Berlin, Germany

Warnemunde Germany is the port city for our trip to Berlin. The ship docks early in the morning and along side the pier is a private train to take passengers directly into East Berlin which is about a 2 hour non-stop train ride (unless on that particular day, there is an engine problem and the trip takes 3.5 hours) One in Berlin our first stop was a photo stop in front of a part of the Wall that remains and that is now covered in "Local Art". We saw many famous points of interest including "Check Point Charlie" where Dave is pictured with a couple guards, Brandenburg Gate, The Templehof Airlift Memorial, The Holocaust Memorial, the East Side Gallery and much, much more. We had a delicious lunch with sausage, pork, sauerkraut and apple strudel. How Tourist (and delicious) can you get. We returned to the ship by 8 p.m. in just about 2 hours with our new train engine and just in time for dinner on the ship and to see one of our special guest entertainers, Comedian Bruce Villanche. On another night, Chita Rivera was also a special guest entertainer.

Tallinn, Estonia

I never heard of Tallinn Estonia little did i think I would ever go there. We visited the spectacular Russian Orthodox Church of St. Alexander Nevski. The day our ship toured Tallinn and the church, with 2,000 gay tourists there was a wedding taking place at the same time. What will the charming Estonian couple think when they get their pictures developed? I also liked this photo of two elderly Estonian women begging for money.

Tallinn is a city best seen by walking from the upper Town to the lower Towns and along the way we had a nice lunch at a local restaurant. The photo at the top was taken outside our lunch restaurant in the town square.

Copenhagen, Denmark & Tivoli Gardens

Our cruise departed from Copenhagen Denmark and we arrived one day early to take in some of the sites. Like most European cities we sat in Squares and watched fountains and people pass bye. Like most Scandinavian capitals, we took a great tour of the city by canal boat. Tivoli Gardens is set right in the center of own town Copenhagen and is a combination of amusement park, botanical gardens, restaurant and entertainment complex. We enjoyed a nice Danish dinner and then watch the Chaka Kahn concert at 10 p.m. when it was still light out. In most of Scandinavia, the sun sets just before midnight and rises just after midnight. Dave is seen pictured in front of the "Little Mermaid" statue along the harbor.

Baltic Vacation begins in Amsterdam

We started our Baltic vacation on Tuesday evening July 8th. We flew up to Newark to catch our overs seas flight to Amsterdam. We spent two full days in Amsterdam where it was a bit cool and rainy. We visited the Van Gough museum and of course went on a canal boat tour. We enjoyed time drinking Amstel and Heinken beer in Cafe's and went to a few Coffee shops where Frank had a cup of coffee and Dave didn't have a cup of coffee. wink, wink.

Gold Coast Railroad & Museum

The Gold Coast Railroad and Museum is located in South Miami adjacent to the Miami Metro Zoo. One Saturday, Steve Berges (Dave's Little Brother in the "big Brother" program) and I spent an afternoon touring the vintage train cars and rail road grounds. We even got to drive Engine #1804. Steve especially enjoyed taking photographs of the many train engines and cars on the property. Steve has a natural talent for taking photographs including the black & white photo's seen here.

Napa, CA Wine Weekend & Conference 2008

Frank likes to describe my annual Napa business conference as a "Boondoggle" ...that is until he came along for the weekend on this years event. Each year we invite about 20 customers to our conference in Napa Valley and each morning is spent in break out meetings discussing how to increase business with each customer and afternoons are spent in "team building events" usually wine tasting tours while at night, spectacular dinners are enjoyed at some of Napa's most beautiful vineyards. OK... it's not all that bad! Preceding the actual conference Frank and I joined a small group of both Brother people and customers for a wonderful weekend filled with special events. Brian and Susan Vincent hosted our group on the first day at the Nappy Valley Food & Wine Festival and Wine Auction where we sampled the finest culinary fare and wines from the very best restaurants and vineyards of Napa. On Saturday we toured the Vineyards of Source One, Fisher and Peju to name just a few and then dined on a long picnic table in the middle of a Vineyard for a delicious BBQ dinner as the sun set over the Napa Valley.

Pictured here are Dave & Frank (Top left), Mark Lewis & Jim Noon (Top Right), Ryan & Tracy Warsaw (Center), Nancy Long & Dave (Left) and a group photo featuring Brian and Susan Vincent.

Cutrone, Michaelson, Gallucci Dinner in Little Italy

I never thought I would actually say "Last night I had dinner with friends that I've know for Twenty Years" That was the case recently in May when John, Ed, Tom and myself met for dinner in Little Italy. John was my very first boss at Brother and while he left the company almost 20 years ago, we still keep in touch. Ed has left Brother for over 10 years and it seems like yesterday we were all working together creating some of the best memories I have of working at Brother over the past 25 years. Tom was the Typewriter Buyer at J.C. Penney when they were still headquartered in New York City. John and I actually sold JCP the first Brother personal fax machine that was then priced at $999.99 and it was considered a break through in price and technology. Today, a personal fax is less than $50. Yes indeed, times change but the night out with John, Ed and Tom reminds me of how great it is to keep in touch with great friends that help shape my life.