This roll-on deodorant has been living in my travel backpack since I returned from our family vacation last year in the UK.
I purchased it at an M&S Simply Foods grocery within walking distance of our digs at the Royal Horseguards Hotel. As a near lifetime user of Old Spice (original stick formula) deodorant this was a pleasant change of pace. Not the roll-on feature - the scent. A very pleasing scent.
Anyway, it's all used-up from traveling since then and I got to wondering if it was available for sale anywhere locally. Nada. Not Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Pick & Save or Tadych's. I didn't find it online at Costco either.
I did find it for sale (and denominated in USD) at Amazon UK. Unfortunately, the UK website in typical polite British form regrets to inform me: This item cannot be dispatched to your selected delivery location. Please choose a different delivery location.
Obviously, somewhere on their side of the pond.
I did find something similar to the UK product available via our Prime account at Amazon.
But I'll give it a rest for the present and return to the comfort of my familiar Old Spice.
Besides, you never know when a travel opportunity might pop-up that results in a return to the UK.
I can scratch that itch then.
Meanwhile, if you're traveling to the UK and surrounding environs keep your eye peeled for Marks and Spencer and their smaller M&S Simply Foods. You have my personal assurance you will find everything thing you need at regular pricing - even in midtown London. Same for Monoprix in France.
Also called the Bisesquicentennial, the Sestercentennial, America 250 or the Quarter Millenium - this marks the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. Festivities will mark various events leading up to the Declaration's anniversary on July 4, 2026.
Nevertheless, I recommend we start celebrating now. Why, you ask? Because it was 250 years ago, this year, that stuff that really mattered in our history actually happened.
Consequently, The Missus and I traveled to Boston very recently and spent more than a week with a small group is similarly-motivated citizen history nerds to learn more about the history and events that led-up to our road to independence.
To facilitate this adventure we booked a tour with Road Scholar (formerly Elder Hostel) thereby utilizing their expertise in guiding the process, facilitating the participation of local historians and creating a group dynamic encouraging active participation of inquiry and search for knowledge.
Each day included a mix of lecture, Q&A, site visits with exploration and more walking than I've done in awhile. If you've never been to Boston - as are many places in Europe and abroad - the streets and sidewalks are cobble stones strewn with potholes and other hazards to navigation. The fact that not a person in our group turned an ankle is miraculous.
Subsequent posts will cover some (but not all) of these significant events. So stay-tuned and stop back periodically for a guided walk down our road to Independence.
Key Dates and Events
1630 - Puritans arrive in Massachusetts and settle Boston
1686 - King James II revokes the Massachusetts Bay Colony's charter and installs SirEdmund Andros as governor
1689 - Bostonians force Governor Andros to resign
1756 -1763 - Seven Year's War (French and Indian War) drains the British treasury
1760 - King George III accedes to the British Throne
1761 - James Otis argues against the Writs of Assistance in a court trail at the Old State House
1763 - Faneuil Hall is dedicated to the "Cause of Liberty" by Otis
1765 - Stamp Act passed; riots occur in Boston and other cities
1766 - Stamp Act repealed; great celebrations follow
1768 - June 10, John Hancock's ship Liberty is seized in a disagreement over the paymentof customs duties; protesters riot in Boston
- October 1, British troops land in Boston to maintain order
1770 - March 5, the Boston Massacre
1772 - Committees of Correspondence formed to oppose "despotism" of GovernorHutchinson in a dispute over his salary
1773 - Tea Act passed; December 16, Boston Tea Party
1774 - Intolerable Acts passed; punishes Bostonians for the destroyed tea, closes thetown's seaport and abolishes all local elected popular government
- General Thomas Gage appointed governor by King George III
- Patriots "practice the military art" and organize the Minute Men
- September, First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia
1775 - April 19, Lexington and Concord, British troops march to Concord to seize rebel supplies. Alarmed by Paul Revere and William Dawes the Minute Men stand on Lexington Green. At Daybreak the first shots of the war are fired. The Siege of Boston begins.
- June 17, Battle of Bunker Hill. Americans fortify Charlestown overlooking Boston from the north. British troops suffer over 1,000 casualties to take the American's fort.
- July 2, General George Washington arrives at Cambridge to take command of the Continental Army
1776 - March 4-5, Americans fortify Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston from the south
- March 17, Evacuation Day. British troop, government officials, and loyalists sail out of Boston harbor never to return
- July 4, Declaration of Independence adopted at Philadelphia
1781 - Battle of Yorktown (Virginia); final surrender of the British forces
1783 - Peace treaty is signed between the United States and Great Britain
In our travels we taken countless subway and bus rides. If we don't make an advance purchase one of the first tasks after arriving and clearing Customs is the purchase of our transit passes. Rider passes go by various names; Paris is Navigo, New York is the MetroCard, Berlin uses the WelcomeCard, London has the Oyster Card and in Boston it is called the CharlieCard. CharlieCard you say? There's even a song about it.....
Not the late president, Tricky Dick, but a place to visit if you find yourself on the Gulf Coast.
Recent
travel to visit with family found us in Mobile Alabama for a week with
an opportunity to become temporary Mobilians and soak-up the history,
food and ambiance of this coastal city.
Set in a 1920s-era building that housed Nixon’s Drugs for decades, the restaurant embraces a nostalgic soda-fountain vibe—wooden bar, candy jars, retro ads—with a funky vintage flair. The menu features made-from-scratch sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas, and salads. Standouts include the Nixon Sandwich (house-roasted roast beef, caramelized onions, provolone), TBS (turkey, bacon, Swiss, honey mustard aioli), and creative items like the seared tuna steak with wasabi aioli or Thai wrap with fried-onion crunch.
If you're thirsty there are 20 draft taps offering local, regional, and global beers and ciders, plus wines and creative cocktails like the Cherry Lime Rickey or Buzzed Brown Cow milkshake.
Nighttime attracts sports fans with multiple TVs, shuffleboard and pool tables adding to the fun.Entrées are reasonably priced—around $11 on average—making Nixon’s a frequent local haunt.
Best of all there are all manner of vintage pharmacy posters on display for your modern-day amusement.
Recent
travel to visit with family found us in Mobile Alabama for a week with
an opportunity to become temporary Mobilians and soak-up the history,
food and ambiance of this coastal city. A boat ride of the delta
estuary provided an opportunity to take-in the waterfront, port
facilities and Austal Shipyard up-close and personal. Including this: The USS Alabama.
USS
Alabama (BB-60) is the fourth and final
member of the South Dakota class of fast battleships built for the
United States Navy in the 1940s. Her keel was laid February 1, 1940 and was launched February 16, 1942. She was decommissioned January 9, 1947. No crew member was lost in combat operations; consequently she is known as Lucky A.
Interior of Number two Turret
Her main armament is the 16-inch/45-caliber Mark 6 naval artillery gun.
Combat Information Center - Fire Control
The Alabama has three turrets with three 60 foot guns for a total of 9. Each turret weighs ~1,700 tons and the guns are individually sleeved and can be elevated independently. This gun was developed in the late 1930s and while it fired the same 2,700 lb shell, the velocity and range was slightly less than the Mark 7 gun used on Iowa-class battleships.
Silk Powder Bags
Known for their durability and accuracy these guns had a rate of fire of two rounds per minute and could hurl a shell ~36,900 yards (21 miles) at 45° elevation. This is one of the longest ranges for naval gunfire ever deployed - the equivalent of hurling a shell from my house, across the bay to land in Oconto.
Powder Hoist
Spent half a day clambering thru companionways while exploring this piece of history. If you're ever in Mobile this is a must-see.
Residents of Ringaskiddy, a small coastal town in County Cork,
Ireland, claim that emissions from a local Pfizer pharmaceutical plant,
which manufactures Viagra, are having an unexpected effect on the local
male population.
The villagers assert that fumes from the factory have been causing spontaneous arousal among men in the area.
“One whiff and you’re stiff,” claimed Debbie O’Grady, a resident quoted by the Sunday Times.
One of the most famous German Sausages or Bratwurst is the Thuringian Rostbratwurst, which is brought to you in this German Street Food in Berlin Episode. According to the Purity Law, this Bratwurst may only be processed with high-quality meat. This meat comes with spices that vary greatly depending on the region within Thuringia. In addition to the classic Thuringian Bratwurst, there are also Currywurst, the delicious Merguez sausages made from Beef and small Thuringian Sausages in a fresh bun.
Up to 15 different types of Mustard are offered, which are made by the Weber Senf Manufaktur from Austria using traditional craftsmanship and the best ingredients.
Both the Sauerkraut, the Potato Salad, the Thyme Grilled Potatoes and the Ketchup as well as the Curry Sauce are made in-house.
The Tannenwalder Sausage Roastery Team, serve everything in Berlin from their mobile snack bar.
Every Thursday, 12pm to 7pm, Organic Market at Kollwitzplatz, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin
Every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Weekly Market at Kollwitzplatz, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin
If memory serves, it's possible we visited the farmers market there in Berlin last March. May by not. I'd have to find the photos from that day to see if there is any evidence of this set-up....
On our trip to eastern Europe earlier this year I had an opportunity to dine-upon a currywurst.
Heretofore, I had assumed that this was a German sausage infused with curry before stuffing into a casing.
Wrong.
Turns-out it is nothing more than a pedestrian sausage (bratwurst) covered in curry-flavored ketchup. It wasn't bad as much as it was uninspiring. Reminiscent of a brat served-up at the Milwaukee ball park with Secret Stadium Sauce. In Germany it is a popular street food.
In any event I did return home with a bottle of the seasoning that I can mix with ketchup to make my own German version of secret sauce.
Maybe guests while have a higher opinion of it.....
Our recent marathon road trip to the Gulf Coast brought us to New Orleans for four days of terrific food, adult beverages, jazz music and history.
We spent the better part of an entire day to visit The National WWII Museum.
I've been to a large number of museums in my life - some devoted exclusively to military history and events. As far as military museums go this was a stellar attraction.
It relates the story of the American experience in a war that changed the world - why it was fought, how it was won and how it defined the world following its conclusion.
Differentiated from most museums this venue makes extensive use of personal accounts, multimedia technology to provide a visitor with an immersive experience of the war and every theater it was fought.
If you're gonna visit NOLA for any reason this is a must-see.
Over the course of an adult lifetime of traveling I will admit to having the opportunity to visit any number of old watering holes.
Including:
Since 1673 the White Horse Tavern and Inn is among the top 10 oldest in the world and offers a trip back to colonial Newport, RI. Famously, George Washington stayed near by and local lore suggests that he and his soldiers planned part of the Battle of Yorktown whilst tossing-back adult beverages in one of the tavern's dining rooms.
Located on Rue Saint-Pierre in Old Québec is Pub L'Oncle Antoine. This historic watering hole is tucked on the ground floor of one of the walled city's oldest surviving structures. It was once owned by Marie-Anne Barbel, a prominent business woman who operated several business following her husband's death in 1745.
Then there isSeán's Bar. A pub adjacent to the Shannon River on the County Roscommon side of the town of Athlone, Ireland (between Dublin and Galway). Continuously-operated since AD 900 it is the oldest watering hole in the world. Great place to enjoy a Guinness.
And recently a road trip to the Gulf Coast brought us to New Orleans for four days of terrific food, adult beverages, drag queens, long walks, jazz music at night and another old tavern. Jean Lafitte - privateer, entrepreneur, sailor, diplomat, spy and hero of the Battle of New Orleans owned this blacksmith shop on Bourbon Street. Another watering hole operated since 1770.
Jill and I were traveling in Ireland recently and had returned to our hotel with some adult beverages, Irish goat cheese and crackers to snack-upon.
We packed a Swiss Army Knife specifically for the purpose of pulling a wine cork or removing a crown cap from a bottle. However, the knife we packed was the one without a bottle opener. Who knew there was such a thing?
In any event, a happen to have a wee bit of MacGyver in my bloodlines and a brief survey of the hotel room revealed this lock on the bathroom door.
The tourist season is nigh upon us here on the peninsula and travel website - Expedia - recently published it's Top Ten dog-friendly travel destinations. The list included eight cities, an island and an entire county. Yup, an entire county. You're probably thinking - An entire county? What county could that possibly be? Drum roll, please.....
Having visited Paris three times over the past seven
years It has occurred to me that sharing this tidbit is helpful during carnival
season. Paris Carnival (Carnaval de
Paris) is an annual event – tracing its
history back to the 15th century. A festive costumed parade through Paris led
by Pimprenelle - a magnificent Limousin cow in a beautiful red dress.
Pimprenelle is the mascot of the carnival and leads the ‘promenade de boeuf
gras’ in reference to a popular 16th-century tradition.Carnival parade starts from the Gambetta
square (the nearest metro station Gambetta, 20th arrondissement); along the Belleville
Street through Republic Square (place de la République). The festivities are scheduled for Sunday so if you leave now you won't miss the fun. You can learn more about Carnaval de Paris here.
Since the days of Molière, Voltaire and Flaubert, the
French have celebrated their pharmacies and the local pharmacist. Without a doubt the French pharmacy is not to
be confused with an American drugstore.You
won’t find cigarettes, liquor, groceries, greeting cards, magazines or other
convenience store items such as you will find in a Walgreens or CVS.Of course, you will not find a bottle of
aspirin in a grocery store in France. When traveling it is easy to spot a Gallic pharmacy. Simply look for the universal green cross. And if you are suffering a traveler's malady of some sort the pharmacist will set you right with a scrip and save you a trip to a doctor.
Lesser known and one of the most important functions of the
French pharmacist is that of mushroom identification.Pharmacists in France are trained in mycology. All French pharmacists are required to study mushroom taxonomy as part of their training and provide the service of examining your basket of wild-foraged fungi.
Thus, if you are a mushroom hunter, and as a public service, you can take the mushrooms you find to the pharmacy
to ensure that they are edible.In the fall of the year it would not be
unusual to note lines of men and women toting bags and baskets to have their woodland
and field fungi inspected by the pharmacist before they are incorporated into rich and delicious French cooking - or dried and preserved for future use.. Raising a toast to the French pharmacist. Vive la difference!
General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge – Interstate 65 – Creola,
Alabama.
click on images for a closer look
This bridge is a crossing for a parallel
concrete and steel viaduct of concrete span carrying four lanes of Interstate
65 across the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta northeast of the U.S. city of Mobile,
Alabama.
Built from 1978 to 1980,
it spans a distance of 6.08 miles (10 km) over the delta, making it, along with
the Jubilee Parkway across Mobile Bay to its south, among the longest bridges
in the nation.It was named in honor of
Walter K. Wilson, a Chief of Engineers with the United States Army Corps of
Engineers and long-term resident of Mobile.He was credited with being one of the first people recognizing the need
to construct a high-level bridge on Interstate 65 over the Mobile River that
would not impede waterway development.The state of Alabama named the bridge in his honor after completion of
construction in 1978. The bridge
has red warning lights atop the parallel support arches which, when combined
with the shape of the supporting arches when approached from certain
directions, have caused the bridge to gain the nickname "The Dolly Parton
Bridge".-Wikipedia
If you like museums, military history, Wisconsin and are
looking for a day or overnight trip to Mad Town during a drab and dreary winter
you need to check-out the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.It’s located on Capitol Square in Madison and
is dedicated to the soldiers of the state of Wisconsin.
The museum is composed of two
award-winning galleries that chronicle the history of Wisconsin citizens who
served in their nation's wars from the American Civil War to the Persian Gulf
War. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is an educational activity of the Wisconsin
Department of Veterans Affairs.
The
museum dates to 1901 when it was established as the Grand Army of the Republic
Memorial Hall in the Wisconsin Capitol. A Smithsonian Affiliate since 2013, it honors and affirms the role of Wisconsin veterans in shaping the history of Wisconsin and our nation.
Presently featured is an exhibit dedicated to those who served in the
Great War – the War to End All Wars – WWI.It’s the centennial of the close to that terrible conflict so be sure to
check it out. You can learn more about it here.
St. Christopher is usually represented with the Holy
Child Jesus on his shoulder.The child holds
the world in his hands as Christopher leans on a staff. His most famous legend - which is mainly known
from the West and may draw from Ancient Greek mythology - tells that he carried
a child, who was unknown to him, across a river before the child revealed
himself as Christ. Thusly, Christopher translates as: Christ-bearer.
Although Christopher was never formally canonized a saint popular acclamation holds that he is the patron saint of travelers. Practitioners of various Christian faith traditions may wear a Christopher medallion around the neck, on a bracelet, carried in a
pocket, or placed in a vehicle.
One of the benefits of crate training your dogs is ease of traveling.
I have to say that our Labs are among the best of travelers - content to while-away the hours, over hundreds of miles, in the back of the truck snug in their crates.
I believe that in their doggie minds this is like time travel - waking up to emerge from their crate in a new location every time.
When I left the Big City the other day to travel to The
Platz for some deer hunting I noticed a diminutive, joint-legged invertebrate
on the hood of the GMC.I didn’t think
much of it at the time as I was busy loading dogs, cooler and box into the SUV.Besides, who should be surprised
about spiders living in a heated, underground parking garage?With near constant temperatures, plenty of
space to weave a web, no winds or rain, a food supply of other bugs – it’s a
good life – much better than that of a wilder cave-dwelling spider. This was a thoroughly urban spider.A hipster in the spider world.And I digress.
It hadn’t occurred to me at the time if Mr. Spider
would stay or flee the motor vehicle. It
was a forgone conclusion that a choice to stay would be at his own peril.A small critter like this could be whooshed
by the slipstream from the hood of the vehicle at freeway speeds and squashed.Like a bug. Such mundane bug-world matters of life and
death do not ordinarily occupy space between my ears or consume the precious
bandwidth remaining in my brain.Until
133 miles later when I found this…
click on the spider to enlarge
Yup!One and the same.I had stopped
for gas at the Red Rocket and as I was cleaning the front glass there was the
arachnid - sunning himself on the right front fender.Not paying me any mind he continued sunning
himself.And I continued about cleaning
the glass - wondering all the while how this little guy hung on for dear life at
70+ miles per hour.And why? Was this a high-tech spider migration? That theory made little sense as any self-respecting spider would prefer to travel south.Pulling the receipt from the pump I casually
walked around the truck to give him another look and as I approached he scooted
over to the space between the front quarter panel and the hood over the engine compartment
and disappeared.Mystery solved.
This was the elusive underground garage-dwelling spider
that chooses to live in a four-wheeled General Motors Corporation condo.Smart critter to hide from the menace of high-speed travel beneath the
hood.
Although you’d think he’d choose
something quieter…
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