The best way to make Disneyland, and life, more enjoyable: jazz hands.

How to survive Disneyland? That seems kind of silly, doesn’t it? Isn’t surviving Disneyland the same as enjoying Disneyland? I should think so. However, there are some among us (you know who you are) that feel otherwise. They look at a day in a crowded theme park like the rest of us look at a day in the DMV — long lines, too hot and very expensive.  Man, the DMV sucks.

Disneyland, thankfully, doesn’t. To turn that frown upside down I am offering some helpful tips for creating a Disneyland vacation that should make even the most cynical crack the occasional smile (someone buy that person a Grumpy t-shirt). Churros not included. Read More »

In Austria there is a lake that isn’t. That is, during the winter it is a grass-filled valley full of hiking trails and benches, and during the summer the snow melts and the valley becomes Austria’s Green Lake full of clear, green water. Also, grass, hiking trails and benches.

Sounds amazing. Have any of you ever been?

Despite all of the words beneath it, this post is a Wordless Wednesday entry.

Photo: Alex Barth via Flickr

LIFE Books has released a beautiful book called Heaven on Earth: The World’s Must See Destinations, and it is amazing.

Today we’re looking at Nantucket, which is an island located off the coast of Massachusetts in the area of Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod. It is also the hometown of a man in the famous, allegedly, dirty limerick that nobody has ever heard in its entirety.

Other famous Nantucket residents include Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick characters Ahab and Starbuck. As you may have guessed, whaling plays a pivotal role in the history of the town.

The town of Nantucket is actually comprised of the namesake island and two smaller islands, Tuckernuck and Muskeget, both of which seem like they could offer a plethora of clever rhyme schemes to the dirty limerick canon.

The area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and offers a large collection of pre-Civil War structures. Maps and tours are available.

Photo: Nantucket by Michael Melford, courtesy of LIFE Books

Do you like the butterflies? Of course you do. Fun fact, the Monarch Butterfly migrates south for the winter and then north in the spring, making it the only butterfly to do so. However, the entire migration lasts longer than the Monarch’s lifespan (about two months) so it’s a generational thing. Now that’s a family vacation.

Wikipedia has more information on their migration, flight pattern, and when and where you can see them.   My personal experience happened one morning while driving through San Diego — the freeway was covered in thousands of Monarch Butterflies. It was amazing. Sadly this was pre-smartphone and I didn’t get any photos. Just one more example of how technology has failed me.

This post is a Wordless Wednesday entry. I know I typed stuff, but to be fair, the butterfly was pretty quiet.

Photo: Donnasheets via Flickr