Tag Archives: Travel

The “You Know It’s Fall When” Bit

I’ve always loved the fall!  And after a fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk-hot summer here in LA, I am really looking forward to it this year – even if, as I’ve noted before, Angeleno autumns don’t tend to be textbook (it’s approaching 100 degrees outside as I’m typing this…). Having spent half my life in NoCal’s Bay Area and half […]

THE “ALL THE SHIPS (NOT) AT SEA” BIT

The ocean has always held a special allure for me!  Despite a tendency to get seasick, I’ve truly relished opportunities to get out on the waves in ships of various sizes and types.  But I’ve also discovered that ships can transport a person to other places and times without even leaving the shore!  Here are […]

A Tidbit: Snowy

Am pausing in the sweltering SoCal heat to answer this week’s unusual WordPress Photo Challenge with three photos.   Though snowfall isn’t an unusual occurrence for lots of people, I’ve always found a special magic in snow – and boy would I welcome a little flurry just now! Having grown up largely deprived of pack and powder, […]

Finland: The 17 in ’17 Bit (Part 2)

Tervetuloa!  That’s a Finnish “welcome” to the second half of my list of 17 reasons why I love Finland!   Part 1 covered reasons 1 to 9 – now, in this 100th anniversary year of Finnish Independence, here (in no special order as always) are the rest: 10.  Seeing the Forest AND the Trees! As I […]

Finland: The 17 in ’17 Bit (Part 1)

Welcome to another “17 in ’17” installment!  Recently, I offered a Canadian love call to celebrate the 150th birthday of my neighbors to the north.  This time, I’m singing the praises of Finland – the land of all my lovely Mum’s grandparents – in this, the 100th anniversary year of its independence!  Here, in no […]

A Tidbit: Alaskan Reflections

  This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge of Reflecting put me in mind of a charming Alaskan cruise the folks and I took in 2010!  As we were making our way back to Vancouver after a week of stunning views of wilderness, waterways and wildlife, a clear day afforded these blurred reflections of the coastlines we were gliding […]

Celilo: The Stilled Waters Bit

I just found this old picture of my Grandpa P!  He’s perched above a scene along the Columbia River that I don’t think exists anymore – at a place called Celilo Falls.  Maybe a couple decades after the picture was taken, water rose up behind the newly built Dalles Dam, and the cataracts of Celilo […]

A Tidbit: Joshua Tree

Accepting the WordPress weekly photo challenge for the first time and this week’s theme is Earth!  Recently drove through and only scratched the surface of California’s Joshua Tree National Park.  Getting to experience its unspoiled landscape (which has only a few amenities/compromises here and there) was absolutely breathtaking!  It was also relieving to see that, while we […]

The Bit of a Camping Conundrum

Recently, I faced a pretty big decision about continuing a relationship.  Not one with a person – but with a place. See, last summer my lovely friend Suszi invited me to spend a week with her and her crew at the Lair of the Bear.  It’s a camp for UC Berkeley grads near Pinecrest Lake […]

Canada: The 17 in ’17 Bit (Part 2)

Ohhh, Canadaaa!  Picking up where Part 1 of my Canadian sesquicentennial tribute left off, here are reasons 9 through 17 (still in no special order) why this American loves you: 9.  The Wild Wild Life While wandering through Canada’s breathtaking natural scenery, I’ve gotten some equally breathtaking reminders that when it comes to the great outdoors, we humans […]