SAFE TRAVEL DURING COVID-19
If you must travel during the Covid-19
pandemic, don’t overlook historic hotels.
Biosphere 2: Ingenuity, Problem-Solving, and Hope
Readers of this blog know that for the last few years my travels have pursued the truth about climate change. I refuse to listen to uninformed politicians. I go where people know things. Politicians say that climate always trends. Visiting our National Parks has...
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The Smells and Tastes of Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is paradise for mango lovers, but also for foodies in general.
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Ready for a Beach Getaway? 4 questions to ask before booking
When the polluted air of Bangkok became so gun-metal gray that no sunbeams could shoot though, the government closed schools and offices, and my family and I decided to escape to blue skies. Competing with everyone else in the city, we booked Phuket in a rush. While...
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Good Fences Make Good Neighbors
Lately I have been curious about international borders, so I am doing my due diligence to learn as much as possible. Last year, I visited Nogales, Arizona to see the border wall, and my heart sank. I was used to the concrete Berlin Wall. The Nogales wall has steel...
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MERRY TEXMAS
Now living in Scottsdale, it’s time for us to learn about the Southwest, so we hopped in the car and drove to West Texas to watch the Lone Star State celebrate Christmas. After passing through the pass at El Paso, our first stop was Fredericksburg, a small city...
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From Texas: Two Presidents, Two Parties, One Mantra
Though the politics of LBJ and Bush 41 are different, their basic humanity is the same: Everyone is important and Everyone is welcome.
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PERU: 5 Amazing Sites in the Sacred Valley
Peru’s Sacred Valley offers the natural beauty in and around Machu Picchu, an education on the brilliant Incas culture, and, by the way, fun shopping.
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PERU, The Land of Surprises
I have just returned from Peru, a country with a surprise around every bend. I’ll tell you about Machu Picchu later. First, let’s check out Lima, where you will land. It’s a foodie paradise, where world-class restaurants introduce diners to the superfoods...
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Manzanar: Let It Not Happen Again
In 2012, I visited Auschwitz. One heart-wrenching day was enough to quell my curiosity about internment camps forever. Then last week, my husband insisted on seeing The War Relocation Center at Manzanar in central California, near Death Valley. It is now part of our...
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Six Ways to Fly Healthy during Flu Season
We in the Pacific Northwest don’t travel during the summer when the cloudless sky is a warm and dreamy blue. We fly away during flu season when the charcoal clouds burst with rain and the airline passengers burst with germs. At the Women’s March on Saturday, one of my...
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Ride Along Arizona’s Southern Border
I thought talk of building the wall would end quickly, but since it hasn’t, I went to southern Arizona and drove along the border, from Organ Pipe to Bisbee, to see what was what. Heading from Tuscan to Organ Pipe, we passed through this small town. And I must...
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Christmas Ornaments
A Post-Script on Ornaments If you saw CBS Sunday Morning, you saw some of the ornaments I posted last week. (Click on ornaments for the link) So, Nancy Reagan had the idea to sell the White House ornaments to fund the White House Christmas tree. Now that’s...
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A Christmas Well Traveled
Now that our careers in the Foreign Service are over, we relive Christmas memories through our decorations. Unable to fly home at Christmas, we enjoyed Christmas around the world. Turns out, Santa Claus has several different names. In the Czech Republic, St. Nicholaus...
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Schooner Zodiac: Books A’ Sail
If you’re a book lover intrigued by sailing or a sailor intrigued by books, check out Books A’ Sail. Each September, Schooner Zodiac and Village Books team up for a three-day adventure, which casts off from Fairhaven in Bellingham, Washington and sails through the San...
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I MISS ABE
Two weeks ago our current president talked about what it means to “be presidential” and compared himself to the “late, great Abraham Lincoln.” “Hmm,” I said to myself. “Gotta check this out.” So, here I am on the Lincoln Heritage Trail, where...
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The Surprising Southeast
Haven’t been to the Southeast for twenty-five years. This April/May it was time to go back. When you think about the Southeast your mind conjures up beautiful beaches: Ft. Lauderdale, Daytona, “Where the Boys Are.” You’ve been there. I’ll get to the beaches in Part...
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE
Stephen Hawking once said that humans have 1,000 years left on earth. This week, he changed that number to 100. Shocking, I know. On my visit to The Kennedy Space Center last Friday, I learned that scientists who agree on earth’s limited future see escaping to Mars as...
read moreWRITERS: MAKE YOUR LANGUAGE POP!
MARGIE LAWSON has a great writing university online. I’ve taken several of her courses. My goal was to attend her Deep Editing weekend in Denver. Now I don’t have to. She is coming to Bellingham March 30. Trust me, if you have a day job, this Master class...
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LET JERUSALEM BE JERUSALEM
When I lived in Jordan, I drove the 55 miles to Jerusalem as often as I could. It’s a fascinating city on a hill, and I felt like I had to be there to know it. Truth and Tension Followers of three religions, all evolving from the Old Testament, live and worship among...
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Nonrefundable? Not Necessarily
If you have an issue getting a travel refund, where everyone is saying,”No!” turn to your credit card company. You Try to Do the Right Thing, But Sometimes … Regular readers of this blog know that my husband and I spent 2016 on a noble quest: to...
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