“Time to take down the tree that smells like vomit and clean up the huge mess.” A friend posted something along those lines on social media recently. Indeed, rotting tree stump is an unpleasant aroma. And I know I’ll be finding needles under the couch at least until Memorial Day. As I carefully removed the… Read More The Journey Tree
I have mental snapshots and memories of the main house on the family compound. We were living with a Kipsigis family on their rural Kenyan land, surrounded by rolling hills, grazing cows, and red dirt. In this main building, we shared meals around a long table and the boys slept in the corner, having given… Read More George H. W. Bush, from a dung floor under a tin roof in Chebitet, Kenya
Seasonal traditions aren’t constrained by climate. I have celebrated many a Christmas in the southern hemisphere, sweat pouring from my brow, dripping onto the wrapping paper on my lap from a just-opened gift. Christmas doesn’t always mean snow, cold, and a warm fire. I have spent Easters anticipating the cool-ish rains, glad to leave the… Read More Pumpkin Patch Island Style – Oahu, Hawaii
Spring break raves and mission trips. Maybe a port visit while on a cruise. That’s why people go to Mexico, right? In 2004 I was in France for a semester and spent a weekend with a friend’s family in Paris. His parents were profuse in their praise of the cultural heritage and sites of Mexico,… Read More Crossing the Southern Border – San Ysidro, Mexico
Falafel, bulgogi, polenta. You won’t find these items at San Diego’s best international cafe. In fact, the menu is usually limited to Scandinavian specialties. The patrons, however, are known to show up in their own regional and traditional dress, speaking languages from all over the world. I would argue this cafe has the most diverse… Read More San Diego’s Best International Cafe
Last night I had a dream. In an ancient port city I stood on a boardwalk of stone, looking out across the ocean in the fading, rusty light of day. Flying low across the water at high speed was an ultra-light aircraft with what appeared to be clipped wings. The fuselage was angular with a… Read More I dreamed of Tesla
Lil’s P’s cowboy boots slipped on the side of the rock, belying its composition of pure metal. We didn’t expect to befall a space treasure on our Namibia trip, but it happened to be on a not-too-distant detour on the route from Windhoek to Rundu. We followed signs from the highway and when we arrived,… Read More Even This Stone – An Easter meditation; Grootfontein, Namibia
