Baby Egret
So sad. I rode my bike to Shorebird Way for the second time, this time in hopes of seeing baby egrets and herons fledge. What I got was probably what […]
Goodbye, McBlack
I bought my 2008 Mazda 3 new. It was special. My first new car. Its name suggested itself when I went to the dealer to buy Mica Black touch up […]
Baby rat
Full of self recrimination and guilt, I look at your tiny carcass, moved by your small soft ears, paws fragile and clasped as if in prayer, soft gray fur. I […]
Losing Gina
In 1993, I made the acquaintance of a vivacious, bubbly young woman barely 20 years old. Gina had already lived several lives. She had been forced to give up her […]
Lost and Found on Deception Creek
I met George Gooding in 1997 just after starting my new career on the Inside Mac team at Apple. It was a big stretch for me. I’d never worked on […]
The Sawyer
Walking down Pacific Ave in Santa Cruz last Friday, I was lucky enough to stumble someone playing musical saw in front of a bronze sculpture of Tom Jefferson Scribner. During the […]
Ereshkigal
Some weeks ago I confided in my acupuncturist about the deep grief and loneliness I’d been trying not to feel of late. My usual pattern is to stay so […]
La Vie Boheme
Last night I had the opportunity to see the 20th anniversary of the Broadway musical RENT. Tears ran down my cheeks as I watched the character Angel die of AIDS. […]
Writing a Book
I wrote my last post to explain why I haven’t been writing of late. I had hoped upon coming back to the states to begin the arduous project of turning […]
Insult to Injury
When I arrived back from Europe on October 24, I was exhausted and sleep-deprived. But I’m pretty compulsive about cleaning when I first get back from a long trip, and […]
Conflicted
I was asked recently at a grief counseling session whether missing people who have died might be tied to other events in my life. Thinking aloud, I mused that I […]
Back to France
October 14. I took advantage of being in my friends’ warm cozy apartment in Munich. I slept in, had a nice chat with Jennifer, and headed to Schloss Nymphenburg and the […]
Austria
October 10. I awoke at Marek and Zuzana’s flat in Bratislava, feeling grateful for having a place to stay. I took the chance to thank Zuzana for letting me stay […]
Southwest Romania and Hungary
October 6, 2017.??? I awoke in the strange partly built suburb of Szeged, trying to be as quiet as possible. I didn’t want to wake someone’s dog or the ire […]
Spending Time in Zebegeny – 2017
October 3. I didn’t want to leave but had another dental appointment in Budapest the next day, so around 10:30am I bid Paul and Stasia farewell and headed to Babiogorski […]
Visiting Relatives in Wadowice
Sept 28 – I awoke and went to the Kismaros library to use the internet. I’d planned on driving to Poland but wanted to work on my blog for a […]
From Brussels to Budapest – 2017
Sept 25, 2017 – I awoke and headed to Brussels, parking near the central park aptly titled Parc de Brussels. After a brief stroll through the greenery, I headed past […]
Amsterdam, then on to southern Netherlands
September 19. After Harlingen, I headed to Amsterdam. It was dark, and I was shocked at the sheer number of people on the streets. On bikes, on foot, on skateboards. […]
Friesland
September 18. I decided to finish the editing of Roel’s presentation of his months-long pilgrimage from Eibergen to Santiago de Compostella before heading north. I bid my friends goodbye around […]
Eastern Holland
September 14. I woke in my comfy attic room complete with skylight and basked in the rain hitting the windows. Today was errand day. Coosje needed to pick up her […]
The Middle Rhine Valley, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Sept 10. I was awoken by the sound of cyclists. Apparently the forest where I’d camped was on the main cycle path up the mountain leaving the Rhine. I drove […]
Heidelberg
Sept 7 – I was still in a rush to get to Eibergen, Netherlands, and wanted to see Strassbourg, the section of the Rhine north of Bingen, Bonn, Cologne, and […]
The Beautiful Romantische Strasse in Germany
I was in a rush to get to Eibergen, Netherlands by September 13. I had nine days to explore the Romantische Strasse (a scenic route through quaint towns beginning in […]
In and Around Landsberg Am Lech
August 31 I had the next four days to recuperate and get the basics accomplished. Things that I couldn’t do on the road like taking a shower, washing my clothes, […]
On to Munich and Tegernsee
August 26. Morning came too early. I jumped out of bed, stressed, and packed everything into as few bags as possible. I had to fit my things into the back […]
Czech Republic
August 22. I still had 4 days before picking up a replacement for the Citroen C3 in Munich on August 26, and decided to spend 3 days exploring the southern […]
On Hold in Bratislava – 2017
August 16. I woke up late after a very long night and was barely functional responding to Citroen Europass’ requests for information about the accident yesterday. I had wrecked my […]
Serbia
August 14. I was dismayed at the fog that had settled in. It was damp and cold and I couldn’t see more than a few feet in any direction,. I […]
Bulgaria – 2017
August 11. I had planned to drive to the Danube Delta in Tulcea but abhorred the thought of driving on any more roads in Romania, which were either riddled with […]
Bucharest
August 6. Once I awoke (I never really slept) I moved into the room with A/C. I felt like I’d been hit by a truck and ended up spending most […]
Curtea de Arges
August 5. After visiting Bran Castle, I headed southwest toward Bran pass which had been strategically important in controlling trade between Wallachia and Transylvania. What incredible terrain! I passed Moieciu […]
Bran Castle
August 5. I had my camping place mostly to myself, and awoke and made my way toward Bran Castle. On the way, I stopped in Râșnov to admire an old […]
Learning about Brasov
August 4. I spent the day in Brasov. I had a hankering for a latte, and spent too long looking for a good cafe. Most had beans from Spain or […]
Peleș and Pelișor Castle
August 3. I hadn’t made the tour of Peleș and Pelișor Castle yesterday, and decided to try again. It was worth it, even though I had to sit through a […]
Sinaia
August 2. I awoke to the gurgle of a stream and a cool breeze, a refreshing way to start the day as the next few were supposed to get over […]
Lost Tent Poles
August 1. I spent the night worrying about my lost tent poles, and didn’t sleep a wink. I hoped against hope that they might still be where I thought I […]
The Transfăgăraşan Highway
July 31. It was Monday, and a good day to head out of town. All the museums were closed. I headed into town and had a latte at my favorite […]
Museum of Folkloric Traditional Civilization
July 30. After losing my car key and the search that followed, I headed to the ASTRA Museum of Folkloric Traditional Civilization in the Dumbrava Forest. I’d hoped to hit […]
Lost Car Key
July 30. It had been a damp night and I woke up soaked. I hung my tent, pillows, and blanket out to dry using the outside of the car as […]
Sibiu
July 28. I awoke to a German-speaker delivering something to a wealthy gated house in the hills across from Sighișoara. It was early, and I decided to hit the road. […]
Lisa Karpinski 