Backpacks And A Wine Key

Wandering winos on a pilgrimage to nowhere searching for a glass that is more than half full.

Stories

Travel, food and wine, life, health, and the occasional sermon on perspective. Here is the latest – read the rest here.

The Latest

Food And Wine Photography

Click here to see some of our latest food and wine photography from Carboy Winery, our urban winery client with locations in Littleton, Breckenridge, and soon Downtown Denver.  Learn more about this award-winning winery at CarboyWinery.com

At least there are no screaming kids kicking my seat

Because of a mix of Covid travel measures and early retirement plans that have been f****d, life as it relates to our living situation and plans for the future have become something we really don’t recognize.

Not that there is anything wrong with that

I have many gay friends. I always have. Gay friends are cool...because they are your friends, right? I guess I'm lucky. I was raised, by and large, to be non-judgmental. My parents didn't really bring up the whole race, creed, sex thing. I have never even thought...

I’m a six shoe person

Notes on reducing, minimizing, and deciding what is important

Pilgrim Journal – Chamonix

Well, we are on our way. The road to Rome has officially - unofficially started in Chamonix, France. Why Chamonix? Well, we are starting our official Via Francigena pilgrim walk in Lausanne, Switzerland, and we didn’t want to take the trip from Spain to Lausanne all...

Mostly useless observations and snap judgements on Croatia

Below is a running list of observations as we cruise through Croatia. Needless to say, these are not well thought out or researched, just shit that comes up. In no particular order, and keep checking back for more.   The country is clean (except the tagging and...

How To Wine and Cheese

The best way to demonstrate the beauty of wine and cheese is to invite some friends and throw a wine-and-cheese tasting. Now, most people do this all backwards. They read about mixing cheeses from cows, sheep and goats and adding a selection that ranges from soft to hard, new world to old and fresh to aged.

On Youth, Passports, and Consulates

Yeah, we had to visit a consulate to check a passport, but more noteworthy part was the encounter with the other American tourists while waiting in the secure seating area outside the consulate functional area, namely two lovely and young American girls.

Wino Journal

Stories, logs, and blogs on moving on from a life of work and routine.

Notes On The Feeling Of Freedom

Notes On The Feeling Of Freedom

When I was 18, I left the house to go to college. I took with me all I owned, a duffel bag full of clothes, a guitar, and my bed to set up in my first apartment. For the next few years I lived in the moment. Now I’m over 50, done working, and have spent the last year roaming the world. I’ve gone from having nothing to having everything, and then intentionally back to nothing again.

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Adventure

Stories, logs, and blogs on our pilgrim journeys as we grab our backpacks (and a wine key) and walk through Italy, Scotland, Spain, and the great wine regions of the world – including New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina, to name a few.

Urban Food Adventure London

Urban Food Adventure London

It’s been over 20 years since we strolled through London. First time was for touristy stuff, this time…pretty much just to eat. How priorities change over the years.

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Paris Café Culture

Paris Café Culture

A not-so wise man once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around for a while, you could miss it.” Nowhere is that advice more needed than here in America. Nowhere is that advice more honored than in Paris. Paris is a busy, bustling city of over...

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Finally a real wine rating system

Finally a real wine rating system

The thing I hate most about wine ratings is the thing that makes them what they are. Wine ratings are subjective. They are one person’s judgement of quality and don’t take into account what really matters – how much you drink, what you can afford, when to drink them,...

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Photography

Professional And Personal Photography On Travel, Adventure, Outdoors, Food, Wine, and Life.