Years ago I took part in one of the most bizarre trips to ever come across my inbox. While the premise of the trip was confusing, as well as who exactly was sponsoring the project and what the actual project ended up being, meeting the other travel writers among the chaos is something I’ll never forget. One lady in particular was a virtual friend from a writers’ community and we met up at the beginning of the adventure at yet another bizarre venue — a tea house/foot soak shop.

Denise Dube and I bonded over chai latte and I discovered in her a kindred soul, a wanderer like myself. We kept in touch, and since that time we’ve shared many heartfelt chats and adventures that have brought us all over the world. Denise is what we call here in the Southern US “Good People”.

In Portland, Maine, my rustic suite was the place where we had an impromptu wine and cheese party. We were starving as this trip that was meant to be coverage of a charity event ended up being a group of travel writers tagging along with a film crew from California. The film crew could sustain themselves on Powerbars and gallons of water and thought we could also. Finally, at the end of the trip, we had one good meal.

In Saint-Tropez Denise and I met up at Chateau Messardiere and sipped on pink Champagne each evening after spending our days researching for some magazines.

In Key West we thought we were pirates setting sail for lands far away.

Denise and I have had other adventures together and I’m sure we’ll have many more in the future. She’s more than a colleague, I count her as one of my closest friends.

Denise Dube lives in the Boston area. Be sure to check out Denise’s online outlet, GlobalFoodie and anytime you pick up a magazine be sure to check the byline because you just might see Denise Dube as the author. Follow Denise on Twitter: @GolbalFoodie.

Love you D!

When I first began my travel writing journey I joined an online community of travel writers. Most of the personalities I only knew virtually, but I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a few people from this community in real life. For me, this was the social part of that animal called new, online media.

I was invited on a luxury press junket to London and delayed my return flight so that I could explore some parts of the UK by BritRail Pass. It was an adventure filled with a late night haul of my luggage up and down stairs through Paddington Station and even hopping over gate to catch the Tube one night after the ticket desk was closed. One of my stops was in Salisbury where I was met by the always friendly Keith Kellet, author of Travelrat’s Travels.

Keith gave me a tour of Stonehenge and Woodhenge, and we even visited a tea house in Amesbury, near where Keith lives. One of the highlights was visiting Stonehenge Ales where I sampled Pigswill.

Since I opted to stay overnight and sleep in the same room where the Beatles stayed during a film shoot, I had the pleasure of being introduced to Avebury, one of the coolest places I’ve ever experienced. I highly recommend visiting Avebury over Stonehenge, if given a choice.

Before heading back to the train station, Keith and I spent the afternoon with the lovely and very pregnant Sasha Stokes, another travel writing colleague from the online community of travel writers.

Since that adventure so many years ago, Keith and I have stayed in touch. He’s contributed to GiftedTravel.com and thanks to social media tools such as FaceBook and Twitter, we’re able to keep up with each others continued adventures around the world.

Be sure to check out Keith’s blog, Travelrat’s Travels and sign up for his dispatches from Europe and beyond. To read more about Keith, check out his bio and also his interview on VTravelled, the Virgin Atlantic blog. And be sure to follow Keith on Twitter: @NomadKeith

Keith – Thanks so much for being my tour guide and taking me to visit some of the places near your home.

I first saw the Nokia Lumia 900 at CES in Las Vegas a few months ago. I fell in love. The Lumia 900 fit in my hand better than my previous smartphones, the screen was easier on my eyes, and it just looked downright sexy with its design.

Last week fate took over and my iPhone sadly ended up in the bottom of the pond out back. I needed a replacement and decided to make the switch from iOS to Windows Phone.

I showed up to my local AT&T store only to find out they were all out of Nokia Lumia 900 devices. Oh the horror! Much to my surprise, an hour after I left the store, the sales guy Isaac called to tell me he found one Lumia 900 in the stockroom and he would hold it for me. I high-tailed it back to the store and officially made the switch. The best part? The phone was $99 with a new service agreement and because I was purchasing before midnight on April 21, 2012 I would be eligible for the $100 AT&T billing credit from NOKIA due to a software update that would be needed. So I got this amazing and beautiful phone for $9, which was the sales tax. I can’t even begin to describe the adrenaline rush and excitement I experienced while the sales guy was setting up my phone.

Here’s the first photo I took with the NOKIA Lumia 900:

So far, I’m in love with the Nokia Lumia 900. Granted, I’m still trying to figure out a few things, but thanks to Nokia Smart Start and the quick start guide included in the packaging, I’ve already transferred my music from iTunes into my Lumia 900. I also have my social networking sites set up and I’ve even had time to play with the camera (8MP with Carl Zeiss optics). It was a breeze to update the software, even on my Macbook Pro. Soon I’ll write a full product review after I have time to guage battery life and other particulars. Until then, here are some photos of my new love, the Nokia Lumia 900.

Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone with Pink cover

8MP Carl Zeiss Camera plus front facing camera

Clear Black AMOLED display larger than iPhone 4

Windows Phone People Hub

I think the design of the Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone is downright sexy and sleek.

So far, so good with the Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone. I can’t wait to play with the Carl Zeiss camera a bit more this weekend and discover some new apps in Windows Marketplace. While I realize that there are more apps available for iPhone versus Windows Phone overall, I don’t use all that’s available and have found comparable if not the same iPhone apps I previously used in Windows Marketplace. Now if I could just get Instagram for Windows Phone then I would be one ecstatic mama.

Nokia is a winner with the Lumia 900 for me with value and ease of use. Plus, I like the nostalgia of having a Nokia device in my hand again, which was the first brand of mobile phone I ever owned. I feel as if life has come full circle and its good to see Nokia back in the US market.

It’s 2012. Women have fought for, and gained many rights here in the US. I’m all about gender and race equality. My full time job is in a man’s world — the fire service. I’m a member of the Louisiana State Firemen’s Association. That’s right. FireMEN. Years ago I petitioned for a name change to reflect the membership, hoping it would be the Louisiana State Firefighter’s Association. But that particular topic was shot down is for discussion another day.

Today I want to express why I, as a woman, think it’s quite alright for Augusta National Golf Course to stay quiet on the topic of not allowing women members into their PRIVATE organization.

First off, this is the week of The Masters, when all attention should be focused on the players and the tournament itself. Instead, the news media decides to grab ahold of the fact that IBM (a sponsor) now has a female CEO and that the past CEO’s of this company have been invited to be members of this exclusive club.

So let’s look at a few things. First, does this female CEO even like to play golf? I read somewhere that she’s really into scuba diving and rarely picks up a golf club. Second, what time of year does Augusta hold membership meetings to discuss situations like this? It probably isn’t the week of The Masters. Third, Augusta is a private organization. PRIVATE. That means they can allow who they want or don’t want in their club.

If I had a private wine club for women only and the members paid for that privacy, then as American citizens, it would be our right to only allow who we wanted, when we wanted into our club. Sure, men drink wine also, but it would be our club. Kind of like owning a house all together. Would you let someone into your house you didn’t really want to hang out with?

I’m just trying to be objective. I realize it all seems so 1950’s and if truth be known, that’s kind of the charm that makes Augusta what it is, along with those $1.50 pimento cheese sandwiches. It is a private club and as such, should be given that respect.

So let’s get back to what Augusta National is really all about — The Masters. I’m tuning back in to the Golf Channel now so I can catch my crush David Feherty make funny comments about the players and maybe I’ll catch Bubba Watson actually crack a grin or Tiger kick another club across the fairway.

That being said, would I love to be a member of Augusta National Golf Club? Heck yes!

FYI: Here are some things you may not know about The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

Today I put into words on my FaceBook page what I had been thinking about for months — I’ve gotten a bit burned out from the business of travel blogging. I think we all get like that with certain things in our lives. I love the travel. I love the writing. But I have to admit, all this social media brew-ha-ha can sometimes be overwhelming and take away from the peacefulness that travel brings to me personally.

Granted, I’m an over-sharer and part of my shtick is sharing every moment online when I travel. It’s time for me to slow down. Just for a little while. Like Stella, I need to get my groove back.

I’ve also become a bit fussy when it comes to choosing my adventures lately. I don’t take on grueling itineraries anymore and I’m not waking up at the butt-crack of dawn to drive hours in traffic to New Orleans to catch a flight when I can leave from Baton Rouge at 9AM after parking my car at 8AM in the airport garage. I turn down most group press trips because I don’t want to be stuck traveling with an asshole I don’t like for a few days. Heck, I might be that asshole on the trips now, so maybe it’s best for me to go solo. And I’ve been paying for more trips out of my own pocket, if only for the freedom of doing what I want, when I want.

And I’ve been thinking of selling my big blog, TravelingMamas.com. I’ve had offers in the past and had a few come in today once I stated I was entertaining the idea. I may not sell it. Then again, I might and will go on to start another project. Whatever I choose to do, wherever I decide to go, right now I’ve got this peaceful easy feeling that life is going to be just fine.

Do you ever get burned out? What do you do to overcome that feeling?

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey.”

So goes the opening lines of Louisiana’s state song “You Are My Sunshine” by Governor Jimmie Davis (who originally copyrighted the song). It has been recorded in many different versions since the original, and sung by many mothers as they rocked their babies to sleep. I know I sang this to my own babies when they fussed in the middle of the night.

A search on YouTube produces a variety of recordings, some are effigies of love, others are from artists of all backgrounds. Here are a few arrangements of this ever popular lullaby.

The Civil Wars

Leftover Cuties (Cole Porter style)

Frank Turner (sweet version)

Johnny and June Cash (original rendition)

Ray Charles (Motown Version)

And finally by the man himself, Jimmie Davis (from Louisiana Music Hall of Fame)

I’m not sure if I could pick a favorite, as I like all the versions.

Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona, Spain is in full swing and the press releases for the event have been flooding my inbox. It seems every company is releasing a new phone and it makes me yawn. I am a big fan of Nokia’s quality built products and before MWC had been keeping up with rumors and speculation regarding the brand’s upcoming announcements (Lumia 610 in various colors including Magenta, an HD 1080p video capture smartphone).

Last year, just before MWC Nokia announced their partnership with Microsoft’s Windows Phone. This year, with the Lumia 900 being leaked just before the CES 12 announcement, Nokia held their cards close and even rumor were far and few between for this worldwide mobile industry event. Here’s the teaser for Nokia PureView that was revealed on the company’s official YouTube channel last week:

I couldn’t find much about Nokia Pure View before MWC, then I found reference on Reuter’s and also ZUNITED.com, which alluded to a higher-end camera phone with HD 1080p video capabilities to be released. What? OMG. Will it be available in the US? Now I’m confused as well as excited. Should I get the Nokia Lumia 900 or hold out to see if the Pure View comes to the US? I absolutely fell in love with the Carl Zeiss Optics found on the Nokia N8, and this will also be offered on the Lumia 900, as I mentioned in the post Quest for the Ultimate Smartphone for Travel. But what the heck is going on?

I feel like I’m starved for technology and stumbled across the ultimate smartphone menu, but I only have enough in my budget for one entree. I want it all, the appetizer, entree, and dessert. And I want wine pairings with each course.

This morning I woke up to news that took my breath away; Nokia made a number of product announcements, but the Nokia 808 Pureview blew every other announcement at MWC out the water. Here are the official details from Nokia:

The Nokia 808 PureView features a large, high-resolution 41 megapixel sensor with high-performance Carl Zeiss optics and new pixel oversampling technology. At standard resolutions (2/3, 5 and 8 megapixels) this means the ability to zoom without loss of clarity and capture seven pixels of information, condensing into one pixel for the sharpest images imaginable. At high-resolution (38 megapixel maximum) it means the ability to capture an image, then zoom, reframe, crop and resize afterwards to expose previously unseen levels of details. With superior low-light performance and the ability to save in compact file sizes for sharing in email, MMS, and on social networks, the Nokia 808 PureView makes it possible for anyone to capture professional looking images in any conditions.

“Nokia PureView imaging technology sets a new industry standard by whatever measure you use,” said Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices. “People will inevitably focus on the 41 megapixel sensor, but the real quantum leap is how the pixels are used to deliver breath-taking image quality at any resolution and the freedom it provides to choose the story you want to tell.”

I don’t know what this news will mean to you, but for someone who depends on compact devices to capture moments of travel adventures to share with the world, I’m extremely excited by the imaging technology coming from Nokia. And the excitement doesn’t stop with imaging, but also the unbelievable Dolby Digital audio that can capture better sound quality than is currently on the market with smartphones. Is the sexy Nokia 808 PureView the answer to my problem? We’ll see. It’s slated to be released in May with a price tag of 450EUR. No word yet on a US release.

If you are interested in Nokia’s news and announcements at Mobile World Congress 2012, be sure to follow the official MWC hashtag on Twitter or Nokia’s hashtag #NokiaMWC.

Lindsey Stirling’s Dubstep Violin video of Crystallize offers not only a beautiful composition of electric music, but the videography showcases the ethereal beauty of The Ice Castles at Silverthorn. Located near Colorado’s ski destinations of Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, and Vail, the Silverthorn Ice Castles offer a chance to step inside a fairy tale.

Constructed by hand, using ice and water as the sole building materials, this enchanted forest of twinkling walkways and illuminated ice formations provides a surreal setting for the latest video by YouTube artist Lindsey Stirling. In just days, the video had over one million views, highlighting not only Lindsey’s talent, but also this magical destination that will soon melt away to become a memory.

Tours of The Ice Castles at Silverthorn are open daily with varying hours and dependent on weather conditions. Admission is $10 for a one time adult pass and $7.50 for kids. Each year the Ice Castles are built in a different location, by ice castle artist Brent Christensen.

Check out the official Ice Castles website: www.IceCastles.com

And Lindsey Stirling’s YouTube Channel: LindseyStomp