A great post by 
Anyway, thought it may be fun to give it a go.
Choice one: A wine tasting tour or brewery tour? Which would you choose and why? Use your own photos.
If friends or family were going then whichever one they wanted to attend would be fine by me. This is because it has been 11 years since alcohol has graced my tongue, and no before you jump to the conclusion it was not because of my binge drinking. It was on doctor's orders after my surgery for cancer of the tongue those 11 years ago.
Staples still holding the head on at this point
Choice two: Camping in the woods or holidaying in a city hotel? Which would you personally choose and why? Use your own photos.
Camping was a favored activity when my daughter was still young. We would even do winter camping, which with good weather and a HUGE bonfire can be very comfortable with the added benefit of being very clean and tidy.
The city hotel doesn't sound all that different from home... in fact if that were the choice it would be home. Hotel beds always creep me out. Thoughts of what a CSI Team may find tend to invade my thoughts when laying a head on a hotel pillow.
Choice three: Live in the Middle East or United States of America? (These are your only two choices) Which would you choose and why? Use your own photos.
US Pros and Cons
Although not a United State's citizen, it has been my good fortune to have traveled there a number of times over a number of years.
The first meaningful one which had great influence upon me was in 1966. My Dad's father had a place in Florida and we drove down from Nova Scotia, that winter, to visit with him for Christmas.
There was an excitement of youth when passing through the more northern states. Things like them having more than one TV station on the hotel TVs! Who was this wacko guy called Captain Kangaroo anyway? Sucking up roadside billboards and their products like a sponge.
Then we hit Georgia. Segregation was in full swing. WHITE ONLY signs on most roadside restaurants we stopped at. Hey it wasn't my choice having no vote at 11.
At one stop there was a small epiphany about my older brother by 2 and a half years. My Mother and Father sitting in the booth across from us, was asked for a dime by my brother. He then took it to the jukebox dumped it into the coin slot and after pressing two buttons the Beatles started to sing Paperback Writer.
It blew me away! The guy that had been playting in a pile of dirt with dinky toys with me that summer would know anything about that machine and the records inside. Like a flash of light it came to me that my brother had taken a not so small step out of childhood.
Other visits were more my own. Chasing a girlfriend on her summer holidays to Maine in 1970. Trips to Florida on my own, once with a VW Westphalia back in the 80s.
Then Bush came along as did the Iraqi War. It actually brought me out into the street to protest. Well maybe my girlfriend at the time was some of the motivation too. You can't have peace without good relationships. 😉
There was a vow taken, and vows are not taken lightly by me, that because of the USA's actions in the Iraqi War and reinforced by their continued world aggression since that time, there has never been another visit to this date nor would there if given the option.
Middle East Pros and Cons
The middle east, itself, has not held much attraction for me mostly due to its volatile nature of the area. Many other Muslim countries have been visited by me however.
The first was Morocco in the early 70s during the Oil Crisis. It took me a number of days of being rejected entry at the crossing at Ceuta. They perhaps finally got sick of seeing me or saw me as an a-political hippie just there for their sweet blonde hash.
It was like walking back in time when strolling through the back streets of Fez of Marrakesh. At an age where ones mind is having growing insights anyway, with the added mind expansion of the daily highs; Morocco was an experience that shaped my future life to some degree.
There was also travel done in Turkey, Iran where some time was spent as an English Teacher, Afganistan, Packistan, Tunisia and Algeria.
Muslim countries tend to be refreshingly different with welcoming cultures to me.
Choice four: Professional success or personal happiness? (Assume you can only have one) - Which would you choose and why? Use your own photos.
The only reason for someone choosing professionalism over personal happyness in my eyes would be if they are suffering from some trauma of youth when not getting enough love from their Father and now trying to prove themselves to him through their professional success.
It has always been Personal Happyness with me. Not even a choice.
Choice five: Own a dog or a cat - Which would you choose and why? Use your own photos.
Definitely a dog.
One can not likely have a child and not have a household pet of some sort at some time.
We had cats, mice and birds. Since being on my own since my daughter has grown there have been no pets living with me.
Choice six: Visit an art gallery/museum or play mini-golf? - Which would you choose and why? Use your own photos.
Both seem very unappealing; yet if forced to choose the art gallery with twisted arm.
Hope you may have learned a little more than just my choices.
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A chronological listing of my recent sailing posts:
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