 nautical miles. For a $13 fee, visitors can climb 220 steps past nine landings to reach the top at 162 feet, where they’re rewarded with sweeping views of Currituck Sound and the expansive coastal landscape.

Age of Exploration Spanish Wild Mustangs – An Outer Banks Treasure

In the mid-1500s eight Spanish ships met their fate among the hidden shoals and shallow waters of the Outer Banks and the mustangs onboard cleverly swam ashore. Other mustangs were likely left behind during early explorations. Today these direct descendants of the 16th century Spanish stock are protected by the National Park Service and called “Banker Ponies”. Appropriately, they became the state horse of North Carolina after living on the Outer Banks for nearly 500 years. The mustangs, also called” Wild Horses,” have one less vertebrate in their spines, shorter backs, with coats of chestnut, bay, and black. They are feisty, fast, and hardy, can dig for fresh water, and have been known to swim from island to island searching for fresh grazing areas. The Spanish Mustangs of Northern Corolla Outer Banks are as pure as the 16th century species. Approximately 115 roam over the 7,500 protected acres on the Currituck Banks.

Shackelford Banks, the southernmost of the barrier island chain and part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore has 119 protected wild Mustangs. located three miles offshore, and can be reached via a 25-minute ferry boat ride. The well-preserved, uninhabited island is glowing with firsthand care. Vehicles are not allowed and is noted as one of the finest shelling locations in the country. Reportedly, 400 Mustangs live in the Outer Banks, however, in 1926, an article in National Geographic stated there were an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 Mustangs roaming freely across the Outer Banks.

Wright Brothers flying high

While the Mustangs were roaming the beaches of the Outer Banks and living the good life, the Wilbur and Orville, Wright Brothers, were looking upward, and in north Dare County (named after unwholesome rum), the brothers selected the remote 428-acre Kill Devil Hills area for its good winds and privacy for their first flight. Kitty Hawk, about four miles north, was the nearest settlement at the time, and in 1903, Orville completed the first powered flight of a heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer, sailing aloft for 12 seconds, traveling 120 feet, and reaching a speed of 6.8 miles per hour. The Wright Brothers National Memorial is in Kill Devil Hills, and a must on an “Outer Banks priority list.”

The Outer Banks is a sensory delight, offering a rich history and a tribute to the preservation and care of this unique region, and also the perfect place to exchange vows, and begin a new life.

Corolla Wild Horses Fund

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