Travel Tales amongst my Ramblings
True stories of our world-wide journeys interspersed with bits of my real life journey, retired now in Silicon Valley
People ask us why we liked our trip to Antarctica so much. My answer: "We don't know, but everyone loves their trip to Antarctica. You should go." I do know I loved the quiet. And the stillness. And the penguins. And the scenery. Some of the highlights: Ushuaia––a nice little town with wonderful ice cream … Continue reading Memorable Moments in Antarctica
My resolution for 2018: become more proficient at capturing unique photo ops. I can think of several I missed in the past two months, and who knows how many more I was too dense to even realize what I was missing. After Thanksgiving, on a bike ride along the trail through our local park, … Continue reading Happy New Year!
In Split, a local named Bobo and his dog Bennie greet us and show the way as the driver guides our big bus up a winding mountain road, inching around narrow corners in the village without every scraping a building or parked car. On the way, Bobo tells us about the area and about his … Continue reading The Making of Soparnik
I still remember how excited I was when I saw a brown object tumbling in the surf and realized it was a mostly intact shell. We were in Florida for the first time, walking on a beach along the Gulf coast. I caught up with the object, and the thrill of the hunt was on. … Continue reading Shell Souvenirs
This lesson, titled “Precision,” is about editing. Even though we have no pressure of grades in this on-line class, the teacher is quite critical––that's a good thing––and I have tried to do my best. I like to get my money’s worth. Our class of 13 is down to two or three, so I figure the … Continue reading Surviving a Humor Writing Class: a Technology Rant
Today's world presents real worries, but we still need to laugh. I admit, I’m a worrier. Even imagined worries make me happier, because I don’t like surprises. If something bad happens and I’ve been worrying about it, then it’s not a surprise. And if it doesn’t happen, then that’s a good thing and I’m … Continue reading Worries
Our little town––“Town” is part of the name, don't call us a city––moves ahead of the curve in trendy. Much of the wealth comes from the computer, electronics, and social media industries, so it figures that residents here are tech-savvy and stay woke to the latest. I have trouble keeping up with it all. The … Continue reading A Change. No Change.
For the second year in a row, we missed the Viva Calle San Jose ride, but I remember our fun ride in 2015. This is the story I wrote then. My husband sees the announcement in the Metro, that free weekly paper, the one with ads for phone sex. The Metro piles up around the house … Continue reading Viva Calle SJ, 2015
A good read: Pompeii, by Robert Harris One of our tour guides recommended Robert Harris's book Pompeii––a fun and easy way to learn some real facts about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that buried the city of Pompeii. This novel, based on archeological findings, takes place over the four days of volcanic activity; it's … Continue reading Pompeii
Democracy in Chains In no way is this a political blog, but I mention a book everyone should wade through: Democracy in Chains, The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America, by Nancy MacLean. (Amazon link) MacLean is Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University, and has experienced the sad … Continue reading A Slog Worth Slogging
Travel Tales amongst my Ramblings 