WASHINGTON — Passport fees are increasing as of July 13.

The fee for first-time adult passport applications is going up $35, from $100 to $135, according to the U.S. Department of State. For minors under age 16, fees will increase from $85 to $105.

For passport cards, fees will increase from $45 to $55 for adults and from $35 to $40 for children.

These prices include the $25 execution fee charged by facilities that accept passport applications, such as post offices.

Passport renewals for adults will go up from $75 to $110.

Passport cards can be used to enter the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports, but it cannot be used for international travel by air.

SWEET 

Best iPhone Apps for Travelers

Wishing you all a safe and Happy Memorial Day with friends and family. I’ll be back next week.

The airline’s policy — posted on United’s Web site — states that if a passenger cannot fit into a single seat, buckle their seatbelt with an additional seatbelt extension, or put the seat’s armrest down, the airline will ask that passenger to pay for an extra seat or stay behind.

If you follow the link and continue reading the story there is a poll. The question is should plus size passengers be required to pay for 2 seats?

The results were displayed after I voted:

Yes –   85.7%

No –    15.3%

United gets strict on ‘seatmates of size’ – News- msnbc.com

The Caves Negril, Jamaica

Villa Greanleaf Christiansted, St. Croix

Antigua’s Yepton Estate Cottages,    St. John’s, Antigua

Jungle Bay Resort & Spa,    Dominica

Little Arches Hotel,     Christ Church, Barbados

Ti Kaye Village Resort,   Castries, St. Lucia

Sugar Mill Hotel,   Tortola, BVI

Royal Plantation,   Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Sunset at the Palms,     Negril, Jamaica

Rendezvous Resort,    Castries, St. Lucia

(HealthDay News) — David Boucher celebrated his 50th birthday this year by jetting to Bangkok for his first colonoscopy.

There he was seen by a California-educated physician and no shortage of nurses, who verified his identity 15 times before the procedure.

To be sure, Boucher had a secondary motive: He is founder and president of Companion Global Healthcare, a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina that includes in its network 13 hospitals around the world that have been accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI).

The JCI, which calls itself the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval,” has accredited more than 170 hospitals outside of the United States.

An estimated 6 million Americans are traveling each year to such countries as India, Costa Rica, Mexico and Thailand in search of less-expensive treatments for simple and complex procedures. Even France and Belgium tend to be cheaper than the United States.

Keep reading: HealthDay

For a list of Joint Commission International accredited hospitals worldwide: Here

After the weekend we’ll return to DC and I plan on staying out there a few days, maybe even the week if the weather is decent. Cherry Blossoms will be at peak and I hope to go out exploring and get some good pictures. For any of you not familiar with the history of the cherry blossoms and how they were brought to the Nation’s Capitol here’s a good site.

I will have my laptop with me and may update the blog but don’t count on it. Those who email me, I will be checking that every day and those that have my phone number, text messages are always fine.

Dirtiest Hotels – United States

(based on TripAdvisor traveler reviews)

• 1.Hotel Carter, New York City, New York
• 2.Continental Bayside Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida
• 3.New York Inn, New York City, New York
• 4.Eden Roc Motel, Wildwood, New Jersey
• 5.Days Inn Cleveland Airport, Brook Park, Ohio
• 6.Days Inn Airport / Stadium Tampa, Tampa, Florida
• 7.Travelodge Bangor, Bangor, Maine
• 8.Velda Rose Resort Hotel, Hot Springs, Arkansas
• 9.Ramada Plaza Hotel JFK International Airport, Jamaica, New York
• 10.Days Inn & Suites Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg, Tennessee

TripAdvisor’s 2009 Top 10 Dirtiest Hotels

We got back to Michigan Sunday night and did not notice anything amiss but it was late, dark and we had been driving for 12 hours. It was not until Monday morning when I opened the blinds in the master bedroom that I discovered the Bradford Pear tree on the corner of the house (outside master bedroom) had been split in half by a storm that I’m guessing hit the day before we got back home.  Luckily it fell to the side and not into the house or crashing through the bedroom window! The tree service was out yesterday and removed the tree. We are on the list to have the stump removed (grinded) in spring, then we will decide what to plant in it’s place. For now the house looks quite bare! I am glad it’s winter and I don’t have to be outside much and see this empty space.

I’m very much looking forward to 2009 though I think it’s still going to be a tough one economically for the nation.  The company my husband works for announced last week that for 2009, no raises, no bonuses, and no matching contributions to 401K, OUCH!  He called me from work and told me this news before it was announced on CNN. This is definitely going to hurt us but we are thankful he still has a job. A few in his department do not.  I feel sorry for President Elect Obama and the mess he is inheriting though I am very thankful he’s the one to deal with it!

I want to thank all of my loyal readers for sticking with me and being a part of my blogging family.  Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year and good things to follow in 2009.

And now from last years…2008 blog post:

RESOLUTIONS FOR AVOIDING MISERY

Choose to love—rather than hate.

Choose to smile—rather than frown.

Choose to build—rather than destroy.

Choose to persevere—rather than quit.

Choose to praise—rather than gossip.

Choose to heal—rather than wound.

Choose to give—rather than take.

Choose to act—rather than delay.

Choose to forgive—rather than curse.

Choose to pray—rather than despair.

Author-unknown

Nov.21, I leave Michigan for the 8.5 hour drive to DC…..me and Poco on the road again.  I was a bit worried about the snow I would encounter in Cleveland and rightly so! Left MI in snow but the roads were not bad…made it to the Ohio turnpike and still the roads were clear. I hit Cleveland (lake effect snow) and it was like I had been dropped off in upstate NY! The rest of Ohio and PA was an awful drive. Was very glad when I hit Maryland.

Nov.23,  We fly out of BWI (Baltimore Washington International) for our flight to San Antonio. Long flight, no complaints about airport security or the airlines. Fast forward to the plane lands and we are at the gate. People unfasten seatbelts, gather belongings and stand up in the aisle or by seat waiting to de-plane. At this point you’re TRAPPED and subject to loud rants and rages from the person in the row ahead of you. In this case people in several rows were subjected to this mans rant on President Elect Obama winning the election. I should probably mention that he was white male early 70’s, computer savvy enough to bring his laptop and watch a DVD during the flight.  His wife never opened her mouth.  He had the audacity to tell an elderly male (80’s at least) hard of hearing and with a cane that he better have surgery immediately on his hip because we are going to socialized medicine like Canada and will have to wait 4 months for surgery. I will spare you the details his endless rant which went on for at least 5 minutes as we all stand in the aisle wishing he would shut the hell up! Would it have been rude after the first 3 minutes to tell a perfect stranger to shut up?  I am far too polite I believe, that good girl next door syndrome I was raised with.

San Antonio…My first time there and loved the Riverwalk and our hotel, Omni La Mansion del Rio.  However I would not want to go there in the summertime! For me putting on capri pants and a light sweater after leaving snow country was a treat. The sweltering and humid summers I would want no part of. The people I found very friendly and down to earth.  We did go to the Alamo and right in the downtown square was a Christmas tree with hand made ornaments. I zoomed in for this closeup. (click on picture to see full size) I added some pictures to my Flickr album if you care to see.

Generalization about southern Caucasian women…..they like their makeup! Merci, if I had to put that much crap on my face to go out every day, forget it. I’m with the school of thought, less is better and makeup should enhance not be the first thing you notice when looking at a woman. For any southern women reading this who might be offended….GENERALIZATION, first word in this paragraph.

The Bocelli opera was not what I was expecting but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. There were people at our hotel from NY, Calif, and Chicago that that had also traveled so far just to hear Bocelli. My only complaint… it was unbearably cold inside! I doubt very much if it was even 60°. I know the orchestra must play under all those lights but the theater was beyond cold. Women were taking their male partner’s jacket (I’m one of them) just to keep from shivering, of course we had on the standard black dress with wrap which was useless!  Back to our hotel bar with a big inviting fire and a glass of red wine I began to thaw out and meet other people coming in after the show.

Nov. 26, time to say goodbye to San Antonio and head back to DC and on to North Carolina. I want to say we had the GREATEST flight attendant on the flight back and it was the day before Thanksgiving! She worked our section tirelessly bringing people drinks and water and did so with  much warmth and good feeling towards mankind.  A row behind and across from us was a young couple (guessing late 20’s) ordering double shots of Jack Daniels and coke. She would bring each of them 2 bottles of the liquor airplane size, ice and coke. She did this 3 times….meaning 6 little bottles each of Jack! I leaned over and told my husband, “they either hate flying or are gearing up for whom they’re about to visit this holiday”.  At the end of the flight the same flight attendant thanked everyone for flying with Southwest…..gave the usual spiel but ended with we owe so much to our service men and women who make it possible for us to fly around our great country. At this point  spontaneous applause broke out on the plane, and it was heartwarming to see and feel the difference in this flight vs the one prior with the man who vowed to never do anything for his country again.  No matter who you voted for we’re all Americans and our service men and women earned and deserve our support.

It’s late and I’m fading here.

Thanksgiving was wonderful and I miss baby Cora more than ever. sniff sniif

The drive back to MI was awful….13 hours of horrific weather culminating with a snow storm when we hit the MI border. It hasn’t quit snowing since. Hubby has worked from home this week but he flies back to DC on Monday. A few more weeks and it’s traveling again.