Around The World
On September 3, 2015, I embarked on a ridiculously ambitious solo adventure that took me to 25 countries on five continents, roughly 34,000 miles, traveling on two ships and nine flights, in just 94 days. From my home city of Tampa, Florida, my adventure began with a...
Beyond The Horizon: John & Doug’s American Journey
Field of Heroes
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial Colleville-Sur-Mer, Normandy, France The First Amendment guarantees us the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to peaceably assemble and protest — freedoms as important to us today as they were when our Bill...
Death of Qaboos
Qaboos bin Said al-Said, the Sultan of Oman, passed away on January 10th, 2020. Kind of a big deal for the people of Oman and the Middle East. The rest of the world? Not so much. But the fact is, the region lost its longest ruling leader. One of the wisest, most...
Yoga Group
I hate to play favorites, but this photo is the one. It just makes me smile. Almería has a beautiful beach that stretches for several miles along the Med. (I know because I walked it.) But somehow, among those many square miles of sand, the Sunday morning yoga group...
London Arch (formerly London Bridge) Port Campbell National Park, Victoria, Australia
London Arch (formerly London Bridge) Port Campbell National Park, Victoria, Australia For those of you who harbor some curiosity about life down-under, a few facts: Australia has six states. A land mass about the size of the United States. With around 24.5...
Time Travel
On October 9, 2015, my fellow passengers and I transited south through the Suez Canal, from Port Said on the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Suez. Just as the ms Ryndam was entering the Red Sea, we turned 90 degrees to port and headed northeast into the...
Ponyfish Island and Evan Walker Footbridge
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia November 11, 2015 Copyright 2016 Douglas Landback For starters, it’s pronounced “Mel-Bern.” Not “Mel-Born.” Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria (Oz has...
The Hindu Wedding
Together with my Aussie mates, Thor, Jillian, and Ian, we made our way down the gangway, through the gauntlet of cabbies on the dock, then shepherded by a quasi-official taxi wrangler to a van driven by a young man who spoke English better than I speak Sinhalese.
Flight of the Valkyrie
I took to the skies yesterday morning for a one-hour helicopter tour of the island of Oahu. Hoping to grab some kick-ass photos with as little obstructions as possible, I opted for an aircraft without any doors. Those of you who know me are well aware that I have a...