Okay, I have no excuse for not blogging since we returned from our safari! Well, actually, I have several excuses but none are valid (except for the one about waiting for the stars to be aligned with the orbit of Jupiter—that, my friends, is a very valid reason!).

I will try to upload a movie I made of our safari to Botswana and Zambia. It was our 5th safari in 9 years and we loved every minute of it! Thank you, thank you, thank you to our friends at Wilderness Safaris! We had an amazing adventure! To whet your appetite: we saw a buffalo tree a lioness, a hyena stalk one of Legadema’s cubs (Legadema, a leopard,  is the star of a National Geographic film that chronicled her life), and two starry-eyed humans celebrate their 10th anniversary with a private candlelight dinner a deux at Vumbura Plains (that would be yours truly and Michael, of course!)

Next post I’ll update you on White Knight 2, the mother ship for Spaceship 2. She’ll be unveiled in 2 weeks to the press and I’ll see her a month from today. That reminds me, have you reserved a seat on Virgin Galactic, yet? What are you waiting for? Trust me, the stars have definitely aligned with Jupiter!

To: The Official Arbiters of Campaign Attire

Please consider that patriotism is an action and that wearing patriotic colors does NOT imbue a person with patriotism.  A red tie, dress, or sweater will never convince me a person is dominant or powerful nor will wearing blue persuade me to believe a person supports peace, is intelligent, or is trustworthy. In fact, have you noticed that W favors pale blue ties?

Also, the lapel pin flag, the red or white or blue earrings, bracelets, scarves must go—-now! I supppose the pin could stay if candidates openly acknowledge where the pin was manufactured and how that relates to the person’s stance on illegal immigration (perhaps build a wall to prevent those little flag pins from fluttering into the USA), NAFTA, and the unparalled growth of China and India.

Wearing patriotic apparel won’t make me a patriot anymore than standing in a garage will make me a car! However, wearing a spacesuit might make you an astronuat if I help you reserve a seat on Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship2!!!!

On Friday, February 15th, I was driving on Tower Road in Winnetka, Illinois (on my way to visit my mom) and was listening to my voicemails. I came to a stop (well, sort of) at a Stop sign at a 3-way stop, proceeded up Tower Road, and turned Right on Hibbard Road. As I turned I noticed a Winnetka Police car behind me. The cars lights started flashing and I pulled over to the side of the road. “Oh no, what did I do? Right! Now I remember—Winnetka has a no cell phone rule!”

As the driver’s side window lowered, I heard, “Excuse me, ma’am (not so Southern and friendly sounding—more tough-guy Chicago style), you didn’t come to a complete stop at the stop sign at Tower and Vernon. May I have your license and insurance,  please?”

“This is a rental car. I’m from Kansas. Here’s my license.” I handed it to him and then also added my rental car contract.

“Do you have a good driving record, ma’am (still the tough Chicago sounding “ma’am”)? If so, I’ll just give you a warning.”

“I have a clean driving record, Officer.”

Let’s pause here—Cliff’s notes of the past few blog entries will bring you up-to-speed: July, 2006 I received a speeding ticket in Kansas City, Kansas, where they allow people to plead down to a non-moving violation when they show up on a specific court date; I forgot to show up; the State of Kansas reminded me of the missed court date by suspending my driver’s license; my trusty attorney talked to the powers that be in KC, KS, and I was allowed to still change from speeding to jaywalking and the State of Kansas lifted my suspension; or, so I thought…

Back to Feb. 15: As the policeman processed my license, I patiently waited and worked a Sudoku puzzle. When I looked up I noticed the policeman was talking to another policeman in a second police car. “I sure wish they’d visit on their own time!” I thought. “Maybe I’ll give them the ‘North Shore entitlement  glare’! That might get him moving!”

Window on its way down, I heard, “Please step out of the car, ma’am (was this a more menacing “ma’am” or was I just imagining it?). You are driving on a suspended license. I cannot allow you to drive in the State of Illinois until you have a valid license. I could take you to jail; however, I will move your car to a side street and you will have to arrange to have it picked up. Should you be caught driving, I promise you that you will go to jail!”

“My license is not suspended!” I protested.

“Ma,am,” a new and more menacing voice said, “When we punched in your license number, Kansas responded it is suspended.” The new voice was attached to a taller, older cop who apparently arrived to help control this potentially unruly Kansan. “We could take you to jail, but we won’t. The officer will issue you a warning and you can call for someone to pick you up.”

As I fumbled for my phone, the officer softened, “Where are you on your way to?”

“My mom’s at the Mews.”

“Okay, put your phone away. I’ll take you there. Please get in the back seat of the car and be careful because the seat is firm.”

So, began my odyssey of experiencing a ride in the back seat of a police car. By the way, the back seat is, indeed, “firm!” It’s made of molded plastic—definitely practical but oh-so-NOT Winnetka! Arriving at my mom’s, I exited the comfy back seat, turned to the cop and said, “This is probably not the best time to ask you this, but would you like to experience a voyage into Outer Space? I am an Accredited Space Agent for Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. Would you like me to send you some literature about Virgin Galactic?”

Below is a press release from Virgin Galactic:

VIRGIN GALACTIC HERALDS ‘THE YEAR OF THE SPACESHIP’ WITH THE UNVEILING OF THE DESIGNS OF SPACESHIPTWO AND WHITE KNIGHT TWO

…if you live near New York City, that is! Watch for the big announcement on

JANUARY 23, 2008!

Virgin Galactic will unveil….

Given: your friends and relatives have a difficult time choosing gifts for you

Thus: they resort to the unique, odd or totally weird (a bobble-head of Celine Dion, the DVD set of all the Lawrence Welk TV shows, or that cutesy plaid sweater studded with sequined Christmas trees in one size fits none)

Therefore: you must decide whether to A) keep it and be sure to have it on display when the person visits; B) throw it out (don’t be so wasteful!); C) Donate it to a local charity; or D) Allow Great Getaways to return it for you and give you the cash—-to apply toward:

Your reservation for a Virgin Galactic suborbital space flight!

Dear Earth 

I have spent far too many days, months, and years being selfish and thoughtless. I have loved exploring this planet and now I have the opportunity to help people see you in a whole new way—from space! One of my hoped for outcomes of space travel is an increased awareness of you, our precious Earth. People will be able to see that fragile,thin blue line, our atmosphere, the only thing protecting us and keeping us alive. Maybe that visual awareness will make a difference in how we treat you.

I have littered, consumed, and self-pampered beyond reasonable limits. Did I believe that what we do in the name of consumer excess to destroy you is not my problem? I don’t think I ever consciously gave you much thought. That perhaps, is the most glaring example of “not my problem.” Sure I’ve bragged about some of your wonders—the moon sparkling on the Pacific Ocean in the Galapagos, the amazing precision and longevity of Macchu Pichu, the vast Rift Valley in Kenya, Victoria Falls, the azure sea on the Amalfi coast, the red rock walls in Sedona. Yet, only recently have I taken action to pay attention to what I do to you and to change my behavior to what I can do for you. Have I cruised on ships that have, in the past, dumped their garbage? Have I demanded fresh towels and linens at hotels—just because I can? Have I left the lights on in my hotel room because, after all, I’m not paying the light bill? Guilty on all counts.

One important step I’ve taken is to have our company, Great Getaways, join Sustainable Travel International http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org/.  As a business, we are recycling more, using less paper, and we are educating you, our fellow travelers, on how to lessen the footprint we leave when we travel. We encourage purchasing carbon offsets and we support green travel.

We do not own the Earth; we are its caretakers. The actions I take today will not by themselves change the world; think, though, the power of all of us can, drop by drop, create a sea of change. Will you join me? Please post your ideas to help the greening of our planet.

Not my problem? Read below:

A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package; what food might it contain? He was aghast to discover that it was a mouse trap! Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse warned, “There is a mouse trap in the house! There is a mouse trap in the house!” The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me; I cannot be bothered by it!”

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mouse trap in the house!”

“I am so sorry, Mr, Mouse,” sympathized the pig, “but there is nothing I can do about it but pray; be assured that you are in my prayers.”

The mouse turned to the cow, who replied, “Like wow, Mr. Mouse, a mouse trap; am I in grave danger? Duh!”

So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected to face the farmer’s mouse trap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mouse trap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she didn’t see that it was a venonous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife and the farmer rushed her to the hospital.

She returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. His wife’s illness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer’s wife did not get well; in fact she died and so many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think that it doesn’t concern you, remember that when even the least of us is treatened, we are all at risk.

On Sunday, September 16th we’ll celebrate Great Getaways’ 15th anniversary at an Out-of-This-World Bash at ARTichokes, 10557 Mission Road. In addition to delicious food, fine wine, award-winning musicians, you’ll meet Carolyn Wincer of London, England, Director of Astronaut Sales for Virgin Galactic; Dean Johnson, Executive Vice President of Creative Leisure International, purveyor of luxe vacations; and Cathy Larson, Director of Sales for Holland America Line. Also, be sure and say hello to Heidi Denecke, winging her way to join us from the Ritz Carlton Kapalua, Maui; Susan Huston, Director of Sales for Crystal Cruises, and Becky Powell, Business Development Manager for Virtuoso.

We invite you to preview our items that will be available at our Silent Auction to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. We hope you’ll bid on items to create wonderful memories for you and hope for those whose memories have been erased and lives forever altered! Click  below on “Let us tempt you”
    LET US TEMPT YOU!

Greetings from Las Vegas! No, this is not some cheap postcard sent to you by Aunt Tilly and Uncle Gus on their annual Senior Citizen trip to Vegas!

I am here attending Virtuoso’s Annual Travel Mart, a conference of travel consultants and vendors, where we share trends, ideas, new products, and ways to help your dreams become reality. This is an intense week—Great Getaways has 774 one-on-one appointments with execs from cruise lines, tour companies, hotels, resorts, and, of course, space travel (Go Virgin Galactic!!!) over a period of 4 days. Every 4 minutes from 8:00 AM through 4:00 PM we have a 4 minute meeting with a vendor. It’s like speed dating on steroids—resulting in the mating of wonderful vacation ideas with you, our client!

Yesterday we had 2 keynote speakers, Dewitt and Terry Jones, the former a photographer for National Geographic and the latter, his brother, the founder of Travelocity. What an amazing combination of talent!!! In fact, they spent a significant amount of time talking about turning imagination into “imaginaction”. Have they been reading Great Getaways tagline or what??? You don’t remember our tagline? Okay, one more time, then of to bed to dream of wonderful vacations— our tagline is “Imagine…Create…Experience!” Sweet Dreams from the Bellagio! Ciao!

I know you wake up every morning and rush to read my blog—which has been frustrating to you, of late, because I’ve only been blogging about once a week! Anyway, I’m sure you recall the blog entry of June 10th (Party! Party! Party!) where I invited you to Great Getaways 15th Anniversary Bash at ARTichokes in Mission Farms, 10557 Mission Road. If you don’t remember that entry, I’ll wait right here while you go back and read it…

Now that you’ve refreshed your memory, let’s continue: 15 years is a big deal in the travel industry! Companies come and go; some ideas that sound good thrive while others fade. Our industry has weathered all sorts of events, some unfortunately of our own design. Those of us who have grown and prospered are the ones that have returned to our roots; we are NOT order takers or glorified reservationists; we advise; we counsel; we use our vast pool of experience to benefit you and the journeys you take.

On that note, I once again invite you to join us to celebrate our anniversary, to share your own memories of a life well lived, and to create some new ones. My mother has so many memories of her many journeys around our world, but, unfortunately, many of those memories have been stolen from her by the insideous disease, Alzheimer’s. As I’ve watched Mom’s lapses of memory, her increased irritability and confusion, I grieve the loss of the mother I remember. She was so active, organizing reading groups and book clubs long before Oprah made it trendy; she followed the stock market, daily charting her investments; she went to the theater regularly and supported her favorite restaurants (Don Roth’s, The Cheesecake Factory, and The Bagel to name a few); and Mom was passionate about politics—that is, as long as the politician was a Democrat! (I still remember the birthday card I gave my mom that said, “Some said you’re so old, you voted for Lincoln” and inside it read, “But I know you’re a Democrat!”).
That vibrant woman has departed and what I see now is just a shell that houses glimpses of the woman that raised my brother, sister and me.
So, it is with great honor that we will have an amazing silent auction at our 15th anniversary celebration in support of the Alzheimer’s Association! Feast your eyes on some of the goodies that could be yours if you are the highest bidder:
A Mediterranean Cruise courtesy of Celebrity Cruises; 3 nights at the chic Azul Blue in Mexico courtesy of Creative Leisure; 3 nights at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua, Maui; a 3-night Mexican vacation courtesy of Classic Vacations; an original painting by Becky Pasha, one of the owners of ARTichokes, an orginal piece of artwork by Richard Stern (www.sternartworks.com); a selection of books courtesy of Rainy Day Books; tickets and a parking pass to a 2008 Royals game courtesy of David Wolff and Nancy Hipsh; haircolor and styling by Kim Jegen of Beauty Escentuals; and more!

So, come party with us (casual attire, of course—comfort IS important!), enjoy the food, the music, the art, and the event, and bring your credit card or checkbook! I promise you’ll have an out-of-this world good time!

Gasoline to drive to the Celebration: $5.00
Money for Babysitter $25.00
Bidding on the oodles of luxuries in support of Alzheimer’s Association: Priceless!