Below is everything (newest at top) with "culture OR writing OR blog OR travel" in its title or subcategories. For a strict listing (matching all categories and subcats), click hereOLD POSTS, REVISITEDfrom 2024 in ( culture / writing / blog / travel )
FYI, I've been taking travel posts from this site, cleaning them up/updating them as needed, and posting them at williamarthurholmes.substack.comwilliamarthurholmes.substack.com. ... read more
NOTES FROM THE ROAD TO DOUG'S HOUSE... AND MARK TWAIN'S BOYHOOD HOMEfrom 2024 in ( life / travel / usa / missouri )
Just past Jackson, Tennessee, after getting onto 412, a trucker had some fun at my expense. I had just passed him and am 99% sure I hadn't merged back in front of him too close. Drivers around here are offended easily. He then came up fast behind me and got right up to my rear-end before finally getting into the left lane to pass me. He ... read more
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MY HOME TOWN, FOLSOM, CALIFORNIAfrom 2024 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
On a whim, I asked Bing Co-Pilot (chatgpt) to write a blog post about Folsom. Here's the result If you are interested in learning more about the history of Folsom, California, you might enjoy reading this blog post. Folsom is a city in Sacramento County that has a rich and diverse heritage, dating back to the Native American tribe... read more
STILLHOUSE HOLLOW FALLSfrom 2023 in ( life / travel / usa / southeast )
/images/stillhouse-hollow-falls.webp I stopped here a couple weeks ago, on a whim, on one of my regular Sunday drives. There's a little sign, easy to miss, as you drive by on the... read more
GREETINGS FROM SAINT SOMETHING, MISSOURIfrom 2023 in ( life / travel / usa / missouri )
I was in no rush to leave and didn't hit the road until 9:30 on my drive from middle Tennessee to Saint Robert, Missouri. I could never remember that name, calling it Saint Something in my head. Even now, I wanted to type Saint Thomas. How many saints are there, anyway? The drive was blissfully uneventful, with the highlight being She... read more
CALIFORNIA INVADES TENNESSEEfrom 2023 in ( family / holmes / travel / usa )
June 20th 2023 -- The Road Warriors, head out from Cottonwood/Anderson California on a mission from God. Thomas, Finnegan, Skyla, and I left at 5:00 AM Pacific Time to start our 5,400 mile road trip in my 2019 Subaru Forester. We knew it would be a challenging journey but threw caution to the wind and headed out, anyway.We drove through Nevad... read more
HOW TO TRACK A FLIGHT (US)from 2023 in ( life / travel / tech )
This is nothing new, but I just used it to track a family member's flight. I thought I'd share for those not already aware, no pun intended.Go to flightaware.com/flightaware.com . It gives you a lot of info.... read more
REDDING IN APRILfrom 2023 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
Friday, April 7, 2023 Elizabeth and I were on our seemingly annual trip to California. This time, it was a gift for her 18th birthday. Years ago, I thought we might be flying to /pages/family/adoption/holmes/Astrakhan, Russia , for this birthday, but things are a little dicey there now. Besides, you need a... read more
OUR CARSfrom 2022 in ( life / travel / transportation / auto )
Those who read my last story know I drive a Ford Escape. I love it but need to trade it in soon. The transmission shudders a bit at certain speeds, certain RPMs. I need to sell it before the transmission fails. It's got about 125K, 75K of which I put on it after I bought it used. I'm thinking of replacing it with the slightly larger Ford... read more
HOBO TRAVELER REGARDING USAfrom 2022 in ( life / travel / advice )
Andy Graham has traveled nonstop for 25 years and evaluates the USA vs other places. Fascinating: youtube.com/watch?vFr2ljWba3oUWatch on YouTube ... read more
ROADS LAST TWICE AS LONG WHEN MADE WITH RECYCLED TIRE RUBBERfrom 2022 in ( life / travel / roads / recycling )
I like this! /images/tires.webp Reduce, reuse, recycle, as they say.Engineers at the RMIT University in Australia have found that using rubber from old and used tires actually works like sunscreen for roads, ... read more
CALIFORNIANS FLEEING TO PORTUGALfrom 2022 in ( education / news / travel / politics )
I guess they didn't do their research because Portugal is just as bad as other locations in Europe with medical fascism, etc. Maybe that's what they seek. So then good riddance! Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2022 8:43 AM Escape Trumpian politics? I suppose they're liberals ruining another place as those fro... read more
7-FOOT ROBOT AT DALLAS LOVE FIELD AIRPORT WATCHES FOR UNMASKED TRAVELERS, WILL NOTIFY LAW ENFORCEMENT OF POTENTIAL CRIMESfrom 2022 in ( life / travel / usa / tyranny )
Remind me never to use that airport. A 7-foot robot at Dallas Love Field Airport is watching for unmasked passengers and will notify law enforcement of potential crimes. What could possibly go wrong? The robot, dubbed SCOT, was installed last month to determine if they are capable of efficiently supplementing current...... read more
THINKING OF LEAVING THE USA, EVEN TEMPORARILY?from 2022 in ( life / health / covid / travel )
If you, being a sensible person, refuse to get the covid shot but have been dreaming of visiting a foreign country that does NOT require said shot, you WILL be required to get one upon your return. Yep. And you thought this was a free country. Sorry, no such luck.: travel.sta... read more
BNA TO SMF (2022)from 2022 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
Elizabeth and I returned home late Tuesday night after a few days in California, visiting family. I still despise air travel, and the mask requirement only makes it worse, but a couple of our American Airlines crew members were happy to tell us it expires next month. Using Doug and Jana's house in Sacramento as my home base --... read more
AMERICAN MAN WALKS THROUGH MOST DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOOD IN ROSARIOfrom 2022 in ( life / travel / americas / argentina )
In the past few decades, one city in Argentina has begun to develop a rather unsavory reputation for criminality. Rosario, which connects the north of Argentina to Buenos Aires through the Parana River, is actually a fairly beautiful city. But as with many places, there are two different sides to it. On the outskirts was a very diff... read more
FROM HILL TO VALLEY, A LONG-WINDED POSTCARD FROM THE ROADfrom 2021 in ( life / travel / usa / southeast )
/images/welcome-valley-al-sign.webp The drive from Spring Hill, Tennessee to Valley, Alabama was uneventful... until we were almost there. So close. That's a fairly generic name for a town... read more
GAS BUDDY FINDS STATIONS THAT HAVE GASOLINE, DIESEL OR BOTHfrom 2021 in ( life / travel / transportation / fuel )
No mention of their snack supply. Here's the link: tracker.gasbuddy.com/tracker.gasbuddy.com ... read more
VERY FEW COUNTRIES NOT REQUIRING RIDICULOUS HEALTH PRECAUTIONSfrom 2021 in ( life / travel / covid / vaccines )
There are very few places a person can go, at the moment (April 6, 2021), without worrying about bureaucrats and their ridiculous health requirements, making you spend several days in quarantine (hopefully, at least in your hotel, not the airport luggage carousel). Of course, returning to your country will probably still require your participa... read more
EXECUTIVE ORDERS ARE NOT LAWSfrom 2021 in ( life / travel / vaccines / legal )
Legally, they apply ONLY to that executive's employees and any property under their legally-limited purview. Here's an open letter to all airlines... I thought I would educate you on the federal law you cite as justification for your mask policy.Are Executive Orders Law? The Short Answer: No, they are... read more
LOOKING TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL, PERMANENT-LIKE? HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONSfrom 2020 in ( life / travel / advice )
If you're looking to get away from it all, here is some hopefully useful information. If you're primarily English-speaking (maybe looking to move permanently), here's a list of countries (whose primary language is NOT English) ranked by ef.com/wwen/epi/English Proficiency Index for their Eng... read more
AUTO-GYROSfrom 2020 in ( life / travel / transportation )
I've seen this gyrocopter taking off and landing from the John C. Tune Metro airport. Maybe he's doing sales demos or something. Pretty cool looking. autogyrousa.com/autogyrousa.com/ ... read more
FAMILY MEMBERS SURVIVE THE MIDDLE EASTfrom 2020 in ( life / travel / middle-east )
The headline is purposely misleading (a la my /pages/family/holmes/newsletter/old newsletter ), just because I can. My brother and his wife just returned from their 16-day trip to Dubai, Egypt and Jordan. It was a great trip and at no time did we feel unsafe (except in the crazy traffic). In Egypt, we h... read more
USDOT TO BAN DOG BREED DISCRIMINATION ON AIRLINESfrom 2020 in ( life / travel / airlines / pets )
The regulation is set to put an end to airlines discriminating against service dogs based on their appearance or breed, particularly pit bulls. : goodnewsnetwork.org/department-of-transp... read more
2019 MOST DANGEROUS U.S. CITIESfrom 2019 in ( life / travel / usa / crime )
escapehere.com/destination/25-most-dangerous-cities-in-the-us-in-2019/?streamviewallThis article is dated December 2018, and it's based on 2017 data, but whatever. :) roadsnacks.net/most-dangerous-cities/RoadSnacks has a similar list here , and here's ... read more
GREAT FOREIGN TRAVEL TIPSfrom 2019 in ( life / travel / advice )
The youtube.com/user/HoboTravelerHobo Traveler tells it like it is: don't rent a car, some cultures dishonest, police dangerous. : youtu.be/GNBfZ6oX73wyoutu.be/GNBfZ6oX73w What Countries Give You... read more
COST OF LIVING COMPARISON (SACRAMENTO VS. LISBON)from 2019 in ( life / travel / economy )
Cool international cost-of-living comparison site: expatistan.com/cost-of-livingexpatistan.com/cost-of-living . If you're thinking of moving from Sacramento, CA to Lisbon, Portugal, for example, go to: expatistan.com/cost-of-living/comparison/sacrame... read more
VISITING OLD SACRAMENTOfrom 2018 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
/images/old-sacramento-1.webp Observations while walking around Old Sacramento with Elizabeth:Jul 14, 2018 2:38pmAs I sat on a bench in touristy Old Sacramento, a little boy walked by and asked Are you a statue? I had to laug... read more
HOW TO TAKE YOUR OWN PASSPORT PHOTOfrom 2018 in ( life / travel / photography )
I was having a hard time converting a digital photo down to the correct 2x2 physical size. Then I found this article: cnet.com/how-to/how-to-take-your-own-passport-photos/take your own passport photos . At first, I was thinking Tell me something I don't know. Then I saw the link to the State Depa... read more
AIRLINES MISBEHAVINGfrom 2017 in ( life / travel / airlines )
United Airlines says Thank you, American Airlines. Now everyone knows we're not the ONLY a--holes! Yes, the woman was dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4434620/American-Airlines-employee-challenges-passenger-FIGHT.htmlapparently belligerent (just like United's victim), but these so-called professio... read more
HOW DID MOSCOW'S STRAY DOGS LEARN TO NAVIGATE THE METRO?from 2017 in ( life / travel / russia )
Interesting Of Moscow's 35,000-odd stray dogs, about 20 are thought to travel regularly on the city's underground rail system. These dogs seem to be able to identify which trains to board, and where to alight. It appears that they can recognise humans who will give them a treat or a pat -- and avoid those who won't. ... read more
ALTERNATE ROUTEfrom 2016 in ( life / travel / transportation / traffic )
Don't you hate it when you take an alternate route to get away from a slow driver only to have them end up in front of you later? Yeah.That's all I wanted to say. But, since you're here, look at this: /images/traffic.webp ... read more
GREG AND JUNE'S TRIP TO EUROPE (2013)from 2016 in ( life / travel / europe / italy )
Our Trip to Europe (2013) By Greg, with Help from June June and I started out at LAX after getting a ride from Aileen. Thanks, Aileen! Our flight to Rome on Alitalia was delayed by about an hour, for some reason. Before boarding, we ran into a friend on the same flight who was with another friend and her friend's husba... read more
SIGHTS AROUND THE WORLDfrom 2013 in ( life / travel )
A list of must-see sights around the world. Less obvious places, such as benjerry.com/scoop-shops/factory-tours/Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory in Vermont, or the en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MuseumofDecorativeArtsinPragueMuseum of Decorative Arts in Prague , etc.... read more
BEST PLACES TO GO (2013)from 2013 in ( life / travel )
Nashville made the list! Here's what they say about it:The new Nashville offers two things worth traveling for: a hot, trendy cntraveler.com/food/2012/11/adam-platt-food-tour-of-the-south-charleston-nashville-north-carolina new food scene and its famous, funky music s... read more
THINGS TO DO IN NASHVILLEfrom 2011 in ( life / travel / usa / nashville )
Actually, in and around Nashville. adventuresci.org/Adventure Science Center alphamom.com/family-fun/activities/50-things-to-do-with-kids-in-nashville-before-they-grow-up/Alpha Mom... read more
TOUR OF NASHVILLE (2011)from 2011 in ( life / travel / usa / nashville )
/images/e-laughing-pumpkins.webp Elizabeth and I played tour guide to my sister harmonyhaven.wordpress.com/author/jeanniewomack/Jeannie , her daughter Tiffany,... read more
TSA PERSECUTES CRITICS, IGNORES SECURITY THREATSfrom 2011 in ( life / travel / airports )
While the Department of Homeland Security investigates a commercial airline pilot for exposing security flaws at a major U.S. airport, it fails to protect America against terrorism by not screening passengers and cargo on thousands of planes that fly over the country each week.... read more
TSA MISSES LUGGAGE THAT EXPLODES AFTER FLIGHTfrom 2011 in ( life / travel / government )
Despite a $98 million infusion for state-of-the-art baggage screening machines, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) somehow missed a suitcase filled with explosives that blasted after a three-hour domestic flight. The shameful gaffe is simply the latest of many for the beleaguered Homeland Security agency charg... read more
DIANE'S ICY ADVENTUREfrom 2010 in ( life / travel / weather )
Christmas night, Diane, on the way to a party, found herself in the fast lane of the freeway with a car stopped in front of her and the brakes not working due to a patch of black ice. With cars and trucks honking on the right side, she had no choice but to steer for the shoulder, running over not one but two sign posts. The first sign, a tall on... read more
WHICH AIRPORTS HAVE BODY SCANNING TECHNOLOGYfrom 2010 in ( life / travel / health )
Airports to avoid, if at all possible: cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/11/18/airports.with.body.scanners/Which airports have body-scanning technology At least my airport, Nashville Int'l, uses the less dangerous model.... read more
PREIKESTOLEN, ONE OF NORWAY'S MOST VISITED ATTRACTIONSfrom 2010 in ( life / travel / europe )
Preikestolen is one of Rogaland county, Norway's most visited attractions, and one of the country's most spectacular photo subjects. It has been named one of the world's most spectacular viewing points by both CNN Go and Lonely Planet. It rises 604 metres above the Lysefjord.... read more
TSA SEXUAL ASSAULTfrom 2010 in ( life / travel / airports )
If I do have to fly, I'll try and make all connections through New Jersey! See titleTSA -- Sexual Assault hrefourlittlechatterboxes.com/2010/11/tsa-sexual-assault.htmlTSA -- Sexual Assault . See also activistpost.com/2010/11/new-jersey-moves-to-ban-tsa-sca... read more
CALIFORNIA TRIP (2008)from 2008 in ( family / holmes / travel )
Tara, Elizabeth and I just returned from a trip to California. We went for my nephew Thomas's wedding (to bride Heather at Lake Tahoe), but it was also a convenient excuse to let everyone on my side of the family, especially her Grandma and Grandpa, finally meet Elizabeth. Tara's side are already well familiar with our litt... read more
TRAVEL PAGEfrom 2008 in ( life / travel / blog )
convertit.com/Go/ConvertIt/Currency converter Posted on 23 Feb 2008A Flight Attendant's reportby a flight attendantOn the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic. All of a sudden the curtains parted... read more
STAY TUNEDfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I hope to get the rest of the photos and videos on here, at least in raw form, over the next few days. I think I'm getting over my post traumatic stress disorder from the trip and can now face looking at the video again. :)Regarding Comments, I had to set those to require approval before showing up on the site because spammers have discov... read more
AIRPORT ARRIVALfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Some pictures as we arrived in the airport. There was a great welcoming party there! We've never had an airport welcoming party before!... read more
RIDING THE METROfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're going to attempt to ride the Metro subway to history.com/topics/red-squareRed Square today. Wish us luck. The exits aren't numbered, they are listed by name ... in Cyrillic. Of course, the overhead announcements are in Russian. One helpful thing is that the announcements are in a male voic... read more
STILL IN MOSCOWfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're in a different hotel, the ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/Moscow/mowso/hoteldetailHoliday Inn -- Moscow Sokolniki , for the rest of our stay. This is the one that was originally reserved for our return from Astrakhan. It has a reliable internet connection, costs less per night than yesterday... read more
TO THE EMBASSYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Our last stop before the airport on the magical mystery tour is the Google.com/maps/place/EmbassyoftheUnitedStates/@55.7560229,37.576976,17z/data!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x46b54bcacb7fc963:0xc2075a0e27388e24!8m2!3d55.7560199!4d37.5791646US Embassy . They will make Elizabeth a US citizen and a registered Repub... read more
CAN'T LEAVE EARLYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
... but at least it's all over. The Embassy visit went fine. Delta said that the only way we could take the available seats on earlier flights was to pay $2800 extra FOR EACH ticket. We said no. Unless someone wants to donate that to us, then we'll call them back. :) As it is, we can't leave until Sunday as originally planned.... read more
MOSCOW UPDATE CONTINUEDfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're in Moscow.Bill already summarized our trip here. I do believe that I am fully initiated into the sisterhood of Mothers. I have changed an exploding poopy diaper in an airplane bathroom, with turbulence! I'll spare you all the details, but let's just say, I will be burning our clothes from that trip. Internet access is very expe... read more
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE'S UPDATEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I went ahead and paid for the 24-hour internet connection from the room. It wasn't even double the cost of one hour. I also swapped out the flaky cable and that seems to have fixed the connection problem. Wrong. I had to call the techs back to fix it. The hotel sure did send up some techs quickly to check it out. Tara and Elizabet... read more
RIDING THE METRO, PART DEUXfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
All three of us went to history.com/topics/red-squareRed Square this time. I'm glad Tara was able to see it. Elizabeth was fascinated, too, but probably won't remember a thing. We then had lunch at sbarro.com/Sbarro in the ht... read more
JUST ANOTHER WEEK TO GOfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
... maybe less! That cheers me up. That's assuming everything goes as planned ... and it WILL. I believe in positive thinking (when I'm desperate, anyway, because it leads to positive actions, which lead to positive results, or at least your chances are better). I don't always practice it, but I try. It doesn't always work, but i... read more
PICTURES OF OUR LIFE IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Tonight is our last night in Astrakhan. So, I thought I'd post some pictures of where we've been living for the past 19 days. We've had many battles over clothing. She thinks I put too much clothes on her. In the hotel room, she wears her thermals. But, she loves her boots. So, she often walks around in her thermals with her snow ... read more
BACK IN MOSCOW (12/18/2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We made it this far! The plane ride was terrible for several minutes when we had to fasten our seat belts, which Elizabeth did not want to do. She SCREAMED loudly for quite a while, ticking off everyone nearby. Luckily, part of it was drowned out by the sound of the jet engines revving up and taking off. After that, she pooped her pants (I think... read more
51-1/2 HOURSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
That's how long before we leave Astrakhan for Moscow. Not that we're counting or anything. The bad thing about these in-country flights is that they don't use jetways, those expandable tubes that protect you from the weather as you get on and off the plane. You are out there exposed on the tarmac, which is no fun in bad weather. ... read more
HERE'S YOUR UPDATEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Everyone is wanting an update! Well, we're parents of a two-year-old now. No time for updates!She is keeping us busy. Her favorite things to do are: play in the sink, play in the tub, and play in the toilet. She is a waterbaby! One of the things we were warned about an adopted child from an orphanage was that they may hate baths and it wo... read more
SLEEP, WHAT A CONCEPTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I slept on the floor most of last night. It's a little after 7 a.m. here. Elizabeth refuses to sleep in her crib, even though we're told that's what she slept in at the orphanage. So, she sleeps with us in our bed. That bed is barely big enough for just me and Tara. Anyway, Elizabeth can go to sleep in the bed, but whenever she wakes... read more
NOTHING MUCH TO UPDATE ABOUTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
She's just driving us crazy. Luckily, Tara is taking the brunt of it. I had to get out and walk around town in the freezing cold, just for the sake of getting out. I was at least useful, coming back with some groceries. Elizabeth's sweet as can be and very playful most of the time, but she turns on a dime. The main problem is just kee... read more
BOWEL MOVEMENTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I like a headline that demands attention!It's official, I'm a parent. Elizabeth had her first bowel movement since we've had her, and it was on my watch! Tara was unable to put Elizabeth down for a nap while I was out walking around town looking for groceries and sundry items. Once I returned, Tara decided to take a nap h... read more
MORE PICTURES (12-09-2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Here are some photos from today of the hotel and the closest major street to us. We didn't get very far on our walk because it was too cold.titleAzimut Hotel front href/images/azimut-front4.webp titleAzimut Hotel side href/images/azimut-front... read more
THE FIRST HOURS OF PARENTHOODfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Oh my gosh! She's a handful!Well, we left the orphanage without much incident. She told the orphanage staff that she wanted to leave in the car. But, she refused to let me or Bill hold her hand or touch her other than put her snowsuit and boots on. The orphanage director walked her out and then Vika, our interpreter took her from there. S... read more
SHE'S OURSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp We have her in the hotel now. I tried typing that sentence earlier but she shut the computer down as I was typing! I don't know how. But just a few keystrokes and it was shutting down. Now she kee... read more
PICTURE OF US BEFORE COURTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
titleBill and Tara before Court href/images/bill-and-tara-before-court.webp ...from several days ago, the morning of our court appearance. Taken by the other adoptive family in town... read more
LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNELfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp We visited Elizabeth again today. We caught her when she was in the music room with all the other kids in her age group. She smiled wide when she saw us, but by the time she reached us, she tried to k... read more
SHE'S WARMING UP TO USfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp We had her laughing, smiling and giggling today. I pushed her around on the three-wheeler, then flew her around the room. She even let us chase her around, and it didn't scare her when I chased ... read more
IT'S GOING TO BE A GOOD WEEKfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp That's all I wanted to say. :)We had a shortened visit with Elizabeth today because we had to first stop by the pharmacy and get some bengay.comBen-Gay and ibu... read more
SATURDAY MORNINGfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp Tara made a good guess earlier. She thinks the orphanage caretakers are telling Elizabeth that we will be taking her away soon. They think they're doing us a favor, trying to prepare her.... read more
THE DAY AFTERfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp Well, we're much more relaxed now that we've gotten past the court appearance. The problem now is getting Elizabeth to like us again. Today, she cried for the first time. She let me hold her, ... read more
MUCH BETTER VISIT TODAYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp Elizabeth (a.k.a. Masha) was much happier today. We were told that the orphanage caretakers probably were not telling her that we would be taking her away, but who knows? She let... read more
WENT FOR A WALKfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp ... in the freezing cold, we were THAT bored. I'm starting to hate this place. There's just nothing to do when we're not visiting Elizabeth or going shopping, and both of those require a d... read more
SUCCESSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp As you probably read below in Tara's post, our court appearance went very well. Ten days from now we will officially be the proud parents of Elizabeth! And now Vika tells us that we get to visit h... read more
AND THE JUDGE SAYSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
She's ours!It's official! Elizabeth is ours. The court hearing went very smooth. It took about an hour and a half. There was a judge, prosecutor, a rep from the Child protective services, and the Minister of Education. They had a lot of questions about our parenting style, our finances and guardianship of her in the event of both our ... read more
IT'S SHOWTIMEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We leave in an hour for Court. I just got back from breakfast. Tara did not join me because she can't eat, she's so nervous. Gotta go get dressed. Wish us luck!... read more
RUSSIAN BUREAUCRACYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Oh... my... God. Do not EVER lose that document they have you fill out on the plane before you land! Stapling it to your forehead would be less painful than what Galina, Liena and I went through today. Vika was tending to the other couple, Nancy and Joel. Anyway, we just spent ALL afternoon standing and sitting in line at the Immigration departm... read more
RUSSIAN ADOPTION CONSULTANTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I've taken a job here as a Russian adoption consultant. The hours are long, and the pay is in barter, but you gotta do what you gotta do, seein' as how I can't leave the country. :)But seriously, the childrenshope.netChildren's Hope office in Brentwood, TN has an opening for such a job. T... read more
COMMENTS WELCOMEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I set this blog so that you can now add your comments anonymously without logging in. So, comment away! I was afraid that the requirement for a login was keeping people from participating. Now you can go crazy because you're anonymous. Just watch your language! Elizabeth is reading this, too ... some day. :) Email me if you have a problem us... read more
BACK IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We made it to Astrakhan, but I've lost my immigration form that goes with the passport and visa. It's just a little sheet that they have you fill out on the airplane before you land. If I'd known it was so important, I would have stapled it into the passport instead of just sliding it in there. It's not the end of the world, but ... read more
IN THE AIR AGAINfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Sunday, November 25, 2007, 5:00pm CSTWe're in the air on our way back to Moscow. Delta Flight 46. The current in-flight movie is Evan Almighty, which we saw on one of our other flights to or from Moscow last time. You know, when you jet back and forth like we do, you forget exactly which flight it was. :) I guess it's rentable, but ... read more
BEET SALADfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp The time stamp on these blog posts are in US Central Time, not Russia time. It's 6am Sunday morning here. We had lunch the other day with Nancy, Joel, Vika and Liena at a Wester... read more
MWEH YEDDUM V AEROPORT ETA OOTRAfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
You probably guessed what that means: We are going to the aiport this morning. It's probably not grammatically correct, but I ain't got no time for linguistic correctitude. :)Unlike last time when the cat kept waking me up, this time I was able to get a good night's sleep. I was up at 5:30, but I got a good seven hours. It helped ... read more
TUESDAY (11/27/2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Time flies when you lose nine hours. We fly to Astrakhan this afternoon. This morning, we'll be having the free breakfast that the hotel offers. Then we'll exchange our dollars for rubles (before the dollar devalues even more). I could've done that yesterday, but I ... just ... didn't ... feel like it. :)They don't get a l... read more
BACK IN MOSCOW (11/26/2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We made it. The flight was horrible. I think I slept about 30 seconds out of the 11 hour flight. It was not a full flight, and half the people around us were able to take up two or three seats, but we weren't quick enough. The other movie on the flight was imdb.com/title/tt0435705/?refnmflmgact58... read more
INTERNET ACCESSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I'm wondering about internet access now that we've tentatively planned to stay in a weekly apartment in Astrakhan instead of the hotel the entire time. We'll probably want/need that internet access for the sake of something to do. Normally, we could go sightseeing, but when it's below-freezing outside, that doesn't sound fun.... read more
SKORA MWEH TAM BOOJUMfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Translation: We'll be there soon. This time next week, actually. I really want to be able to communicate with our daughter Elizabeth when we get there. I've been playing titleUPDATE: I think this is the one hrefpaypal.com/xclick/businessbobkatjane%40yahoo.com&item-nameRussianforAdoptiveParents-t... read more
ROUND TWOfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We've received our court date. We're haggling with the airlines now. One round-trip ticket for one adult costs a little over $800. One one-way ticket for our daughter's flight home with us costs $1,600!! I suggested just buying our daughter a round-trip ticket (which would be only $900) and not using the return portion of it, but T... read more
BACK IN ATLANTAfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're in the Atlanta airport now! Good to be on US soil, except that they keep mentioning George Bush (... as in the Houston Airport). :) It's 1:45a.m. Moscow time right now (5:45p.m. EDT), but I'm not tired. I'm anxious to catch the flight to Nashville. Customs and security here in Atlanta is sooo much smoother than Russia, th... read more
WE'RE HOMEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
OK, now we're home! I'll try and do a trip summary tomorrow after a good night's sleep ... in my own bed. Tara says she feels like Dorothy, There's no place like home!... read more
ANOTHER GREAT VISITfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're feeling closer and closer to our child, especially after today. And I think we passed the test of having the psychologist there, observing. She was pretty cool, actually. She didn't stay the entire visit. I think she could see that Tara, the child and I are all getting along well. She'll be observing again tomorrow, but we... read more
THURSDAY IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
First things first: Our little girl is warming up to Tara. She gave her a kiss yesterday, I think without even being asked. Now, for some more random thoughts:Before I forget to mention it, I need to tell you what happened Tuesday. I think it was Tuesday. My whole sense of time is pretty messed up. Anyway, it was a momentous day. Yeah, yea... read more
LAST VISIT FOR A WHILEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We'll be leaving in a few minutes for our last visit to the orphanage this trip. I'm practicing asking for my baggage back from the hotel baggage room. Baggage actually sounds like boggage. Please is pa-ZHAL-sta. Fascinating, I know. I thought about getting a parting video shot of the lobby as we sit here waiting for our ride. But th... read more
WEDNESDAY IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We just got back from today's first visit with the child (we're not supposed to mention her name online). We'll be going back this afternoon. In the meantime, Tara's trying to catch up on her sleep. She had woken up around 5 this morning. I was able to sleep until almost 8. The girl (hopefully soon to be known as our... read more
SIGHTS OF ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I'm attaching pictures we made of Astrakhan and our room. We are staying at the Hotel Azimut in Astrakhan. They are going through major renovations right now. It's kind of funny to see the interior design mix. The lobby is decorated in Art Deco while the rooms are decorated in traditional Russian decor like lace curtains, handblown gl... read more
GREAT VISITfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We had a great visit with our little girl this morning. There were no observers. That happens this afternoon. Vika mentioned we should think about showing more affection in front of the observers. It's more in line with how Russians treat their kids. We're fine with that. We like kids so much, we flew half way around the world to have on... read more
IT'S A GIRL, IT'S A GIRL!from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Oh My Gosh what a difference 1 day makes! So, we have a beautiful blond-haired, blue-eyed, 2-1/2-year-old girl!First, the obvious question: What happened to the 4-year-old boy? We don't know. After 2 trips to the Minister of Education, and two interviews, they gave us a referral for this girl. It's been so difficult get... read more
WHAT A DAYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Where to begin... The original plan was for us to go to the Minister of Education and submit our dossier and then formally receive our referral. What really happened:Galina called the ministry this morning only to find out that they were closed in the morning supposedly because there had been a death within the ministry (I'm assuming a... read more
WE'RE IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
After a nerve-wracking trip to the airport and getting through the airport security we finally made it to our plane. We were told that our Rep, Galina, would be flying with us. We never saw her until we were already on the plane. She was one of the last passengers on the plane, she saw us and gestured to Bill. He figured it was Galina. Her seat ... read more
CHECK-OUT TIMEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We check out in an hour. We got a nice free breakfast this morning, then went back to that grocery store and managed to pay the right amount for the right kind of water (still, not sparkling, which is hard to find). Security guard work is apparently a large pa... read more
IT'S ONLY MONDAY?from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Monday -- 1 Oct 07 -- 6:37PMzzzDRAHST-vueet-ya, DRAHST-ya, BREEV-yet ee DO-bree-dyen from Astrakhan! I just (phonetically) said Hello, hey, hi and good afternoon (even though it's now evening here) in Russian. I couldn't remember how to say evening.We visited the Ministry of Education today, the people who decide who lives and ... read more
FIRST TIME IN MOSCOWfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Well, we made it to Moscow!After a long plane trip, we managed to get through passport control and customs with no problems. And all of our luggage made it!Our CHI Rep and driver were late getting to the airport and we were worried, but they did eventually show up. We got our first taste of traffic, and let me go on record to say -- I will... read more
LINKS TO ALL HOLMES FAMILY ADOPTION POSTSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/pages/this-time-next-weekThis Time Next Week -- I'm happy to say that this time next week, we will be in Astrakhan, Russia! We leave the States on Friday, September 28 ... read more
WE'RE IN MOSCOWfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We'll be spending the night in Moscow, after all, and flying down to Astrakhan tomorrow afternoon. I was stressed out without an internet or even a usable power connection. But I'm obviously connected now. I had the power converters, but not the three-prong-to-two-prong adapter that I have plenty of at home. We ran into another cou... read more
IN THE AIRfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
28 Sept -- 3:55pm CDT -- We're in the air on our way to Moscow. A little bit of good news is that it's only a 10 hour flight instead of 12 as we had thought.... read more
TUESDAY (10/2/2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Just some random notes this morningThere's a real /images/russian-stray-dog.webpstray dog problem in Russian cities; or, at least Moscow and Astrakhan. A lot of people even apparently let their dogs run loose. They're almost all large dogs. The small ones don't survive. There's a real... read more
VISITING FAMILY IN KANSASfrom 2005 in ( life / travel / usa / kansas )
Kansas. What an incredibly boring state. Tara, her sister Sandie, niece Destiny, and I flew from Nashville to attend her youngest sister Stephanie's high school graduation in Council Grove. Tara and I figured we'd find something to do that night upon arrival in Kansas City, followed by more touring the next day before catching up with th... read more
TRIP TO ROANOKEfrom 2005 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
I'm home after a long trip to Roanoke, VA and back. It was quite an experience overall. The 1-3/4 hour drive to SMF was punctuated by the puppy screaming and howling in the crate behind me in the van. She messed the newspapers once and I stopped and changed them. Once I got to the airport, I put her into the carry-on targetbla... read more
VISITING FAMILY IN GUATEMALAfrom 2005 in ( life / travel / americas / blog )
We visited Evelyn's family in Guatemala, hence the title of the post :) and ate like the pigs that we are. Bijou had fun. I guess the highlight was going to the cemetery. Believe it or not, it was really Gothic, colorful, historical and very interesting, in general.We didn't have much time for sightseeing this time (only 4 days), bu... read more
TRIP TO VANCOUVERfrom 2005 in ( life / travel / americas / canada )
Our trip was great. Here's a very short story.We left on 8/11 from my work. My boss made me attend a meeting that day which ended at 2:30, whereupon I joined June, Brian and Andy who were in our van, waiting in the parking lot. Boy, did I need a vacation!We arrived at Jeannie's that night, stayed overnight and dropped off Cedar, wh... read more
CHARLESTON AND SAVANNAHfrom 2000 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
Charleston, SCWe drove ... and drove ... and drove -- 10 hours or so- from visitmusiccity.com/Nashville until finally reaching Charleston, South Carolina. Along the way, we stopped in Asheville, North Carolina at the Biltmore Estate because Tara had forgotten to get postcards when we were there... read more
NEW ORLEANSfrom 2000 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
We flew into New Orleans about noon time on a Friday. Since the room wasn't ready for such an early arrival, we walked four blocks to the pier and decided to ride the paddle wheel boat Natchez. It basically goes a mile up the Mississippi, then heads back. You'll see a lot of other international cargo ships, and the h... read more
CALIFORNIA, WHAT A TRIPfrom 2000 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
Before we left, I took Austin to his Grandma Joy's house. We had a good visit and he took to her immediately. I left him on Friday morning and drove back to Nashville. I was supposed to get my ear drums cut open for the plane ride because I had ear infections, but the steroids and antibiotics had put a negative pressure situation in my ears ... read more
THE BREEDERS CUP AT GULFSTREAM PARKfrom 1999 in ( life / travel / usa / horse-racing )
...with a side trip to Miami from Ft. Lauderdale.
/images/horse-racing-gulfstream.webp I flew from Nashville to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for the Breeders Cup horse races at Gulfstream Park (actually Hallandale). It was fun just being the... read more
ALASKA, A TRUE WILDERNESSfrom 1999 in ( life / travel / usa / alaska )
I've always heard people use the words wilderness and Alaska in the same sentence. It didn't mean a lot to me until recently when my wife Carla and I cruised the Inside Passage of Alaska. The state is huge, but it still takes a good seven days (round trip) to cruise up and back on the western coast. We stopped at ... read more
ST. LOUIS TRIPfrom 1999 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
Tara and I made a quick trip (if you can call a five-hour road trip quick) to St. Louis over the Labor Day weekend. We visited their historic Old Town district along the river where they were hosting the Big Muddy Blues & Roots Festival. That was just good timing on our part. We had not originally intended to see it, but since it was free we hun... read more
QUICK TRIP TO CHICAGOfrom 1999 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
/images/bill-tara-memphis-1998.webpTara and I left Nashville for Chicago on a Thursday morning. At the last minute I decided to let my cat Myca out. I figured he would return shortly after doing his business in the neighbor's bushes, as usual, and I could then lock him in the house for the duration of our tri... read more
ATLANTA TRIPfrom 1999 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
Tara and I just got back from a long weekend in Atlanta. It was nice to see the town. I'd passed through before but never stopped to look. The first touristy thing we did after finding our hotel -- the downtown courtyard.marriott.com/Courtyard-by-Marriott , which was much better than the targetblan... read more
PORTUGAL TO HUNGARYfrom 1998 in ( life / travel / europe / blog )
How I Spent My Summer Vacations () from 1992Portugal/AzoresOn Sunday, July 12th, I woke up... but while getting ready for the flight to Portugal the next morning, I never went back to sleep. In Lisboa, my 2nd cousin and her husband Antonio Melo met me at the airport. They served as chauffeurs, tour guides a... read more
TRIP TO EUROPE (1996)from 1996 in ( life / travel / europe / blog )
Jump straight to vimeo.com/3271045the video, here , if you want. I was in Bratislava, Slovakia for Doug and Jana's wedding, but this doesn't include the wedding itself. That was filmed by a professional. This video is so badly done it's almost funny. There's also some footage from... read more
EUROPE VIDEO (1996)from 1996 in ( life / travel / europe / blog )
You can watch it here: vimeo.com/3271045vimeo.com/Europe '96 I was in Bratislava, Slovakia for Doug and Jana's wedding, but this doesn't include the wedding itself. That was filmed by a profe... read more
EASTERN CANADAfrom 1989 in ( life / travel / canada / blog )
Roving reporter returns from nameEast East (September, 1989) -- Bill returned from his trip to eastern Canada a few weeks back. He was supposed to seek out and capture Wild Man Doug. Remember? Well, he's back. Bill, that is. When asked to report his findings, however, Bill said, What? You never said anything about findi... read more