Here’s 99 adventures I’ve been able to experience so far; some alone, some with Paula and Tristan. Take a gander, and if you have questions, drop me a line. Other than that, “Me hope you likey!” If your eyes are anything like mine, just click on photos to enlarge them, or to view as a slideshow WITHOUT your bifocals.
1. Walked across 2,000 degree burning coals in bare feet – twice! We call this insane act of madness “Personal Development”…
2. Visited Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-Upon-Avon in the United Kingdom.
3. Took Tristan swimming with the dolphins in Mexico
4. Smoked Romeo Y Julieta cigars (and drank lots of Havana Club rum!) in Cuba
5. Took T parasailing above Puerto Vallarta, Mexico when he was only 7 years old
6. Toured 4 Napa Valley Wineries in one day and (almost) stayed sober!
7. Saw Michael Jackson perform live in Vancouverin 1984 on the “Victory Tour”… Thriller!
8. Ate BBQ goats liver at a roadside kiosk in Morocco, which was awesome!
9. Was onstage with David Copperfield to “aid” in a magic trick- freaking amazing! Ask me about it sometime…
10. Met Anthony Robbins; his handshake is like grabbing a bunch of bananas!
11. Perfected the art of roasting chicken; it’s all about fresh herbs, garlic and lemon
12. Took Tristan to the Bahamas on a Disney Cruise where we got to eat breakfast with Goofy. FYI: He has terrible table manners and eats like a dog
13. Experienced zero gravity by plummeting 10,000 feet in a spiralling propeller plane with the engine shut off – did not soil underwear (too much)
14. Cruised with T to San Francisco, toured Alcatraz and discovered In N Out Burgers! Yeah!
15. Rode a camel into the Sahara Desert for 4 hours, then spent the night under the stars and in a Bedouin Tent – I now know True peace”
16. White water rafted through the rapids of Thompson River in the interior of B.C.
17. Spent a week on Phra Nang Beach, Thailand; the most beautiful place on earth!
18. Discovered the underground Catacombs of both Paris and Lima… lot’s o’ bones down there!
19. Ate a deep fried tarantula leg in Cambodia which incidentally does NOT taste like chicken… Yuck
20. Met and married Paula – despite her living on another continent; my game is mad!
21. Took Tristan in a hot air balloon ride over Ottawa (in -18 degrees; sorry buddy)
22. Visited Mad King Ludwig’s NeuschwansteinCastle near Fussen, Germany
23. Toured the ancient mountain fortress of Masada in Israel
24.Saw Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls LIVE! Air Jordan, baby!
25. Drank 60 oz beers at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany. Fell in love with Germans portion sizes
26. Saw The Mona Lisa, Venus Di Milo, et all in the Louvre; however, I did not see Tom Hanks nor his mullet
27. Visited the Cairo Museum, home of King Tuts Death Mask, his sarcophagus and a bunch of 3,000 year old dust
28. Took the family to a Broadway Show – Spiderman:Turn off the Night – New York City
29. Took a cruise on Lake Titicaca, Peru; at 12,507 feet, it’s the worlds highest navigable lake
30. Saw both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island with Paula and Tristan
31. Stayed at the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas; home of the fountains and $20 cocktails!
32. Visited New Zealand / saw mountain range where “Lord of the Rings” was filmed and the worlds smallest library
33. Rode with my gang in a Hovercraft between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight (U.K.)
34. Spent 3 nights living Thai Jungle communities with local families… okay…
35. Hand fed kangaroos and wallabies in Australia. G’day you little buggers!
36. Jumped from a plane and free fell 10,000 feet tandem skydiving – twice!
37. We’ve spent a day roaming around Machu Picchu in Peru, which is awe-inspiring
38. Sailed on the Nile river in a Felucca
39. Climbed to the top of Notre Dame Cathedral with Tristan on my shoulders
40. Saw Michelangelo’s David in Florence
41. Took 6 year old Tristan to “meet” Mickey Mouse in Disneyland
42. We were serenaded by some Italian dude piloting a gondola in the canals of Venice
43. Walked around the Acropolis in Athens, sight of the first Olympic Games
44. I make a mean risotto; come on over, I’ll make you some
45. Ridden the “Peak 2 Peak” Gondola between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains
46. Toured the Coliseum in Rome
47. Have lectured in front of 200 people for 2 hours straight – Whew!
48. Learned how to snowboard at the ripe old age of 36
49. Read Thoreau’s Walden – 3 times! (It really does get better each time!)
50. Visited the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warriors in China
51. Took Tristan on a 2 day train trip through Southern California
52. Went hiking in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco
53. Quit a horrible job to get away from a cowardly boss (this took true courage)
54. Walked up the 240 steps to see “Big Buddha” on Lantau Island, Hong Kong
55. I volunteer as Santa at charity events; an no, you can’t sit on my lap
56. We climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower to see Paris at night
57. Navigated a bamboo raft down 15 miles of the Mekong River, Thailand
58. Read “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” completely – and not just the Coles Notes!
59. Bought and retrofitted a handicap van for Tristan -a.k.a. The “Death Star”
60. Went to the Killing Fields and S-21 in Phnom Penn in Cambodia; very sobering bit of history
61. I went inside the Great Pyramid of Giza (all the way to the burial chamber) and saw the Sphinx
62. Walked across the Hoover Dam in Nevada
63. Visited Vatican City and saw Michelangelo’s “God touching Adam” ceiling; epic
64. Got to see the construction off the 3 Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, China
65. Kayaked one million times in gorgeous mountain lakes and on the Pacific Ocean in B.C.
66. We rode on the worlds oldest (built 1932) wooden roller coaster at Bakken, Denmark
67. Ate pizza and drunk (way, way too much) wine in Tuscany (True bliss… *sigh*)
68. Quit my job and moved across Canada to care for my ill boy; my best decision ever
69. Got up close and personal with the big rocks at Stonehenge
70. Sunbathed on the black sand of Kamari beach, Santorini, Greece; spent next 3 days nursing sunburn
71. Got My G.E.D. … at 48 years old – Finally, I’m educated! Time to get a REAL job!
72. Took my Family for a “flight” on the London Eye, London England
73. Cautiously navigated our way through Amsterdam’s “Red Light” District; T wanted to spend his allowance, I said no…
74. Took Tristan directly under the Golden Gate Bridge on a cruise ship
75. Walked all through the walled city of Jerusalem / touched the Wailing Wall. Had to give back the paper yarmulke
76. Performed M.C. duties at multiple weddings
77. Flew in a helicopter over the Alberta Rocky Mountains
78. Went to Maya Bay, Krabi, Thailand where Leo filmed “The Beach”
79. “Floated” in the uber-salty waters of the Dead Sea – burned my eyes out of their sockets
80. Visited Angkor Watt Temple in Cambodia
81. Was able to get a $33,000 motorized bed for Tristan with funding and grants
82. Crawled through 75 meters of Chu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam… claustrophobia, anyone?
83. Took the gang to New York City for a week
84. Took the Victoria Tram up the steep hill to view Hong Kong Harbour
85. Visited the famous Karnack and Abu Simbel Temples in Egypt
86. Went bungee jumping in Nanaimo, B.C.
87. Toured the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itzain the Yucatan State, Mexico
88. Watched a guy “charm” a snake in Marrakech – undeniably crazy stuff~!
89. Finished reading Anne Franks Diary the same day I visited her home
90. Spent an afternoon touring a Nazi Concentration Camp (Dachau) in Germany
91. Took Tristan to see a Cold Play in concert inVancouver
92. Saw a taping of David Letterman at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York
93. Got a passport stamp in Lichtenstein, the worlds smallest country
94. Visited the Vietnam, Lincoln and Washington Memorials in Washington D.C.
95. Owned and operated a very busy ski hill restaurant/bar – I do not recommend!!
96. Saw a show at the world famous Copacabana Night club in Havana
97. Rode an Elephant through the Thai Jungle
98. Smoked a Hookah on the top floor terrace of the Indiana Hotel, Cairo
99. Walked underwater in the Melbourne Aquarium with giant sea turtles, stingrays and a couple of 9 Foot sharks swimming around us… a bit eerie…
100. Went to India, and saw the Taj Mahal… finally!
Want more? Here’s a short video with a some additional photos on it… Enjoy!