Victoria is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Canada, and for good reason. It has a stunning downtown on the harbor with resplendent government buildings like the one shown above.  Cruise ships arrive in town and when they do the streets and shops hum with activity. The city has 78,000 residents but the metro is over 300,000. The…...

Approximately 75 miles north of cabo San Lucas on the Baha peninsula of Mexico lies the seacoast town of Tados Santos. While the casual visitor might never suspect that anyone from the USA would be retired here, they would be mistaken. There are several clues that might help explain the presence of these gringos. One is the Hotel California, a…...

Elizabethtown is a city of 28,000 people located along the I-65 corridor between Nashville and Louisville. It is the county seat of Hardin County. The movie "Elizabethtown" is named after the town, although much of it was apparently filmed elsewhere because many of its historic structures have been eliminated in the name  of progress. Elizabethtown is a "damp" or "moist"…...

Grass Valley is a small town of about 12,000 near Nevada City, Auburn, and about 50 miles from Sacramento in California.  The town was an important part of the original California Gold Rush. It is in the foothills of the Sierra. Photo of The Josiah Royce public library, (as Grass Valley was the the birthplace and early home of philosopher…...