We have not taken a trip with our adult children in years. It’s often difficult to agree on a destination or coordinate calendars. When children have their own lives, it is a challenge. But, after a few weeks of wrangling, we did it. We planned a family trip to Costa Rica. Three different areas: cloud…
I watched a show on Netflix that took place in Philadelphia. The woman was on a bus, and she pulled the cord to alert the driver to her stop. I remember doing that, knowing that. I didn’t take the bus a lot growing up. I don’t ride the bus now, but I know about the…
My daughter is in London on a school trip. She comes home tomorrow. It was Saturday evening before I’d heard the news of the London Bridge attack. We had already received an email from her chaperone about the fun they’d had that day and that they were back in their hotel room. I called her…
I learn things about myself and my world every day I lift my head from the pillow. Every day. But when I travel I am moved in ways good and bad that elevate my journey. I’ve returned from Amsterdam and here is what I have learned. I prefer the country to the city. I used…
We leave for Amsterdam in the morning. My seventeen year old thinks she’s going to get stoned with her parents. Isn’t she cute? How do you say, “Not in this lifetime,” in Dutch? We will be gone for a week in our attempt to see as many of Van Gogh’s paintings as possible. I’ve…
We went to Strand Bookstore while we were in New York. I’d never been, first time. Largest independent bookstore in the country, I think that’s what their sign says. It doesn’t matter because whatever their small print, it was a super awesome bookstore. Huge, multiple levels, and filled with that smell of paper and…
Is it wrong to punch a sick man in the face? My whole body hurts and when I think about his wrinkled shirt and incessant coughing, I want to punch him right in his runny red nose. Mr. You-Look-Like-Shit, why did you have to get on my plane? Why couldn’t you have slept through your alarm…
A drunk woman sat in front of me on the plane last night. While I should be kind and forget the whole thing, it must be documented. It’s essential to set the scene. We had just arrived in Seattle from London, and this flight was the last stretch of a long travel day. The plane…
During a particularly difficult time in my life I bought a print of this painting. The title is Flaming June and about twenty years ago, I was 23, naive and going through some tough things. I needed June. At the time, I didn’t know the painting was famous. Something spoke to me, and even though I…