Now...it did not start well. A wifely expletive, just as I'd closed the door of the apartment; the gut-chilling realisation that the security swipe card and keys were inside. So too, the bag containing the flight tickets and a wad of currency. Duck indeed! Contact the building manager. He'd gone home. Messages left, taxi cancelled. Time critical, called Wendy's daughter Emily, a last resort. She had a spare key and security swipe card, but was also 25 minutes away, and with Sydney traffic ...

Winter: it is a time of drawing in and venturing out, of traveling and welcoming travelers, of celebration and of quiet reflection, of learning from the gifts of solitude and the warmth of community. Music makes a fine gateway and companion for all this.

There isn't much that I like more than visiting lighthouses during the summer. The sun, the sand, and sunny skies lend themselves to long lazy days walking along the beach, sun bathing, boating, and building sand castles.

We're lucky here in Michigan, where more than 110 lighthouses dot the coasts of the Great Lakes that surround our state's Lower and Upper Peninsulas, and I'm especially fortunate to have visited many of these historic beauties over the years.

There is something magical about Lake Michigan - it looks like the ocean, without the salt. I've swim in Lake Michigan my whole life - and it can be cold, and sometimes (though rarely) warm.

As December approaches and visions of sugarplums dance in the heads of many golfers here in North America, soon the thought of a winter golf vacation may also appear. The advice I have is to plan early. Some vacation planning experts would consider planning a year in advance, depending on the number of golfers in your group.