Duluth is a city on Lake Superior of about 84,000 people. The people who retire here enjoy boating and plenty of outside activities in all seasons. There are several colleges in town including the University of Minnesota -Duluth.  photo of Canal Park with approaching ship and lift bridge in background, courtesy of Wikipedia and Nick Zlonis (public domain); photo of…...

Crete is the largest and most populous (over 600,000) of the Greek Islands in the Mediterranean Sea.  It was the center of the Minoan civilization, the first in Europe.  The capital city is Heraklion. The island is quite mountainous with one peak well over 2000 meters. It is also one of the most popular vacation destinations in Greece.  First photo is…...

Tamarindo is a town on the north Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. It likes to refer to itself as the Noth Pacific Gold Coast. According to Wikipedia it is located in the Province of Guanacaste. The district has a population of 3,525, although the town itself is about 500. The main transport and commercial centre in the region is Nicoya,…...

Sonoma is the center of the California's wine industry, situated as it is between Napa and Santa Rosa.  It has historic town plaza, a remnant of when Sonoma was the capital of the short-lived California Republic. Surprisingly for a town of only about 10,000 people, Sonoma is a cultural powerhouse. It is home to the new $145 million dollar Donald and…...