Today we drove to the northern part of the country, passing small villages, rural fields and many sheep and cow herders. Walking seems to be the preferred form of transportation and one always has to keep an eye open for people on the side of the road. Driving can be challening yet fun. Some of the roads were full of pot holes - or perhaps potholes is not the appropriate word - craters might be more sufficive! So you come up on a crater in your … [Read more...]
Prowling the Sproul State Forest in Pennsylvania
"There's a view there, but I'm not too sure how good it will be." View? I was all about the view. That was the reward for a difficult hike. That was the explanation I gave to my mother who could not understand "why anyone would want to walk up a mountain" - how else would I get to see wonderful vistas? How else could I stand in awe at my own puniness in the face of nature's grandness? And this hike had promised three vistas, at least one of them … [Read more...]
The Artist and the Tinker
Some couples are as different as night and day. That's the way it was with my husband Bill and myself. There were a legion of differences, but probably the biggest was that I considered myself the artist and the only one of us that had any truly creative spirit. I would consider the things I did as a crafting of ideas with the fine and incisive beam of a laser mind and would think of Bill (who had worked as a general contractor in the … [Read more...]
Long Way Around
Long Way Around by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman Join actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman as they set off on a round the world 20,000 mile motorbike trip from the UK across Europe, Asia and then North America. A partnership between good friends that produces perspective, perseverance and adventure soon ensues with both Ewan and Charley taking turns providing commentary throughout the book. There is nothing like the freedom of setting … [Read more...]
Esotouric Black Dahlia Weekend
Go deep inside L.A. crime lore with LAVA's Phil Spector / Black Dahlia weekend Event #1: Saturday, April 16, 12-4pm - Esotouric presents "The Real Black Dahlia" crime bus tour (departs from The Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90071, $58/person) INFO/RESERVATIONS: Event #2: Sunday, April 17, 2-6pm - Professor Donald Johnson, in association with LAVA and Esotouric, presents a fundraiser lecture/tour … [Read more...]
Gloria Huwiler: Actress
Huwiler stays busy through her works in film and theatre and also promoting African artworks through her exhibitions in both New York and Los Angeles. We asked her a few questions about her acting career, interest in art and travels. Q. I read in the current edition of "Los Angeles" magazine a quote from Susan Holmes, a model who is married to a former bassist from Gun N' Roses. She says - "Rock stars and models have a lot in common. … [Read more...]
Kakum Rainforest Walk, Cape Coast
I just arrived in Ghana's Cape Coast for a few days of much needed R&R. The bus travelled with an armed guard. I'm not an expert in high caliber weaponry but the gun he was holding sure looked like an AK47. Here we were cruising through the jungles of the Cote d'Ivoire with a bunch of 25KG bags labeled “Uncle Sam” rice from Thailand strewn all over the floor. I soon found out this rice was for a humanitarian mission; apparently public … [Read more...]
Weep for the Living
Weep for the Living by Anne Butler is a mystery writer from the small town of St. Francisville in southern Louisiana. She was married to a respected retired criminologist who used to work for the infamous Angola prison nearby. One day while relaxing on her porch her husband comes home with a .38 gun. Amazingly she survived multiple gunshots without hospitalization for 2 hours before help arrived. Anne is a survivor and this story provides … [Read more...]
A Story of Travel and of a Girl
This is a story of a travel and of a girl; of long ago memories. So long ago that I cannot even remember the girl's real name, nor many of the places; only that it inspired love. What better trip is there than that? It started as a mini-trip to San Francisco with a college roommate. He and I were to travel on a budget of zero dollars, excluding a full tank of gas. We wanted to see Haight-Ashbury, the hippy scene of '67. After collecting glass … [Read more...]
La vida Argentina: Passion. Protests. Mate. Puppy Eyed Stares.
Greetings from Buenos Aires! Salutaciones de Nuestra Senora de Santa Maria del Buen Aire! Its a cold but bright sunshine filled day in Buenos Aires. Just finished sipping a cappucino at a classic cafe in La Recoleta where the elderly men still dress in suits and older women wear fur coats for their afternoon java jolt. Prior to coffee we were communing with the dead in the Recoleta cemetery. Our taxi driver had difficulty … [Read more...]