This photo was taken on the tundra from our Tundra Buggy. The polar bears in the photo were three of many that we viewed. The bears were gathering on the shore waiting for the ice on Hudson Bay to freeze solid, enabling them to return to their seal-hunting areas. This was a marvelous trip, a once-in-a-lifetime experience of viewing the polar bears in their natural environment.

Juyongguan Great Wall is the closest wall section from Beijing city center. Also known as Juyong Pass, it is located in an 18 kilometer-long valley named Guangou inside Changping County, about 50 kilometers from Beijing City. It is one of the three greatest passes of the Great Wall of China. I took this photo while on a three-week cultural exchange guided by Chinese officials.

This photo was taken on Oras Island, part of the San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound. We were on our one-year anniversary vacation.

Lake Lucerne, Switzerland

My husband, son and I traveled to Tianjin, China, to visit our daughter, Tricia, and her family. I did not realize how high the Great Wall was until we visited. After walking what seemed a very long time uphill, we rode the cable cars to the top. The steps and slopes are of varying sizes and depths, making the adventure as exciting as running a marathon. High on the mountain we could see the immensity of the Great Wall that goes on for thousands of miles.

I visited Newport for a sister’s getaway over the deer hunting opener in November.

This photo was taken at the National Trust site of Stourhead on my Jane Austen-themed vacation to England.

Edinburgh is the second-most visited city in the United Kingdom. It’s divided into the old town and the new town. It’s fun to explore. I took this picture on a bus tour of the city.

My wife, Viviana, and I visited Istanbul in October. We love the history, the people, the food. It was an amazing trip.

Throne building at the Changdeokhung Palace grounds in Seoul, South Korea