Chicago, Illinois
Susan and me reflected in the Bean on my first ever visit to Chicago.
 Chicago Water Tower |  On the Chicago Architectural Boat Tour: that's the Tribune Tower in the background |
Charleston, South Carolina
Spoleto Festival
 Wendy (right) and I spent a few days in Charleston on my first trip to the city. We learned how a concierge can make a trip when he set up several wonderful experiences for us, including this boat ride to Morris Island, site of Revolutionary War battles and the filming of "Glory." |  |
 Welcoming the festival in front of Mother Emanuel AME Church |  One of the performances we saw was a circus. |
 We took a Gullah tour that included a visit to the famous iron sculptor, Philip Simmons, whose work would eventually inform the National Museum of Africa-American History and Culture. He passed away about three years after our visit. |  Charleston has a excellent restaurant scene, and we had reservations at some of the best, including S.N.O.B. for Southern Cuisine. |
Fayette County, Pennsylvania
A trip to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob
 Falling Water: the home of Edgar Kaufman and his family, designed in 1935 as a weekend retreat |  We had a "backstage" tour with a wine tasting on the balcony, so we were able to see many parts of the house that are not on the usual tour. |
 Wright's Kentuck Knob: The entire house is built on a hexagonal grid. |  The interior of the home opens to the outside. |
"The Red Army"-- a sculpture in the garden of Kentuck Knob
The Northern Capitals:
Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, and Finland
Globus Family of Brands
This was not our whole group, but my gang: from the left (back), Carol, Valarie, her daughter Kim, Colleen (tour director), Pat, and, sitting in front, Sharon, Pat's daughter
Copenhagen, Denmark
 The most famous tourist spot in the city, the Little Mermaid. (The statue was much smaller than I envisioned.) |  Statue of Hans Christian Anderson; his knee is rubbed clean by all the tourists trying to get pictures of themselves on his knee! |
Nyhaven
Ferry from Denmark to Sweden
 |  Elsinore, the setting for Shakespeare's "Hamlet," from the ferry |
Stockholm, Sweden
Me and the ubiquitous Dala Horse in front of City Hall
 A pedestrian street |  Statue guarding City Hall, the symbol of Stockholm |
Oslo, Norway
 The Parliament Building |  A view of Frogner or Vigeland Park |
This is my favorite picture from my entire trip. This young girl was playing among the statues in the promenade and struck this pose!
Gothenburg, Sweden
 This bronze statue of King Gustav II Adolf celebrates when he pointed towards the ground in 1621 and declared where Gothenburg should be built. |  Courtyard on a stroll through Gothenburg, Sweden's second largest city |
St. Petersburg, Russia
 The Church of Spilled Blood |  Chesma Church, also called the Birthday Cake Church |
 Summer Palace |  The Winter Palace, now the Hermitage Museum |
 Notice the monkey between the two men in this wedding photo. |  Peter the Great on horseback, probably one of the most famous sites in St. Petersburg |
Overnight Boat from Russia to Finland
 |  |
Turku, Finland
 The medieval cathedral in Turku, Finland's oldest city and the original capital. |  The market place |
Lahti, Finland
Sports Center with special ski jumps for practice in the off season
Porvoo, Finland
 Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from the 14th century |  A walk through the shopping area |
Helsinki, Finland
 Dome of Tuomiokirkko |  Young Finnish girl fishing in the canals |
Bahamas
International Baccalaureate Americas Conference
Rachel and me on a break from the conference
 It turns out that a resort in the Bahamas is not the best location for getting educators to attend sessions. |  Birds taking over the lifeguard stand |
A walk along the beach
TEXAS
My father and me on a ride through River Walk
Austin
 The Texas State Capitol |  Front gate to the Governor's Mansion decorated for Christmas |
The William Sidney Porter House or O. Henry House is a historic structure in Downtown Austin, Texas. William Sidney Porter, better known as the author O. Henry, lived there between 1893 and 1895.
San Antonio
Our hotel was in walking distance to the Alamo, so we took a walk to see it at night.
| Texas State Capitol |  Little Church at la Vallita |
