Here you go world…The Idleours Guide to Summer Fun at Keuka Lake! Disclaimer: This article is not meant to be all-inclusive. Idleours is our family cottage on the west side of Keuka, and the activities listed below are geared towards visiting family and friends. As a result, it’s west-side-centric and focused on the stuff…
If you haven’t used IFTTT (If This Then That) you’re in for a treat. This handy web tool makes life simpler by automating all manner of internet-related tasks. Their “Applets” range from the simple and somewhat quirky, to “Whoa, I can do that??”. A few examples: Get a notification when the International Space Station passes…
Two weeks before our trip to Cambodia and Vietnam I realized I hadn’t learned any Khmer. Yikes! I’d focused solely on Vietnamese, partly because we’d spend four of our five weeks in Vietnam and partly because Duolingo (which I was using for Vietnamese) didn’t have a program for Khmer. In retrospect, I should have searched…
No gain in keeping, no loss in weeding out. So said Pol Pot, speaking of his own people. Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge and the man responsible for one of the worst genocides of the 20th century. Pol Pot, a name I’d heard, yes, but knew embarrassingly little about. A precious gift of…
My first trip to Southeast Asia has been eye-opening and I even haven’t left home yet! Previous international travel required little in the way of health precautions, but Cambodia and Vietnam are a whole ’nother kettle of fish. Over the past month we’ve had gotchas, close calls, and myths busted. This article offers advice gleaned…
After exactly one experience with deer flies I felt compelled to write this public service announcement. Why? They’re an almost unstoppable, bloodthirsty menace, especially fearsome for the uneducated and unprepared. Like me. I saw a bunch of “houseflies”, shrugged, and proceeded to hike deeper and deeper into their clutches. Even worse, I hiked for four…
Chris (sweet, considerate man that he is) planned a surprise trip to celebrate our 25th anniversary, although from the get-go it was destined to be a surprise that wouldn’t remain a surprise. To keep trip costs in check, Chris booked airfare and hotel using points. The kicker? He needed my Starwood points to book the hotel…
Until recently, my air travel booking “strategies” were limited to: 1) searching with flexible travel dates; and 2) booking early. I didn’t expend much energy and always wondered if I was paying too much. That all changed a few months ago when I sat down with the calendar and realized that we’d planned 6 trips…
There’s really no trick to finding good Irish music in Dublin, just get out, walk around, and you’re bound to see pubs advertising live music. The biggest concentration is in the Temple Bar area; that’s where we listened to popular Irish classics at both The Old Storehouse and The Temple Bar - around lunchtime no…
Traveling Ireland, you’re bound to see sandwich boards advertising the words Live, Irish, Traditional, Trad, Music, or Session in various combinations such as “Live Music”, Traditional Irish Music“, or ”Trad Session". It’s important to note they don’t mean the same thing. We were in Ireland for 6 weeks, heard live music at least 15 times,…