It has been heartily debated as to whether or not this advertisement actually appeared in the Times of London prior to Shackleton’s second ill-fated Antarctic expedition. It was likely a romantic fabrication after the fact by those keen to further burnish the heroes’ reputations.

No matter.  The story is magnificent and the adventure is one we all hope for.

It is a way of imagining a life and this, dear reader, was the impetus for setting out for all to see some evidence – both written and pictorial – of adventures great and small that this observer has partaken in.  Not that an American architect is a superior adventurer by any means.  This writer knows well doctors, investment bankers, legal scholars and art historians, all adventurers of a seasoned sort, that might be greater authorities on the world of travel. What this writer hopes to bring to the fore is a sense of marvel at what lies before us and an undying appreciation for the beautiful.  With some schooling in the world of blogdom, minor missteps at the outset as to what is a draft and what is posted, as well as a patient retinue of assistants and associates, yours truly stands ready to ply this trade for all to see.

Let’s begin.