On a recent morning in Sydney, Australia, I stepped out the front door of our Airbnb row house and breathed in the comforting scent of a winter hearth. It was late November, my mental season of harsh cold outdoors and cozy warmth inside. It only took me a few minutes to find a coffee shop… Read More Nescient comfort – Sydney, Australia
The hunt began the moment I walked through customs. Being Mongolia, you might think this hunt takes place on horseback in the remote steppe, using the sharp eyes and talons of an eagle. But those are very skilled hunters. I haven’t been trained in that kind of hunting. I walked to the grocery store down… Read More The Hunt – Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
I grabbed my upholstery fabric, memorably purchased in Jerusalem’s old city in 2017. I think he said the perfectly patterned material was made in Syria. My craigslist find 1980’s chair was already in the back of the minivan. After I dropped my youngest kids off with a friend, I drove 20 minutes to my favorite… Read More Globalized locally
I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Up to that point in my life, I didn’t know such an experience existed. Cognitive dissonance. When we returned home, that day was the one we told everyone about. It was ten years ago, but four children and many relocations later, I remember it like it was maybe… Read More Morocco – climatic dissonance
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
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
It never fails. We save up for a vacation that requires a flight and, on the return, we ask the kids what they liked best. All three, in unison – “the movies on the plane.” Guys, we went to Kauai! This is Hawaii’s garden island, the island with the most miles of beach. This is… Read More Highlights that can’t be bought – Kauai, Hawaii
As the van came to halt on the sandy track, beyond the grass partitions we saw employees move into position. Unlike Victoria Falls four hundred miles to the east, Botswana’s Okavango Delta 260 miles to the southeast, or Namibia’s own Etosha National Park to the southwest, the Kavango region of northern Namibia doesn’t experience droves… Read More Mbunza Living Culture – Namibia
In October I spent ten days in Israel and Palestine, imbibing personal stories of conflict and trauma, peace and reconciliation. Crisscrossing through checkpoints and polishing off plates of falafel and homemade maqluba, I immersed in historical narratives and the living history of today. In the diversity, a common thread was exposed. Perhaps a banal observation,… Read More Universality of humanity in Israel and Palestine
Parents sometimes go to great lengths to create special moments and learning experiences for children. At the Grand Canyon’s north rim in Arizona, we dutifully assisted our children with completing their ranger booklets (available for free at the ranger station). This took a good part of two days to complete successfully. We hiked several short… Read More The Grand Canyon’s North Rim Duck
will travel with kids 