April/May 2007

Napa's passion for wine

Lee Foster

When I think of the California passion for creating good Cabernet wine, it almost equals the earlier California effort to find gold.

Though many adventurers were drawn to California in search of gold nuggets during the 1848 Gold Rush, some discovered that the true gold was in agriculture.

No agricultural product has been pursued with more passion than the growing of grapes and the making of wine, especially Cabernet wine in the Napa Valley.

Islands in the Sun

If you are like most Pacific Northwest residents, you wouldn't trade our region for anyplace in the world. But let's face it; there are times when it is distinctly necessary to get away to some exotic locale. The question is where.

Islands for Rent

Sir Richard Branson is not the only billionaire in the world with an island for rent. Not by a long shot. For the right price you can rent your own island virtually anyplace in the world that has islands, including Cuba, Dominican Republic, Florida, Belize, The Bahamas, Sri Lanka, Australia, Seychelles, Fiji, Brazil, Tanzania, Chile, The Philippines and Alaska.

February/March 2007

Under the Sea Scuba Diving

Buffy Pollock

Maybe you’re the kind of person who’s more interested in what’s under the water than hiking around on the frozen water above ground. If you’ve always wanted to dive for buried treasure since you took your first swimming lesson or are just a short time away from a tropical island vacation with beautiful blue water, there are some local ways to get qualified to take that peek below the surface.

Five Best Sites to Scuba

Looking to dive a little farther from home? According to Tim Ecott, one of the world's leading dive authorities and the author of Neutral Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World, here are the five best exotic sites to head to:

A Wine Traveler in Chile

Touring wineries, such a popular activity in Oregon and elsewhere, is also becoming quite popular in Chile, which is one of the more exciting wine regions in the world today.

December/January 2006/2007

Tasting Tuscany

Maureen A. Hennessy

If cooking and eating great food is high on your list, then you and I have a lot in common. Who could resist the idea of attending a cooking school set in a 1000-year-old castle in the heart of Tuscany? Not me.

Chow Italia!

Finding a cooking school in Italy

From the herbs of Sicily to grain and produce rich Umbria (known as the “Green Heart of Italy”), Italy is a table laden with culinary diversity and opportunity.

Renting Your Own Italian Villa

Who wouldn’t want to live in an Italian villa and watch the morning breeze turn your olive grove into waves of rippling silver? Or sip your Chianti as sunset splashes scarlet, gold and purple across the Tuscany hillside?