That’s from Paul Wells’ tribute to Peter Herrndorf who died last week at 82 and whose death is felt by the literally thousands of us whom Peter lifted up, especially when we and our organizations were faint of heart. It’s no surprise that, just one week after his death, the stories of his magical healing powers are legion, tear-inducing and growing.
Here’s mine: for 45 years Peter would phone me on my birthday and sing Happy Birthday to me. I knew he did this with hundreds of other friends as well and marvelled that he had the time, energy and discipline to do it.
Then when Jean and I got married, he would call on our anniversary to congratulate us. One year, he didn’t call on our anniversary, July 23rd, but the next day. I mentioned this when he called, and he said: “I’m not calling a day late; I’m calling a day early. You were married on July 25th.”
“No, Peter, our anniversary is July 23rd.”
“No, Bob, it’s July 25th.”
So I took off my wedding ring, looked closely at the date engraved on the inside and it read “July 25th.”
“Gosh, Peter, I guess you’re right.”
I was stunned. For years, we’d been celebrating our anniversary on the wrong day.
But this coming July 25th, when we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we’ll raise a glass to the man who not only cared about his friends’ anniversaries; he cared about getting them right.
We will miss him keenly.
Meanwhile…
1. The tiniest bird you’ve ever seen. Or fed.
2. Staying in New York? Check out the best hotels. Then, the best cheap hotels in New York.
3. How do we know that love is true? Surely there’s no more vital question than that. But the answer, from the amorograph to the erometer, has eluded scientists and charlatans alike.
Speaking of… well, some kinda love, Harry and Meghan don’t come off too well on the latest episode of South Park.
4. Baby, it’s cold outside. This visual parade depicting winter in Canada is from the Art Canada Institute, now in its 10th year of breathing digital life into Canadian art.
Speaking of Canadian artists, you can join novelist Ann-Marie MacDonald for a reading retreat weekend at the Fogo Island Inn, April 30-May 2.
5. Gasoline car review. “I recently purchased a Mazda Miata. This car is interesting because instead of running on electricity, it is powered by a combustible liquid called gasoline.” The rest of Geoff Greer’s brilliant satire is here.
Also, Amazon subsidiary, Zoox, last week rolled out its first electric, autonomous robo-taxi on public roads in California.
6. How Frank Gehry delivers on time, on budget. Mega-projects rarely come without mega-delays and cost overruns. In fact, of 16,000 major projects, only 0.5% were delivered on-time, on-budget and delivered the promised benefits. Here, from the Harvard Business Review, are lessons from the master architect on managing big projects.
7. Even Fox News thought Trump was nuts claiming he won in 2020. Both Fox owner Rupert Murdoch and pundit Tucker Carlson knew Trump had lost. They were just chasing ratings in claiming he won. See Page 29 of Toronto-based Dominion Voting Systems claim against Fox in Delaware Superior Court.
8. The most purposeful forger of the 20th century. Adolfo Kaminsky died in Paris last month aged 97. Thanks to him German-occupied wartime France was flooded with false documents. The Occupation authorities were on his trail, but they never suspected the forger they were after was a teenager.
9. Stephen Fry on Vermeer. The Rijksmuseum’s exhibit of Johannes Vermeer’s work is drawing huge crowds and rave reviews (“An unmissable feast” – The Guardian). If you can’t make it to Amsterdam, join Stephen Fry for the video tour.
10. The Oscar nominees on YouTube. The Academy Awards are on Sunday, March 12th. You can bone up in advance without having to actually see all the films. Here are the trailers for the 10 Best Picture nominees.
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It’s one thing to dream of the South Pacific. It’s another to go.
It’s still another to let Lindblad Expeditions take you.
This is why Jean and I are gathering friends like you, 50 in all, to join us as we sail from Fiji to Tahiti from February 23 to March 10, 2024.
You might think that’s a long way off. However, Lindblad’s expeditions are like opera stars; they book up a couple of years in advance.
We’ll be aboard the 102-guest National Geographic Orion, a beautiful expedition ship that’s a conduit to exhilaration rather than a temple of excess.
We’ve been on two of Lindblad’s luxury adventure cruises before, to Antarctica and the Spanish-Portuguese coast. On board and on shore, we were in the hands of the most experienced experts and crew on the seven seas. One evening during “Recap” with cocktails and appetizers in hand, we saw “The Monster of the Day” that our expedition divers filmed from the ocean floor. And if you think kayaking in Antarctica is riskier than on Georgian Bay, well, it’s safer in Antarctica because the Lindblad people are so on top of it.
All to say, we’ve come to expect the best in comfort, dining, adventure and safety from Lindblad. Our view is confirmed by Condé Nast Traveler who last year declared them to be the #1 Small Ship Cruise Line in the world.
As for where we’ll explore, the South Pacific is not just one of the most storied and exotic places on earth, it’s down the road from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China and all of Asia. So you can make this trip part of an even bigger foray into a purposeful global journey.
The cost is from $14,830 USD per person, depending on what cabin level you choose. This is less than $1,000 a day and includes a special saving for our group of 5% off the standard rates.
And, if you have kids or grandkids you’d like to bring, they’ll take $500 off for each one under the age of 18.
So, what you have is a good deal on a grand trip to a warm place at the end of the world, with nice people, in the hands of the best in the business.
You may have time to even lasso your family into a multi-generational odyssey. Or perhaps your best friends, and feel free to pass this invitation on to them. But bear in mind that the average occupancy rate for all Lindblad voyages before the pandemic in 2019 was 91%, and this South Pacific destination sold out. Lindblad expects the same in 2024.
I urge you to spend some time with the links above. Then, to confirm your place onboard, just complete the registration form and send it to the Lindblad team at groups@expeditions.com, or call them at 1-888-773-9007. Lindblad can also book your flights for you.
If you want to hear more about the trip, here’s the link to the recording from the information session we hosted last month. And here again is the link to the trip itself.
And, If you’re thinking of continuing on after our expedition, and heading to Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea and other Pacific Rim countries, you might want to connect with Emma Cottis from GoWay Travel in Toronto, at ecottis@goway.com, or 1-800-387-8850 ext 5376. She planned a wonderful trip for us to the Australian Outback five years ago and we have a high degree of confidence in both her and GoWay.
For more information on this and other RamsayTravels adventures, click here. And, please also forward to your like-spirited friends.
