In How I Found Livingston by Henry Morton Stanley, journalist Stanley recounts his epic search across Africa, looking for the missing explorer, Dr. David Livingston. I started reading the book (over 700 pages) at least 15 years ago as research on available books circa 1872 that a person living then might have read. Somewhere around … Continue reading How Stanley Found Me
Encouragement
Pictograph Cave State Park: Upside-Down World
In the cinematic masterpiece You've Got Mail, the character played by Tom Hanks explains the appeal of The Godfather. A sample: The Godfather answers all of life's questions. What to pack for a trip? "Leave the gun, take the cannolis." ~ character of Joe Fox, You've Got Mail, screenplay by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron … Continue reading Pictograph Cave State Park: Upside-Down World
Gut It Out!
Do you trust your instincts? Should you? If you start something big (a job, a relationship, a project, a trip) and you immediately feel it's not right, what's your pattern? Do you see it through no matter what, or do you start looking for the exit? I'm sure that the answers for you (like me) … Continue reading Gut It Out!
Perfection’s Rough Draft
One of my few accomplishments during the quarantining last year (besides an epic four part poem about dust, and five poems about national park grief) involved creating a Halloween costume, buying all the parts, fitting it into a perfect storage container, and even labelling it. Then I put it in my closet, the quarantine never … Continue reading Perfection’s Rough Draft
Christmas Cheer
I promised to tell you about a Campfire Tales tradition. A few years ago, on a river cruise down the Danube during December, I discovered the joy of gluhwein at the Christkindlmarkt. (Translations: mulled wine; Christmas Market.) Once home, I sought out a recipe (this one, I think it was) and now I make it … Continue reading Christmas Cheer
A Dream and a Prayer
For those of you who celebrate this holiday, I offer this: Merry Christmas! And for everyone, no matter your beliefs, I offer this:
The Goes Wrong Holiday
The job I was hoping would be a career stepping stone went (to put it nicely) belly up about a month ago. Splat! To mentally get through the end of this year, I doubled down on my Thanksgiving plans, filled with travel and friends and food and fun. ...Can you guess what happened next? Yup. … Continue reading The Goes Wrong Holiday
The Day After…
More? More!
20 + 20 = ??
"The wilderness, by design, disorients. As any wilderness trekker past or present will tell you, the wilderness has a way of forcing the point, of bringing to the surface whatever fears, questions, and struggles hide within. Nothing strips you down to your essential humanity and inherent dependency quite like submitting to the elements, surrendering to … Continue reading 20 + 20 = ??
Yosemite Waits for You
Thank you for visiting your national park, Particularly in times when things look stark. Fires, pandemics, presidents, droughts; all will fade. Do you know what won't? The memories we've made. Imagine a campfire. Picture yourself there. Feel the heat. Smell the smoke. Watch the embers flare. Let go of thoughts that detain you. Consume grief. … Continue reading Yosemite Waits for You
Campfire Tales 