How Did This Blog Begin?

My name is Karri. This is a work of love born from a passion to write, explore, imagine and never grow up.

In retrospect, I believe it was my grandmother Novella who nurtured a fire of travel in me. I can still picture her face the way it lit up at the idea of travel and her usual stern nature always softened at the mention of it. She also enjoyed staying at fine hotels with their grand lobbies and appreciated the ambiance that goes with them. I was fortunate to travel with my grandparents twice to the Hawaiian Islands when I was a teenager. They showed me the wonders of that world. I remember seeing black lava rock for the first time; the solemn moment at Pearl Harbor; learning who Ernie Pyle was and visiting his grave at Punchbowl; standing in the misty valley of Maui’s Iao Needle; hearing the call of the conch shell at Kauai’s famous Coco Palms Resort where movie stars stayed and Elvis filmed the wedding scene in Blue Hawaii (the “Hawaiian Wedding Song” from that film is still one of my favorites); being amazed at the mouth of Fern Grotto…needless to say, the memories still make me smile and are just as glorious in my mind’s eye. And so it began.

In 1986, my best friend (who is also my husband) and I began our own journeys, the first being our honeymoon cruise. That developed into a fever for the sea and our love of cruising. We have been seeing the world, one port at a time, ever since. Don’t get me wrong – our sea legs take a break once in a while and we have journeyed somewhere different by road, plane, train, camel, Seqway, catamaran, ferry, zip line, cable car, ATV; helicopter, Nascar, various types of rafts, snorkel, bicycle, motorcycle, scooter…the list goes on. Whether by duck (sea), truck (land) or albatross (air), this list will continue to grow. Before my brother Brad passed away in 2012, he once confided in me that his dream was to travel. So this blog is a way of remembering him and he now journeys with me in my heart where ever I go.

Thanks to the family and friends who have for many years encouraged me to write and share my travels. So let's begin here. Come along with me and be vicarious through my photos and tidbits learned along the way.