AMMAN. ALEXANDRIA. ATHENS. ANCHORAGE. I hate to fly. Take-offs are especially nerve racking for me. Yet, airports are my sweet spot. I drop my responsibilities, doubts and burdens at long-term parking, give a slight nod of acknowledgment to the sliding glass doors that part to welcome me, and breathe a contented sigh as I waltz … Continued
Travel is the Traveler The guidebooks warn about this treacherous, hardscrabble path. “The travel-writing trail is long,” one says, solemnly. “It can be extremely demanding and daunting…lonely, exhausting, and depressing.” But here, I’m undaunted and uninhibited, quickened by a private fire, and the warnings only fan my ardor as I survey the vexing terrain. The … Continued
Yeehaw Namaste: Adventure and Peace in the American West The Last Best Place My first morning in Montana, I awoke to guttural, almost prehistoric, squawks outside my window. I bolted upright and slid my sleeping mask to my forehead. Our yoga teacher had closed our Vinyasa practice the night before with a warning: over-zealous songbirds … Continued
An Afternoon in the Sun in Colorado I’ve spent many a summer in London. I’ve enjoyed a spring or two in Paris. I’ve had the pleasure of a few overnights in Cabo San Lucas, San Diego, Rapid City, Grand Canyon, and Disney World. Of all the places my feet have walked, I am always happiest … Continued
My mother was born in 1926 to immigrant parents and was the first girl in our family to be born an American citizen and a resident of the San Francisco. I had lived in the San Francisco bay area my whole life and not once realized the freedom and opportunities that were at my feet. … Continued
I was standing on a snow-crusted field outside of Fairbanks, Alaska staring at the dancing shimmer of lights, the Aurora Borealis, in the nighttime sky. The lights spoke directly to me. They moved, surrounded, caressed, freed me from my body, then invited me to join their cosmic ballet. I was overwhelmed. Tears of joy iced … Continued
Bill and I have been RVing across North America, free to be where we want to be, do what we want to do. Concord, Massachusetts was not part of our itinerary but the Millers, Bills friends, invited us to visit with them. Am I glad we did! Doug showed us how the city was the … Continued
Just outside the town of Truth or Consequences, in southern New Mexico, there’s a spaceport designed for taking tourists into outer space. Called Spaceport America, the state-of-the-art facility isn’t ready for launching wannabe astronauts into the cosmos just yet. But once it is, perhaps in late 2013 or early 2014, regular folks will be able … Continued
This place is my home. I love it here. I am infatuated with the smooth, curved logs that form the walls of the Ranch House. I am entranced by the cool, fading orange-brown oak of my cabin floor. I am hooked on the smoke that billows from the copper-coloured kitchen. Spider webs, thick glass windows, … Continued
TORONTO: TOWER TALLER THAN ANY OTHER AND DISCOVERING THE REAL MEANING OF FREEDOM, INDEPENDENCE AND FRIENDSHIP Written by Dindo Varona In the back seat of the 8-seater Nissan Murano van, was where I patiently anticipated our next stop; it was a nice early July summer day as I see the tower high in the air. … Continued