Category TRAVELING BITS
It’s That “Poem Before Christmas” Bit
Seasons Greetings! Can’t believe it’s time again to close out the year with my traditional haphazard poem! It’s an account of as many events as I can fit in (and with all their feels…), meant to be read in the style of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. So, no more prose – here it goes! […]
The Bathing Beauty Bit
Okay so sort of by accident, I’ve been learning more about “mindfulness” lately! (Although with a World Series Game starting shortly, it’s hard to be entirely “in the moment” just now…) While I can sure use the education, it’s been coming in forms I definitely didn’t expect! I mean, bathing-wise, I’ve always been a practitioner […]
The “Out of Situ” Bit
Happy Official Autumn! So every time I aim to close out the year strongly by focussing on professional matters, my thoughts drift off to the lazy days of summer (the active ones, too!) when I got to indulge in some of my very favorite pastimes… For one, I fed my love of history! I got […]
The “Mark Twain Slept Here” Bit
Okay, yes – the common cliche is “Washington Slept Here”. And on a recent trip back east, I did find the spot where ol’ George famously took his troops over the Delaware River: But truth be told, the real historical highlight was touring the Connecticut house where Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, wrote some of […]
Eastern US: The “5-Sense Tour” Bit
Whew! Just got home from a marvelous visit with friends back East! Being lazy, I haven’t quite unpacked all my clothes yet. And being overwhelmed in every good way by the trip, I haven’t unpacked all my thoughts about it either. For now, I can share something like the ol’ quickie Five Cent Tour of […]
The Bit About Transplanted Treasures
One of my favorite things about traveling is getting to make connections I never expected! I just had the pleasure of wandering into a historical connection between my favorite California coastal haunt and a small town about 400 miles away – Their link was media tycoon William Randolph Hearst. While I’d known about Hearst’s habit […]
The Bit About the Golden Dream
Me: “Hey Siri! When was gold first discovered in California?” Siri: “Gold was discovered in California on January 24, 1848.” Yup. Having been born in the Golden State and raised on its history, that’s the answer I expected. And normally, as with other Siri-ish replies for weather or the nearest gas station, I’d have accepted […]
The Bit About “The City” (Part 1)
I sure hope you’ve got the kind of friends I’m lucky to have! Ones you might not see for ages and then get back together with and it’s as if no time has passed? What a gift that is! Certain places have that feel for me too. Visiting London last summer was just like catching […]
Wine Country: A Bit of Travel “Terroir”
Greetings! Sharing a new word I picked up on a recent wine tasting holiday – “terroir”! Seems fair to pronounce it something like “tehr waar” – or to add a little phlegm to those r’s as you’re able. Terroir has to do with the environmental factors where a wine is produced that contribute to its […]
The Bit About Endurance
Man, life can be strange. A few days into the New Year, I was out picnicking and catching up with my niece in a green, sun-dappled Burbank park, when she mentioned the fire that just destroyed a historic home we’d visited in Northern California. Always out for blog ideas, it got me meditating about historic […]
TESSEROLOGY 