Just a Little Further

We’ve had several inquiries about our plans to drive the iconic Route 66 that we’d planned. So what happened? Hmmm… our plans changed is the short answer.After completing the Kingman, AZ to Santa Monica Pier segment a couple of months ago, we had every intention of driving to Chicago in September and driving the route in its entirety to celebrate the Mother Road’s 100th anniversary. I’d done lots and lots of research about our route. In fact, I filled a 1” binder with sights to see and iconic…

“ It’s blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound. ” — Earl Scruggs Bluegrass music is a very distinct music genre from country/western. My mom and dad both played guitar. Most of their friends played guitars, and several played fiddles, mandolins, and/or banjos. They didn’t have much, but they all had their instruments and cherished them. It wasn’t unusual for them to get together on Saturday nights after a long blue-collar workman’s week to play music and sing. As a little girl, I fell…

Burger and David, recovering from the transplant October 15 marks the second anniversary of my spare kidney’s relocation to its new home. Burger, retired surgeon, avid pickleballer, violinist, luthier, and sailing friend, is doing great with his new kidney. And so far, the kidney seems happy with its new neighborhood. View fullsize

Our website, JustALittleFurther.com, turns 14 today. Back in 2012, while we were sailing Australia’s east coast, our niece, Gentry, set it all up and became our webmistress. We wrote the blogs, sent them to her, and she posted them… every day.We thought it was appropriate to launch our new website adventure on Columbus Day in 2012. Our very first blog was about the great explorer. It marked the start of something that has brought us a lot of enjoyment, and hopefully our readers as well. Check…

Metallica From Left to right: Robert Trujillo, Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Our local Red Cross chapter was soliciting volunteers to participate in a Metallica- themed blood drive occurring through the end of the year at the local Fashion Show Mall on the Las Vegas Strip. The 45-year-old heavy metal band is still touring and has, in fact, a scheduled 24-show residency at Sphere here in Las Vegas entitled ‘Life Burns Faster’, from October 1, 2026 through mid-March 2027. Hmm.

A few days ago, we got a notification on our smartphone that our garage door app—the one that opens and closes our garage door—had begun using two-factor authentication, or 2FA. Yup - the garage door is closed Unless you’re one of the

And so, the 2026 holiday season begins. Stores have had Halloween decorations up since July. Christmas decorations started appearing in late July and early August and are in full swing now.I’m the holiday decorator in our household… big surprise! And because I do the decorating (and no one else much cares), I’ve established a set of rules for decorating. Of course, I’m the only one who has to follow them, so they can be altered or modified at will. For instance, Halloween decorations cannot go…

Telescope PEak As I mentioned in my last blog, Brennan, our oldest son, is an avid mountaineer. One day, he was lamenting the fact that most of his climbing buddies were getting older and no longer wanted to tackle mountains with him. I suggested that maybe he and I could find a peak to climb together. He was quite enthusiastic about the idea, and we settled on Telescope Peak in Death Valley.At 11,049 feet (3,368 meters), Telescope Peak is the highest mountain in Death Valley National Park. Its…

David and our oldest son, Brennan, have been talking about ‘bagging a peak’ for a few weeks. Brennan flew out from Richmond last week, and the two guys headed to Death Valley National Park to hike up to Telescope Peak, Death Valley’s high point. It was a father-son excursion, and I was left behind in Las Vegas. Oh, my… whatever will I do with 2-1/2 days of ‘me’ time? Let me start the list!First, the things I won’t do… cooking, laundry, cleaning. Don’t get me wrong. David does his share of house…

The new Fall/Winter 2026 Nevada Magazine arrived the other day. It’s a bi-monthly free subscription and considered a Visitor’s Guide, but for residents like us, it’s a great resource for finding new places to discover in the state, especially those within day-trip range. We’ve visited several suggested towns and sights, and we were looking for yet another. The current issue featured an article on Goodsprings, Nevada, a living ghost town less than an hour’s ride south from home. It sounded like…

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” — Nathaniel Hawthorne, 'Notebook' 1842 It’s autumn again. Where did the summer go? Summer was a scorcher of a season here in Las Vegas. We braved the heat, but we were ready for it to end. We’re all stoked for autumn. I’m not fond of the shorter days, bare trees, and all the pumpkin mania that has hit the markets… pumpkin spice this, pumpkin-flavored that. And then there’s all the Halloween stuff right…

When we first moved to Las Vegas, there was a considerable amount to learn about living in the desert environment. Not so different, I guess, than learning to live on the ocean in a sailboat, but definitely different and sometimes counterintuitive to what we thought we knew. Living in the desert has made us much more aware of a lot of things… water conservation, the difficulties of growing a garden in arid climates, the effects of the sun on everything from our house paint, the paint finish on…

Most people aren’t aware that the Spring Mountains, home to southern Nevada’s highest peak, are just 35 miles outside Las Vegas. The area is better known as Mount Charleston, and it’s typically 25–30 degrees cooler than the city. There’s even a reasonably respectable ski resort that operates during the winter months.At 11,916 feet, Charleston Peak itself is accessible only by a long, strenuous hike. It’s not a technical climb, just a steep, rocky trail that seems to go on forever. The round…

Do you remember where you were 25 years ago when you heard the news that the Trade Center’s Twin Towers had been hit? I’ll bet you do. Most people born in the 1990s or before have vivid memories of hearing the news. We do. We were aboard Nine of Cups anchored in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island. Lin called me to tell me a plane had struck one of the Twin Towers. We surmised it was a terrible accident. While we were talking, another plane hit the second tower. No… this was not an accident. We had no…

A Weathervane I spotted in Maine on one of our trips back East. “But the world is full of zanies and fools Who don’t believe in sensible rules And won’t believe what sensible people say And because these daft and dewy-eyed dopes Keep building up impossible hopes Impossible things are happening every day!” From ‘Cinderella’ - Rodgers & Hammerstein (1956-57)September 9th holidays include National Teddy Bear Day, International Sudoku Day, International Buy a Priest a Beer Day, and Weinerschnitzel…

Image credit: Mystic Vision Gallery Traditionally, kids return to school (although lots of places start before Labor Day nowadays), it’s the unofficial end of summer, and, according to National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, it’s the end of peak hot dog season. It’s a time to bid summer adieu and start planning autumn activities in advance of winter’s inevitable onset.This Federal holiday was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland in 1894 as day set aside to recognize workers whose labor…

Scammers are constantly finding new ways to separate us from our money, and they’re getting increasingly sophisticated and creative in the process. The Federal Trade Commission reported that Americans lost a staggering $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025—and those are only the scams people actually reported. The real number is undoubtedly much higher. There’s rarely a day goes by that we don’t read about some retiree who just got scammed out of their lifesavings. I’m sure everyone reading…

We’ve whizzed past the big Liberty Sculpture Park sign on I-15 on several trips between Las Vegas and Los Angeles and always meant to stop and check it out, but never did… until our last trip from LA, that is, when we made a concerted effort to exit at Yermo (the iconic Peggy Sue’s Diner exit) and see what the park was all about. We’ve whizzed past this sign on I-15 but never stopped at the Liberty Sculpture Park The park is a 36‑acre nonprofit, non-governmental open-air sculpture park located…

Welcome to the Getty Villa We had planned to visit both Getty museums in just one day and then head to either the Hammer Museum or the Broad Museum and maybe wander through the Watts Tower one afternoon. Wow… were we naive or what? We barely skimmed the Getty Center Museum, and it took an entire day. We chucked all the rest of our plans and headed on Day Three to The Getty Villa. Once more, admission is free, but timed entry tickets must be reserved in advance.

one of the many gems of the Getty Center Museum Once again, we took advantage of all the ‘free’ culture that Los Angeles has to offer. The Getty Museum, located at two separate venues, is world-famous, and the estimated 1.8 million visitors annually make it one of the most visited museums in the United States. Admission is free but requires ticketed timed entry. We originally thought we could visit both venues in one day and then at least one more museum the next day. What a crazy idea! They’re…

Our reason for departing Griffith Park early was to get ready to attend a Jimmy Kimmel Live! taping. The tickets are free, but must be ordered in advance. I found the 1iota website, signed up, completed the form, then waited to hear if tickets were available. It was pretty easy. By the way, there are lots of ‘free’ audience tickets available on request in both California and New York. Several late-night shows, movie premieres, daytime shows, game shows, etc. Check out the 1iota website as well…

This is our second trip to LA in the last two months. So much to see and do! Our first full day in Los Angeles was a very full day indeed. Our hotel in Koreatown was pretty central to everything we wanted to see and do, which was convenient. I might add that, though we liked the hotel for its free covered parking, great staff, and daily housekeeping services, wifi sucked in the upper floors, making it difficult to write or post blogs. (That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!).

When we were in LA a few weeks ago driving California’s section of Route 66, we had a chance to visit with John, an old cruising friend. He’s still living aboard ‘Active Transport’ in Marina del Rey. During lunch, John mentioned he had two extra tickets to Gustavo Dudamel’s farewell concert with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and they were ours if we wanted them. What an opportunity! We didn’t even consult each other. Without a second of hesitation, we both said‘Yes’. We’ve never…

Our daily summer routine here in Las Vegas starts with a cup of coffee at 4 a.m. while we catch up on the news. Then we grab our water bottles and head out the door by 5 a.m. for our morning walk, taking advantage of what passes for the coolest part of the day. Even then, typical summer

Photo credit: OCWR The more I volunteer for the American Red Cross, the more I learn about everything this organization does for the community. Recently, I was recruited to work on installing smoke alarms in homes that either have inoperable alarms or don’t have them at all. Since I’m married to an electrical engineer, I recruited David’s help as well. Thus far, the two of us have installed about 75 smoke alarms in the greater Las Vegas area.

Because of the heat, we’ve been sticking close to home. We do have another trip to LA planned soon, and you’re invited to come along. More details to follow, but in the meantime, I noticed that it’s World Elephant Day today, which started me thinking about our encounters with elephants through the years. If you’ve ever had the opportunity and privilege of seeing an elephant in the wild rather than in a zoo, it is a gob-smacking experience. During our time visiting South Africa and Namibia…

Blanche, our 2019 Ram Promaster, After several years of adventures, road trips, camping trips, and more than a few nights spent gazing at the stars as we sat by a crackling campfire, we’ve decided it’s time to find Blanche, our 2019 Ram Promaster, a new home.

“Motown was about music for all people – white and black, blue and green, cops and the robbers. I was reluctant to have our music alienate anyone. ” — Berry Gordy, Jr. Last weekend we had the opportunity to take in the ‘Magic of Motown’, a combination history lesson and music concert. Think The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Commodores, The Jackson Five. It’s hard to conjure up an image of a Motown tune without waxing nostalgic… humming a few bars,…

“Mustard is the little black dress of condiments. It goes with everything.” — Julia Child Here’s a new one for you: a holiday dedicated to a condiment. Really? I kid you not. August 5th is National Mustard Day, “a culinary celebration dedicated to mustard, one of the world’s oldest and most versatile condiments.” In fact, mustard is the most popular and widely used spice and condiment in the world, according to Wiki. A Mustard field - Photo Credit: Nafiur Rahman According to the website Serious…

“The freedom of the open road is seductive, serendipitous and absolutely liberating. ” — Aaron Lauritsen We love a good road trip. Sometimes we're on a schedule and have to keep moving, but our favorite journeys leave plenty of time for detours, unexpected discoveries, and places we never knew existed until we stumbled across them. Occasionally we have a destination in mind, but more often we're reminded of the saying attributed to Confucius: "Roads were made for journeys, not destinations."If…