“Maybe it will clear up by the time we finish coffee,” I suggested to Scott. It wasn’t looking good— from the lodge we could barely see the outline of the nearest lift. We’d skied in the fog for an hour and a half, but it had gotten to the point where we were really only … Continue reading A Ski trip without the Skiing!
Sitting in the waiting room, waiting for the skin cancer biopsy reports. Nice lounge, recliner chairs and beverages, big screen TV with Netflix. Another new experience. Hospital waiting rooms are better in some ways, though, despite being crowded and plain, because if you’re there it’s an emergency. I’ve been in them enough this year to … Continue reading Contemplation in the Cancer Clinic
“You run in those?” Scott completing a half marathon in his “slippers.” “You hike in those?” Pilatus, Switzerland “You wear those in the snow?” At the Matterhorn Yes, yes and yes. When I met Scott he wore sandals for pretty much everything. The only time I saw him in boots was on the ski hill. … Continue reading You Run in Those?! The sandal life
Seven years ago today, I was on my “trip of a lifetime,” my first solo overseas trip and (I thought) one last big adventure before settling down on my well planned path to a comfortable retirement. Kowloon harbour on a water taxi. Despite having no words in each other’s language besides “thanks!” We communicated quite … Continue reading Riding the Wheel
I walked down the driveway, and the wolf followed me. He slipped into the narrow space between the garage and the fence. We knew there was a wolf in James Bay, the area of Victoria where my sister lives. Its presence in this urban environment was unheard of, so had been all over the news … Continue reading Where the Wild Things Are
I take a deep breathe and launch down a black diamond run at Killington, heart pounding, and I remember how much I love to ski! When a friend first invited me to come to Vermont for New Year's I didn't really consider it. At Christmas when I was in Hawaii she reminded me and I … Continue reading A Year of Travel: How It Changed Me
In my 2019 travels (A Year of Travel FAQ) I learned a lot about logistics. How to pack a suitcase, navigate an airport, find the best flights, accommodations and tours. The best apps for communicating, translating, managing photos and finances. But those things are ephemeral, made redundant by new tools, new software, new regulations. A … Continue reading A Year of Travel: What I Learned about the World
A drink in my hand, I look out over the New York skyline from the One World Observatory, watching as the sun sets and the city lights start to shine. I've been in almost this same place before, on my first trip to New York in the late '80s. I don't remember what I was … Continue reading New York, New York! Then and Now
My year of travel has been fun-- and frivolous. I've learned a lot about different parts of the world, met many people, had my eyes opened. But it has begun to feel very self-indulgent. Apart from me and the people who take my money, who benefits? I always talked about doing aid work overseas. As … Continue reading Travel with a Purpose
Technically, I have been homeless for 7 months. I walked out the door of the house I'd lived in for 18 years in mid-April and will not have an address of residence for another two weeks. In reality, it has been a privileged and voluntary form of homelessness. For 5 months of that period I … Continue reading Homeless
Brave Travels 