July 2008 Entries
My husband’s grandfather died at 96 last week. Even though I saw him only infrequently over the past several years, he retained an honored place in my pantheon of truly good people.
Whenever we were together, he treated me as one of his own. Although my background was entirely different from just about everyone he had ever known before my entering his family, he could not have been more accepting and welcoming.
He was the oldest son of a farmer, and thus was expected to take over the family farm when his father could no longer handle it. He accepted his responsibility even though he didn’t want to be a farmer; his interest and great skill was in things mechanical.
After several years, he passed the farm on to a younger brother, but continued doing all sorts of work on it while at the same time attempting to run a engine shop in town.
None of this made much money, and he had a family of six children to support, so in the 1950's he took and passed a state civil service test to become an inspector of weights and measures. The job took him away from home most weeks as he traveled his sector of the state calibrating scales, gasoline pumps and the like. He didn’t much like being away from his wife and children, but he was a quietly sociable man and made friends wherever he went.
When it came time to retire, he went back to helping on the farm and being a one-man building trades practitioner. It seemed to me there was nothing in the way of carpentry, electrical, plumbing and other construction and remodeling tasks he couldn’t do. And if the job was too much for one man, his brother left the farm in his own son’s capable hands and joined my grandfather-in-law on the job.
The two brothers ran a saw-mill, grew strawberries and made maple syrup as cash crops. They went fishing in summer and deer hunting around Thanksgiving time, and as in most close country families, at the right age, they opened these rituals to succeeding generations of sons and cousins. All men, though. Women’s lib hadn’t penetrated this domain, and as he always contended, a woman can’t play a decent hand of sheepshead. On the other hand, all of his daughters went to college and graduate school, and all had distinguished careers.
He traveled some—more than most in his circle—always to spend some time with one or another of the kids. But although he got to Europe, Africa and Asia, he never tried to appear as anything but what he was—a countryman, a contented one and a good one. He was a good man, whom I shall always remember and always honor with my gratitude for having known him.
We'd be interested to hear about someone who enriched your life in unexpected ways
Paula Gifford
Ordinarily I have a very placid outlook on life. But there are things that pump up my blood pressure, and usually it’s something involved with sales gimmicks – especially worthless ones.
What I have in mind is the oft repeated phrase used in connection with television offers, "You pay only shipping and handling!" Usually it’s for something that’s being offered free, or as an add-on to something with a price that brings tears to my eyes at the thought of the sacrifice the seller is making. You know the pitch.... "But wait! As a special gift if you order within the next four minutes....and you pay only shipping and handling."
After hearing these spiels more times than I can remember, it finally dawned on me that the shipping and, especially, handling is probably equal to the cost of the item, or nearly so.
The variation that carries this gimmick to it’s extreme offers "free replacements FOR LIFE" just for the cost of shipping and handling. I think they’re even making a buck or two in profit on this one.
There, I’ve gotten that off my chest. Now why don’t you tell me about your gripes, especially those having to do with questionable sales offers, so I can get annoyed all over again.
Paula "Just Say No" Gifford
London is one of the cities I return to frequently. True, it can be frightfully expensive, but there still is good value lodging in the capital. My favorite is Doughty Cottage in Richmond, about 10 minutes by tube from central London. And there are any number of excellent neighborhood restaurants where dinner for two costs less than $70.
Of course, if you go to London to shop, bring wads of cash. But why do so? You don’t have to travel thousands of miles to find the same things that are sold at home. No, the reason to go to London—or at least my reason—is to see and enjoy the city’s great treasures. Theater tickets (and English National Opera, too) are available at half price at the TKTS office in Leicester Square. Unsold tickets for Royal Opera performances are sold at half-price four hours before performance at the opera house in Covent Garden.
The great Christopher Wren churches are open for inspection, and only a contribution at your discretion is asked. And then there are the museums, oh what a city for museums. My favorite is the National Portrait Gallery. There are more than 300,000 paintings, sculptures and drawings in its collection, with only the best known and most valuable on permanent exhibition, including very revealing likenessess of Queen Victoria, Benjamin Disraeli, Virginia Woolfe and David Hockney. I love this place because I can fully enjoy the work of an author, a painter, a dramatist and such only if I know what she or he looked like. All of the greatest and most insightful portraitists of their age are shown here.
London has the great museums that virtually everyone knows about—the British Museum, the Tate Gallery, the Victoria and Albert and on and on. But how many visitors know about the Museum of Mankind, Pollock’s Toy Museum, Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens, the Dickens House, Dr. Johnson’s House and Thomas Carlyle’s House? These are but a few of London’s little-known museums, and all are fascinating. Entry fees, if any, are not large.
I never run out of things to see in London—old favorites and new favorites. And my visits, not counting air fare, cost not too much more than if I had spent the time at home.
Do you have special places you enjoy visiting in London or any other city—especially places that are relatively inexpensive? Please tell us about them, as I’m sure others would appreciate the information.
Paula "Another pint, please" Gifford
Most of our blogs are about my travels (or yours). But when we recently decided to offer a book to our new subscribers as a summer premium, we were so taken with the experiences of the writer of that book, Nathaniel Lande, that we invited him to make a guest appearance on our blog. Each of the entries in his book, the 10 Best of Everything, is a compelling story in itself, so Nathaniel kindly agreed to retell a couple for our blog. The first was about his being injured in Russia, with the details of his evacuation to the U.S. Below is another brief tale, this one about Nathaniel’s introduction to one of the world’s most renowned gentlemen’s haberdashers. I hope you will enjoy it and will want to share this unique information—and so much more that is yours in Passport Newsletter with your friends. Just send them to free book promotion, and remember, the promotion ends on July 31.
When I was a young correspondent, covering the Vietnam War, my assignment landed me first in Hong Kong on my way to the front. TIME-LIFE correspondents felt that representatives of their respected publications were expected to dress appropriately and smartly. As a "new boy" they weren’t particularly impressed with my appearance.
One of them, who took an interest in me was Larry Burrows, a great LIFE photographer who became a great friend before he was killed over Cambodia, shortly after one of our assignments. Larry, who was as natty as he was talented, said to me, "You need a proper correspondent’s kit before you’re ready to go into the field. I’m taking you to my tailor." I was delighted, of course, with this new image of myself, and so we headed for the Kimberly Road shop of a tailor whose name I didn’t recognize, Ascot Chang.
This was Chang’s first shop, and his name on a label hadn’t gained the cachet it has today, although he was already known as one of the best shirtmakers in Hong Kong, with a clientele of astute celebrities who knew the quality of his work. The ever-stylish Larry was a friend of his and wanted him to fit me for a custom-made, multi-pocketed, khaki poplin correspondent’s jacket.
We entered the shop, but Ascot was no where in sight. Larry thought this strange, because Ascot was always in his shop. Finally we found him crouched down behind bolts of cloths next to a polished mahogany cutting table. But when he recognized Larry, he jumped up pleading, "Larry, I don’t do khaki."
But Larry charmed him, of course, as he did everyone, and before long we were both being measured for khaki correspondent’s jackets (Larry thought he needed a new one, too). Two days later, they arrived at our hotel, mine, the best-fitting garment I’d ever had prior to buying my shirts from Ascot’s shop in Beverly Hills.
If you'd like to know more about Nathaniel's book, click here.
I’m off again, destination a secret until later. So no new blogs until July 29.
Paula "Wanderlust" Gifford
What does a proper Frenchwoman think of New Orleans? I was recently visited by a schoolfriend who lives in Paris. She spent a week in New Orleans before reaching me, and here are some of her comments about "The Big Easy."
"Sitting on a sunny morning over café-au-lait and featherlight sugared beignets in the riverside Café du Monde I might have believed that the influence and heritage of the first French settlers still shaped New Orleans today. I was lodged in a charming boutique hotel in the vieux carrée, I had shopped in the French market (founded 1791) and I had admired a gleaming statue of Joan of Arc steps away.
"I was impressed to find many streets with French names—Bourbon, Chartres, Toulouse and so on—unchanged. The state capital, Baton Rouge, would sound quite odd as Red Stick. And New Orleans itself is named for the French Regent in 1718, Philippe d'Orléans. How agreeable, how French! So far, there was indeed much evidence that the French were here. Yet I could not fail to observe that French culture does not figure as large as tourist promotion suggests. Certainly menus list such delicacies as foie gras and boudin, yet it is easier to learn of po-boys, golf courses and how to get quickly married than of the French explorer, Sieur de La Salle, for instance,who in 1682 loyally named extensive territories in the New World Louisiane, in honor of his King, Louis XIV.
"Hearing so much about Cajuns, I ventured to Lafayette, Louisiana to experience the delights of a ‘Festival Acadien’, I found that Cajuns today, of independent temperament, with their own infectious music and savory food and speaking a unique mixture of French and English. More than once we heard the rallying cry 'Laissez les bon temps roulez', Let the good times roll.
"So pondering the 'Frenchness' of New Orleans, I concluded the city was more Deep South than French, but with enough carryover from the days of greater French influence to make it a unique blending. I enjoyed it and I will come back!"
As we all know, New Orleans has suffered tremendously, from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. Nevertheless it remains one of the most popular cities in the U.S. for visitors. Do you have any favorite places in and around New Orleans that you would share with other readers of this blog?
Paula "Muffaletta Lover" Gifford
Today’s blog comes from Nathaniel Lande, Author of The Ten Best of Everything, as well as at least eight other books that I know of. He’s been Creative Director of the Magazine Group of Time Incorporated, Executive Producer for both the CBS and NBC Television Networks, faculty member at the University of North Carolina and Duke University, and has so many awards to his credit that if we listed them all, there’d be no room for his wonderful guest blog, which follows.
I would urge any traveler and reader to buy travel insurance, before any trip to cover trip cancellation, lost bags, and most importantly, for medical expenses and medical evacuation abroad should that be necessary.
Never suspecting it would happen to me, I took a fall down a gang plank while in port in Moscow on my way to St. Petersburg, following the Waterways of the Czars, while on a very engaging assignment for the Third Edition for National Geographic Books, the 10 Best of Everything. While the Captain said it was the most graceful fall he had ever seen, I did end up at the American Clinic in Moscow with two fractured vertebrae, lying on my back for nine days, until I was evacuated home in care of a board certified doctor.
Luckily, I had taken my own advice, and had elected a Medex $100,000 policy for a 30 day coverage abroad, costing me just under $125. It was a fortuitous decision, because my expenses at this very good clinic were $30,000 dollars US, and the cost of evacuation home by air, $64,000 by a superb outfit contracted by Medex called Global Voyager, taking care of every detail and arrangement. If I had not taken the policy, it would have been a very expensive fall indeed. But now I am recovering quite nicely because of the initial care and concern afforded to me.
Now let me share the following about my trip home. It comes from my notes:
...An army of eight Aeroflot men dressed in blue and orange coveralls took me by special evacuation shuttle and we entered the rear of a Boeing 767 where they placed me in a specially designed compartment, which requisitioned eight window seats that had been reconfigured to allow a stretcher bed, a private compartment, around which was a curtain and behind which was me, offering coming attractions as a backstage performer of a Punch and Judy puppet show.
My accompanying companion, Doctor Anton, sat across, in the center rows, and he took wonderful care of me, a gentle, knowledgeable and compassionate man, and as a lover of Russian history, we had good time to talk and discuss the many events from 1917.
A couple of children were sitting near by, and so, settling in behind the curtain, and after take-off, I found a white napkin, and devised a plane-made puppet, with ears and mouth, that I could manipulate with my fingers, and I will take credit for some ingenuity, because it DID look like a bunny of sorts.
Every-time the Captain or flight attendants made an announcement preceded by a "bing-bing", out from the curtain, from high up, shot the rabbit, miming their words. At first there was astonishment, but with each proceeding announcement, update, and instructions, out came the rabbit, greeted by giggles and laughter, and by the end of the flight, applause from the gathering audience from the back of the plane. I never realized I had the skills of a puppeteer.
About seven hours into the flight, looking down from my windows. There were lakes of ice, separated by deep blue patches of water, and I imagined that I was lying on the back of a white swan gliding home.
An ambulance was waiting on the tarmac in Los angeles, with a customs officer, and soon I was dispatched, on the way to Santa Barbara, with Dr. Anton, and two friendly, agreeable ambulance drivers, Jesse and Steve (from Louisiana) dressed in official uniforms with arm patches. We bonded quickly.
Approaching the 101 moving swiftly with lights flashing, I asked if the boys were hungry. They were, and wanting to introduce Dr. Anton to barbecue, I called ahead to the Wood Ranch, not too far from Woodland Hills, just off Lewis Road in Camarillo, across from the Factory Outlets where smart shopping mommas find many brand names have shops and great buys.
I ordered four platters of well grilled ribs, onion rings, garlic rolls, southern style baked beans, and cole slaw made with their special recipe topped with peanuts, and at exactly 7:15, we pulled up to the take out. Then, and in the parking lot, the doors opened, me inside on a gurney, and we all had a tailgate picnic. No one coming to the Wood Ranch that Friday evening had seen anything like it. The manager came out and offered us free lemonade refills, and it was a culinary peak moment for Dr. Anton, who appreciated each taste of down-home cooked dishes...
Have you had any experiences of injury or illness while traveling abroad? Tell us about them.
Paula "Takin' A Trip" Gifford
P.S. Read Nathaniel Lande's current book, The 10 Best of Everything, for more such engaging stories.
Don’t you just love having a proper tea in proper surroundings? Taking out-of-town guests to tea is one of my favorite things to do. And it’s one of the items on my daily agenda when I’m traveling.
I’ve probably drunk more tea in more places than anyone who’s not a traveling tea sales representative. When done right, the whole experience is one of life’s unsung civilized pleasures. But it’s "doing it right" that makes all the difference. Sitting down to a freshly brewed cup of tea at home is relaxing and enjoyable, of course, but it’s not the same as have a full afternoon tea in a fine hotel or a cozy tearoom.
Making a good cup of tea is no routine matter. Dunk a teabag in a cup filled with hot water, and you might as well be drinking "instant" hot water. But although I know that making truly good tea is no simple matter, I’m not very good at it myself. I do try, though, to follow the rule that Charles Laughton laid down in the very old movie, Ruggles of Red Gap. "Never bring the teapot to the kettle. Always bring the kettle to the teapot." Nevertheless, my own teas are never as good as those I’ve had elsewhere, so I go looking for afternoon tea wherever I may be.
In London there are any number of places for afternoon tea, but my favorite is the Beaufort Hotel. The surroundings are strictly English country house, the cakes and finger sandwiches are divine, the tea superb and the service calculated to make you think they’ve mistaken you for royalty.
In Glasgow, it’s got to be the Willow Tea Room, designed by Scotland’s premier architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Here, the tea is accompanied by scones with plenty of jam and heavy cream, of course, but also crumpets and Scottish pancakes!
In Calcutta (I’ll never be comfortable calling it Kolkata) it’s the Hotel Sonar Bangla Sheraton, where tea is served in tiny screened tea rooms—ideal spots for reading or meditating when the heat and humidity make it bearable to be out of air-conditioned interiors.
I could go on and on, but instead, why don’t you tell me about some of your favorite afternoon tea rooms? I’m sure there still are others I haven’t tried.
Paula "One Lump, Please" Gifford
Although several friends have suggested radical psychiatric treatment, I’m considering signing on for a dog sled and skiing trip to the North Pole next April. The modes of travel and the activities at and around the pole seem to me to be of a less intrusive nature than the South Pole expeditions I’ve written about recently.
As with any adventure trip, a successful experience depends to a great degree on careful preparation. In this case, anyone not experienced in handling dogsleds has to take a five day preparatory course in Northern Minnesota.
And going with an experienced tour company is essential on a trip of this nature, as there are potential hazards that have to be anticipated and that someone has to know how to handle successfully.
Just as important is the list of clothing and equipment I’ll have to bring along. When I received this information from the tour company I’m considering, I was bowled over at the thought of packing all this gear—especially as I pride myself on traveling light. But I realize it’s all necessary for comfort and safety, and being equipped with the right gear is essential for the success of any undertaking.
So here for what I hope will be your interest—and perhaps use if you ever consider a similar expedition—is my packing list. How I’ll carry it all remains to be seen.
- Waterproof trousers that will fit comfortably over thermal long underwear and rubber boots.
- Other insulated trousers with cuffs wide enough to fit over insulated boots.
- Knee-high rubber boots with tread soles. Wide enough for 2-3 pairs of socks and long underwear to fit inside. No zipper.
- 3/4-length down jacket with hood.
- 2-3 pairs of insulated gloves and glove liners.
- Long, thermal underwear (not silk).
- Warm, close-fitting, ear-hugging hats (at least two).
- Soft, warm wool muffler.
- Socks: thin wool (first layers), knee-high thermal (second layers), thick knit (third layers).
- Comfortable shoes (tennis, moccasin, etc.) for indoors.
- Insulated boots for outdoors.
- 2-3 turtleneck jerseys in various weights.
- 2-3 warm sweaters in various weights.
- Thermal or fleece vest.
- Lightweight sweatshirts for indoors.
- Sweat pants or jeans for indoors.
- Flannel shirts.
- Lightweight sleeper.
- Sleeping bag (rated to at least -35̊ Celsius)
- Two ground pads
- Bivouac sack
- Waterproof backpack or fanny pack.
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Two cameras -- a digital camera with a zoom lens for stills, and a digital video camera so we can upload key moments to YouTube.
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Lots of memory cards for the cameras
- Binoculars.
- Sunglasses.
- Anti-fog goggles
- Face mask
- Personal grooming amenities, including tissue, a large bar of soap, sponge or luffa, laundry soap packets, pinch-type clothes hangers and other preferences.
- Sun block.
- Lip balm.
- Thermos bottle
- Eating utensils and bowl
- Personal medications.
- Second pair of prescription eyeglasses.
- Notebook and pens.
- Sealable plastic bags in various sizes.
- # 4 carabineer & 5 meters of 6 mm rope
If this alone doesn’t stop me, the rest of the trip will be a breeze.
Paula "Mush You Huskies" Gifford
There’s a great new book on Paris restaurants, much needed. since Patricia Well's Food-Lover's Guide to Paris went out of print. I’ve been looking for something to replace it, and recently found it with the just published Hungry for Paris, The Ultimate Guide to the City's 102 Best Restaurants by Alexander Lobrano (Random House, $16). Not only is it a terrific guide to great eating in Paris, it's also a well-written combination of guidebook, memoir and portrait of Paris as seen through its restaurants. (Buy directly through Amazon by clicking here.)
One of my favorite books on Paris is a precious Taride Guide—a street guide of sorts, but with all sorts of useful information. Mine is at least 30 years old, and probably missing a lot on today’s Paris, but I figure the basics are still correct, and indeed, whenever I’ve used it to get around the city by bus or metro, it’s been very helpful.
My copy starts with a list of old street names that have been renamed. Next comes the complete street guide with the arrondissement for every one as well as information on where the street starts and were it ends—very useful when using the arrondissement maps that are also included. There’s a ton of information on places of interest, from museums to government offices, also bus route maps and street guides for the principal suburbs of Paris, all in a volume little larger than a 3X5 card and less than an inch in thickness. My copy is from the 300 series; today’s Tarides comprise the 500 series, I believe. Amazon has used copies of Tarides from the 1990s at collectors’ prices, but W.H. Smith claims to have new ones for about $20.
Another book—or rather two— I would not go to Paris without are the Michelin Green Guides for the city and for the Ile-de-France (the region around Paris). There’s a virtually endless list of guidebooks for Paris, but these two standbys will tell you all you need to know about the city and its environs, with the information conveniently arranged for walking.
If you have favorite guidebooks about any city—especially if they are something other than the current “best sellers,” I’m certain our readers will appreciate learning about them. So please let us know.
Paula “Bon Voyage” Gifford
As both my niece and I are interested in nature, science and exotic environments with lots of unfamiliar bird life, I chose to take her to Panama as a high school graduation gift. And on advice from my travel agent, we picked the Gamboa Rainforest Resort as our primary destination.
The physical location of Gamboa gave us lots of opportunities for nature activities. On day one, we visited Monkey Island, reached by boat via the Chagres river, which merges with the Canal. Capuchin monkey troupes run the island and become quite indignant is visitors don’t bring them banana snacks. They even come aboard for their handout. Unlike the Capuchins, the Black Howlers, also resident on Monkey Island keep to themselves, but easily within sight. The water surrounding the island abounds with crocodiles and caimans, both frequently seen.
Next we took Gamboa’s aerial tram through the rainforest canopy where, except for an occasional sleeping tree sloth or iguana, the main interest is in the varieties of trees and vines, especially those from which medicines are extracted by local Indian shamans as well as Western researchers. What’s more, by careful observation—and with the help of the local who drove the tram—we spotted 27 birds neither of us had ever seen before!
On another day, we were thrilled to meet a few of the native Indians on whose land the resort is built and who continue to live in rather primitive style in the area. And as you can imagine, all of these jungle experiences caused my stock to rise sharply with my niece.
I was so pleased by the quality time I had with my niece that I wonder, have you tried exotic destinations as a way to bond with the teenagers in your life? How did it work out?
Paula "coolest aunt ever" Gifford
Here’s an interesting pitch I came across for chartering your own plane rather than flying with a scheduled airline. It comes from Bill Herp, President of Linear Air, a Concord, MA based air taxi service operating in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and eastern Canada. Similar services are offered throughout North America by other companies. With all of the problems the scheduled airlines are having these days, these services may become reasonable alternatives for an increasing number of flyers.
Here’s what Mr. Herp says:
1. When flying private, travelers avoid the 53 percent of overall travel time that’s spent just waiting in major airports for a flight. This includes check-in, security lines and flight delays.
2. Flying private can reduce trip time to selected destinations by as much as 3.5 hours.
3. Leave on time and arrive on time – specified by the traveler – with private air. Commercial travelers suffer from late departures more than a quarter of the time and late arrivals almost a third of the time.
4. Flights can be booked according to the traveler’s schedule, creating efficiencies that eliminate unnecessary overnight stays, long commutes from major airports to final destinations and unexpected cancellations.
5. Private air charters can go into 10-times more airports than commercial flights. By utilizing regional airports, air travel needs can be met from locations closer to homes and offices.
6. The well-appointed cabins on private jets are more conducive to meetings and can increase productivity for business travelers.
7. The average commercial plane is more than 25 years old. Overall, private planes are newer and more eco-friendly.
8. Luggage is loaded directly onto the aircraft, in view of the traveler, unlike the hundreds of thousands of mishandled and lost bags in commercial airports.
9. The average light jet flight is only 90 minutes, getting travelers from point-to-point efficiently.
10. Leisure travelers can get to weekend destinations more quickly and avoid getting stuck in major airport traffic.
What do you think? Do you agree with Mr. Herp’s statements? I note that his points are primarily based on convenience, with nothing said about comparative costs. Are private charters cost effective? If so, for whom and under what circumstances. Let me hear from you.
Paula "Wondering" Gifford
Can anyone help me? After the hundreds of thousands of miles I’ve logged by air, sea, train and even bus, I’m still not satisfied with my luggage situation. Or perhaps more accurately, what satisfied me at one time, no longer does. (By the way, I’ve gone through these upheavals more than once in past years.)
I now try to pack extremely lightly. This has become a lot easier in recent years with the introduction of truly wash-at-night-and-wear-next-day clothes—underthings, especially, but good looking shorts, shirts, trousers, skirts and socks for walking shoes. Walking shoes have themselves gotten lighter as they no longer need be made of leather, and yet give good support. Some have aeration vents that help them to dry after taking them off. So with only a minimal number of changes, I’ve been able to get by for as much as two weeks with one carried bag.
I once stood behind a young man in a passport line on reentering the country after a flight from Australia. He was carrying no more than a rather thin briefcase, and after clearing passport check, he breezed through customs, showing them only the briefcase. Later, as we were waiting for taxis, I asked him how long he’d been in Australia, and he said a month, and I was sufficiently surprised to ask how he could exist for a month on the contents of his briefcase.
I had not, at that time, discovered the wash and wear line of travelers’ clothing. But he had, and he had so much confidence in its efficacy that he carried only a bathing suit and a book!
Well, I had neither the right clothing nor the social confidence to get along for a month on one set of wearables. But his approach to packing pointed me in the right direction.
So now I’m down to one medium-size carryall that provides more than enough room for clothing, camera, binoculars (I’m a birder) notebook and reading books. The total contents are light enough for me to consider carrying them in a backpack, and there are situations in which that would be most convenient. But not wanting to have any extra weight on my back when I don’t have to, I also like to have something with wheels.
Thus, my call for help. I’d like to know if you’ve found just the right piece of luggage to fit a "travel-ultra-light" approach to packing. I’ve targeted a couple of alternatives, but I’d like to see if anyone has experience with either of these, or prefers something I haven’t found. I won’t name my two candidates, because I’d like to hear what choices others have made.
Thanks a lot.
Paula "No More Schlepping" Gifford