Hawai'i, the Big Island (June 22, 2011) -You know what breaks our heart? Hearing about visitors to Hawai'i Island who are staying in Kona, and who drive two or three hours over to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, then drive around the park for a couple of hours, dashing through the visitors center, taking a snapshot of the steaming summit crater, maybe a quick walk through Nāhuku Lava Tube, then off they go again all the way back to Kona. This … [Read more...]
In the Place of Many Zebras
In a hot dormitory at the Olooloitikoshi Girl's Rescue Center in Kenya, Jane inspects my arm freckles. She brushes her finger over my arm hair and traces my blue veins from the crook of my elbow to my wrist. I play, searching her arms and face for freckles. She examines my blonde hair and plucks strays from my shirt. She holds each one up to the light and giggles. I play, picking hairs from myself and placing them on her sweater, as if they … [Read more...]
Big Bear Lake: It’s Like Walking on Water
Stand up Paddleboarding is the Latest Craze for Recreation and Fitness in Big Bear Lake BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif./ June 16, 2011 - Last summer stand up paddleboards (SUP) were among the top requests made by Big Bear Lake guests. This summer Big Bear Lake marinas are latching onto the hottest water sports trend by offering SUP rentals and lessons to meet those demands. "Simply put, SUPs are easy to learn, a great way to explore flat … [Read more...]
The 4 Bridges Crossing the Canal Grande in Venice
The two most striking characteristics of Venice are its extremely romantic appeal and the picturesque canals that are like the unique equivalent of streets in other cities. The biggest of these canals is the Canal Grande (in Venetian referred to as Canalasso). At a length of 3800 meters it stretches through the whole city in the shape of an 's'. Curiously enough there are only four opportunities to cross the Canal Grande throughout the city, … [Read more...]
Not Everyone’s Idea of a Family Vacation
'Where are you going this time?' my dad asked as he viewed the half packed cases lying on my living room floor. 'Barcelona.' I replied. He wrinkled up his nose. 'I've been there,' he said. 'Not really a place you'd take a holiday, is it?' Isn't it? I smiled at him, but I knew what he was trying to say. The same thing most of my friends and family say when I tell them where me, my husband and my two daughters are off to next. Not really … [Read more...]
In My Grandmother’s Footsteps
Ever since my grandmother died, taking the last living link to my Scottish ancestry with her, I have vowed to get off my backside, travel up country from my home in Yorkshire, England, cross the border and find my Scottish roots. My grandmother, whose maiden name was Angus, had always talked about this rather mythical place in Scotland where our family hails from. Nobody down here in England had ever set foot on our ancestral soil, although they … [Read more...]
The Lovely Inishowen Peninsula and More
As our plane dipped down below the mist, patchwork fields of green came into view. Then we went in for the landing in Belfast and could see sheep in a nearby pasture. This was hard to explain, but I felt like I was entering into an ancient homeland. Maybe because my family had distant Irish ancestry. My sister-in-law met my mother, sister and I and we went by car to the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal along the coast to Moville. The … [Read more...]
Alta Moda in Rome
Although I think of Paris when thinking of European fashion capitals, as the fashion show in the French capital might be the most prestigious fashion show that exists, I can't help but notice a majority of the label names are Italian. The most important Italian cities when it comes to fashion are without a doubt Milan and Rome. I have never been to Milan, but I stayed in apartments in Rome twice. The first time I was there I went in to some … [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...]
“The Day I Was Born”
I take a deep blue look at the Mediterranean Sea. Barcelona is so beautiful in the summer. Everybody knows that; everybody's written about it. Oh no, am I one of them too? It's so beautiful here in Parc de Montjuic; I have the whole hill to myself. I walk inside the fortress, pretend there's still something to protect. I watch the port activity from up high while I eat my juicy nectarines. The containers look like Lego bricks, the cranes are … [Read more...]
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