On Sunday, we are flying to Mexico, to stay at the beautiful Las Ventanas al Paraiso, a Rosewood resort in Los Cabos. It is located on the ocean between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. The flight from Seattle takes four hours and it is a twenty five minute drive to the hotel. This is a five star hotel we have stayed at more than several times and have always enjoyed a very relaxing and pleasant experience. There…
The morning after the presidential vote was counted, I was walking in downtown Seattle, hurrying to get back to our hotel when I tripped and fell landing on the sidewalk splitting my lip and breaking a tooth. I had planned to blame it on Donald trump's election because I was upset but, the truth is I was not being careful. A very kind young man, Albert, helped me up and then walked me the remaining several blocks back to the hotel and made sure I was all right. I was upset enough…
Today is the anniversary of the death of my father, Paul Nicholas Luvera Sr. Born on March 25, 1898, he died in Anacortes, Washington on November 4, 1990 at the age of 92. I've published details of his extraordinary life many times. See https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/11/dad-1.html for a complete history of his life. Dad was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy, the son of Niccola and Fillippa Luvera. His father and oldest brother left for Canada where they worked for the Canadian Pacific Railroad installing tracks until they earned…
My friend and mentor Walter Deierlein died October 22, 2010. When I got out of law school in 1959 I couldn't get a job. Jack (we called him Jack) was the Skagit & Island County Prosecuting Attorney and out of the kindness of his heart he hired me as a second deputy prosecuting attorney. Harry Follman, who later became a judge, was the other deputy. I think he created the job because he and my dad were friends, but I was happy to…
Lita and I flew to Scottsdale on Monday for some sun and relaxation at our home in Scottsdale. It isn't just a move from Northwest weather to sunny Arizona weather, it is a move from one culture to another. I don't know where to start in explaining what I mean, but let's start with politics for example. Eighty year old Senator John McCain, first elected to the Senate in 1986, is running again for reelection to the United States Senate….
The Reverend Franklin Graham's exhortation to Christians regarding their presidential vote was based upon the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy. The media reports: Franklin Graham did not advocate for either Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump, but he exhorted those in attendance to research the two parties’ platforms to determine which candidate would nominate Supreme Court justices who would defend religious values. The difference between the parties, he said, was “night and day.” Reverend Graham and the presidential candidates and their…
We arrived back in Seattle late last Tuesday and are still dealing with waking up at 2 am from jet lag and confused body clocks. Unpacking was almost as big a job as packing because we took entirely too much with us resulting in clothes we never wore and a very large pile of laundry and dry cleaning. Simba the cat was waiting for us when we walked in and immediately demanded food. The dog was with our friend Julie…
Thursday September 22nd. We have sailed from Barcelona to Valencia to a stop at an island in Spain and on our way to San Remos Italy. Weather sunny and warm with calm seas. Jet lag does cause a problem at 3 am but restful anyway. It's unavoidable not to compare past Seabourn cruises we have taken with this cruise line and this one on the Sojourn. Overall, I gather since it's take over by Carnival, they have economized in a…
This Saturday September 17th we leave from Seattle on British Air to London and,after a short layover, continue to Barcelona, Spain where we spend the night. The next day we board a Seabourn ship, the Sojourn, for a ten day cruise. From Barcelona we sail to Valencia and continue on to Ciutadella de Menorca, Spain. We then go on to San Remo, Italy and then la jolicette France. We stop at San Tropez in France and Sanary sur Mer in…
We have the Statue of Liberty with one message and then we have Donald Trump with another about immigration. Some of Donald Trumps statements about immigrants include these: “I will build a great wall – and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me – and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.” “When Mexico sends its people, they’re…
