| By Robert W. Bone |
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Travel Writer and Photographer |
| © 2007 Robert W. Bone |
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| Note: Items here in the Bone Blog, also known as the VP News, are in chronologically reverse order. Note: All photos © by Robert W. Bone | ||
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August 4, 2008. I hardly know what happened to May, June, and July, but I do know why this is not a conventional blog. I just couldn't keep one up at the customary pace, and at the same time peddle articles and photos to print publications. The editor of a time-share magazine, Interval World, saw one of the publications of my Singapore newspaper piece and assigned me to write another on the subject. Later, they also bought several of my photos. (My Singapore images can be seen here.) In July I went along on the inaugural voyage of Holland-America's newest vessel, the Eurodam. My article on that cruise will be published soon. In the meantime, editors may see the photos to go with it by clicking on http://robertbone.com/eurodam. Also in July, my 2008 Platinum round-up of top cruises, mentioned below, appeared in Celebrated Living magazine. And, after three years in Spain and 37 years in Hawaii, we are preparing to move back to the Mainland U.S., most likely to the San Francisco Bay area. We don't know if this will be accomplished in September or October. April 16, 2008. Things were just too darn busy between now and January 5. I'm back from my Far East cruise, which I have yet to write. However, the cruise ended in Singapore, and two articles on that visit have already sold (one of them to critical acclaim), in addition to my "Cunard and Me" piece mentioned below. I'm leaving for a week in Spain (Toledo and Segovia) this Saturday. On the magazine front, my "Essential Hawaii." article was written and sold to Going Places. (I have another article in that magazine coming up soon.) And I have completed a major cruise round-up assignment for Celebrated Living magazine. It will be carried in the summer issue of that magazine. Another copy of my Trinidad carnival article appeared later in January in the Miami Herald. January 5, 2008. I'm getting ready to leave soon for a cruise assignment in the Far East. I wound up 2007 with a total of 14 newspaper publications, and two magazine articles. I'm currently working on another magazine assignment, and today I just heard that I have won the $100 silver award in the Planet Earth 2008 writing contest (for the Vietnam article, see 12/19/06 below). December 16, 2007. My professional cruise experience is now paying off. I have just been promised a contract to handle the annual Platinum Cruise Awards story for Celebrated Living, the magazine which appears only in the First Class cabins of American Airlines. In November, I received several more publications of my Bavarian castles piece. Also my Trinidad story of last year came alive again in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I have just written a story on “Cunard and Me," based partly on my recent trip on Queen Mary 2, contrasted with my Cunard sailings in 1986 and 1957. (Editors can see the available images for this piece by clicking here.) October 9, 2007. In July, I explored various palaces and castles in Bavaria for stories which are now beginning to appear in print (see Newspapers). Editors can see available photos by clicking here. In August Sara and I took a new Alaska cruise with Princess, an excellent adventure combining land and sea experiences. In September we flew to England and drove to the English Riviera (Torquay, etc.) and thence to Southampton, which will result in still more stories. Then we crossed the Atlantic to New York on the Queen Mary 2, an ideal way to mark my 75th birthday. Meanwhile, previously written stories have continued to come to life, notably the one on the Black Sea Cruise, which has been used in four newspapers to date. (Editors: See available photos here.) July 8, 2007. I researched a cruise story -- Holland America to the Black Sea and Egypt -- in May, and it began to appear in newspapers on this date. (See newspapers or cruises.) You will also see there two new stories on Hawaii and New Zealand, carried by the Toronto Globe and Mail. While busy helping with a convention of SATW-West in Honolulu, and writing my regular column, I have been preparing for new research trips -- Bavaria, Alaska, England, and across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2.. March 19, 2007. Euphoria over the National Geographic success (see Jan. 19, below) has waned. Now my Trinidad and Basque Country stories have begun to be seen in newspapers. My "Essential Honolulu" piece is also in print (and on the web) in the April issue of Encompass.. I'm b-b-b-back from my February below-zero experience in the Yukon. While warming up, I'm licensing some stock photos and making improvements on some writers' web sites. This summer I will cover two cruises, take a trip to Germany and help out at the Spring meeting of the Western Chapter of SATW -- the Society of American Travel Writers -- here in Honolulu. January 19, 2007. The New Year started off with a bang. My National Geographic Traveler piece is in the January-February issue, and I've had several good comments on it. An updated story on Tasmania, first published in 2003, has come back to life in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (Editors: Additional Tasmania pictures can be seen here.) My Spanish Basque Country piece will begin publication soon. (Editors: See available photos here.) December 19, 2006. My Vietnam Revisited story has begun to be published in newspapers. Two of the pictures not used, however, were those to the left and right on this page.Yes, Sara was the blonde in the helmet 40 years ago. (Editors: All Vietnam images are here.) In a pleasant surprise, last year's Valencia/America's Cup story suddenly sprang to life again on Nov. 19 in the Miami Herald. (See the bottom lines in this column.) Also in November, a new version of the Oahu North Shore piece (see below) was seen seen again, this time in the Toronto Star. (Editors: See available art here.) October 24, 2006. At the end of September, I returned from five days in Northern Utah and used the next five days to make changes in the National Geographic Traveler article. Then I took off for a flying fortnight, to Spain to do a travel article on the Basque country. One of my Vietnam stories (not the same one as the newspaper version) was published this month in Generations. (see Magazines), and I received yet a fourth publication on my Baltic cruise story (below), this time in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a paper I last hit back in 1997! September 2, 2006. Sara and I returned yesterday from a tour of the Big Island of Hawaii, on assignment for National Geographic Traveler. All other plans, including the Belgian piece mentioned below, have been put on hold. And this NGT article will be completed and submitted on Sept. 19, come Hell or hot lava! July 30, 2006. Back from the Baltic and subsequent visits to Amsterdam and Brussels. The cruise piece was used today in two newspapers, so far. The best web display was by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but it was also published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,. and I'm sure it will be in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in September. I still have to turn out the Belgian story, which be largely based on my return to the scene of my first free-lancing stint at the Brussels world's fair in 1958. An experimental multimedia slide show based on the cruise can be found here. This represents something new, which I hope can be improved on and become practical as time goes on. I would appreciate any comments on it, please. JUNE 11, 2006. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin printed my story on Panama Now and Then today, almost on the eve of our trip to Europe. Sara and I are leaving June 13, and I'll be reporting on our Baltic cruise aboard the Celebrity Century. Afterwards, I'll be researching stories in the Netherlands and Belgium before returning home. (Editors: See all available art here.) In other news, I returned two weeks ago from Cambodia and Vietnam, and I will be publishing articles based on that trip, too, but not until returning from Europe. Vietnam was my second trip in 40 years. I got shot at on the first one. This one was more fun. APRIL 16, 2006. Today (1) the Atlanta Journal Constitution published my Panama story, and (2) the Honolulu Star-Bulletin printed the Cancun article -- written more than a year ago, but sandbagged by Hurricane Wilma. Also the Panama piece began appearing on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's web site on February 26, while I was traveling in Trinidad. FEBRUARY 14, 2006. My trip to Panama last month was an excellent adventure. The Travel Arts Syndicate is distributing my article. Those who would like an inside peek at a few pictures can find them by checking out my Editor’s Page for Panama. The waterfall piece mentioned below won the cover slot in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer travel section on January 12. Thanks to Hilda Anderson, I now have a tear sheet, although it doesn't look too bad on line. I’m flying late this month to the famous carnival in Trinidad and Tobago. I’m not sure I can keep up with all the revelers, but we’ll give it a try. Wish me luck! JANUARY 8, 2006. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution printed my Valencia story today. That's now the third publication of that Holy Grail and America's Cup yarn (see below and photos, left.). (Editors: All available art for the Valencia piece can be seen here.)Here's a new The first Mexico trip was to the winter home of the Monarch Butterfly (see left). It was physically very exhausting, however. There was lots of climbing at altitudes of 8,000 feet and more, and I couldn't even make it to some of the sanctuaries. The second Mexico excursion was down to sea level at Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula.
This included a visit the Mayan ruins at Chichén Itzá (“Chicken Pizza,” as
one hip expatriate called it.).
One version of my Cancun story was written principally for the
Travel Arts Syndicate.
But this trip also included a week sailing out of
Cancun on the |
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America's Cup
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The Vertical Pronoun
Visitors to my web site in 2003-2004 may remember that there was then a
short-lived feature here called the Vertical Pronoun
News. It was a strict monthly updated synopsis of my professional activities -- the
closest thing to what is today called a web log or I dropped the idea for awhile. It was just too much to keep up with while performing my writing and photography assignments. |
As time goes on, now, the paragraphs you are seeing will remain at the bottom of the screen, or linked to archives, with new material at the top it in reverse chronological order, in true bloggish fashion. However I am reliably informed that this effort is not a true blog, since it is not data base driven. Until I see a true blog format that I like looks of, however, I'm keeping this one. |
America's Cup headquarters on the waterfront at Valencia, Spain. The big race
will be here again in 2009.