My memories of Frank Freeman
I met Frank Freeman in 1997, the first year I was at Apple. He was working as an IT contractor, and was so proud to be working there. He had […]
Imbolc
I wrote the wrote and led the following ritual for the Sunnyvale UUFS to celebrate Imbolc or Candlemass, a Celtic holiday marking the beginning of spring on February 1. After the […]
I am the Lorax
Yesterday I dipped into the deep grief that’s been masked by depression over the last few months. It’s been hard to access my sadness, deeply buried and rarely excavated as […]
Why I started this blog
I always return from my travels wanting to make my home life more like my travels. To integrate habits like giving myself time to read, explore unknown urban and wild […]
Election or Bloodless Coup
I’ve been depressed since November. I’d been in Europe for the previous 6 months, having reached out several times to friends in the US for reassurance that Trump would not win. I’d […]
Weaving ancestral threads
A few weeks ago I went back to Potomac Maryland to pay my respects to my uncle Bob Cook who had passed away this summer. It was my first visit to […]
Not a Republican
Last night a friend said that Republicans are Democrats who have been robbed and that Democrats are Republicans who have been imprisoned. I woke this morning remembering a time 4 years […]
Ode to One
Last week I rescued three worms that I found while walking a well-trodden trail at Rancho San Antonio. I placed them gingerly to the side, urging them to find sanctuary. One had […]
A Polish Christmas
My father was born in Poland in 1932. He was only 7 when Germans invaded Poland, occupying the house his childhood home in Bielsko Biala. The family were forced to […]
Catalonia
Upon leaving my camping site near Eygalieres, I decided to stop in Mausane to fill up my water bottle, buy some cheese, and go to the artisanal biscotterie. I did […]
European Roadtrip, 2017
Hungary It was cold and rainy the first three days of my time in Budapest. I was here to see Dr. Windisch, who I’d found when I lost a tooth […]
Swabia
On my way from Lake Contance to Schwabisch Hall, I decided to stop in Villingen, where my aunt’s (mom’s sister-in-law) family is from. I thought it was in the Black […]
Lake Constance
I had taken Janusz’s suggestion to explore the little town of Stein am Rhein on the Rhine near the mouth of Lake Constance. I arrived at 8:45pm after spending a few […]
Zurich and Lake Lucerne
I ran into traffic. It was Sunday evening and everyone was heading home from the mountains to escape the blistering heat in the valleys, where it was in the high 90s. […]
Haute Savoie and the Alps
I was now in the department of Haute Savoie, also known as upper Savoy. The House of Savoy, made up of lower and upper Savoy, was the longest surviving royal house in […]
Provence
My apologies for the previous version of this post. I was using an AZERTY (French) keyboard which is distinctly different from the QWERTY keyboard that I’m used to. For those […]
Bratislava and Vienna
I arose bright and early and packed my unwieldy backpack. I had entertained the notion of leaving 2 bags of uncessaries behind in Monika’s attic, but remembered nightmares when I […]
Central Slovakia
Monika, with whose family I had been staying with for the past 2 weeks, suggested that we go on a special 2 day outing to central Slovakia to visit the chateau of Budatin, […]
Land of castles and rolling hills: Kosice and environs
I was relieved to escape the sweltering heat of Budapest. After getting a clean bill of health from the dentist, I took bus, tram, and metro to the train station […]
Budapest: a troubled past – 2016
June 27, 2016. Arrived after Greek trip – stayed with Tim, Airbnb. See Land of Shaven Heads – first time seeing Dr Windisch After a week of culture shock, the […]
The Land of Shaven Heads – 2016
June 27, 2016. Almost every Hungarian man I’ve seen in Budapest has a shaved head. At first I thought it was in response to elevated summer temperatures, though the hottest […]
Last three days in Greece – 2016
After visiting archaic Messini, I drove back to Kalamata to visit some friends then headed for Kiyetes and asked where to find souvlaki. I only had 3 Euros in my pocket, and […]
Northern Greece – 2016
I crossed a bridge from the mainland to Chalkida on the island of Euboea and drove along the south shore of the island toward Eretrea, hoping I’d find a camp site. After a hour, […]
Eastern Peloponnese – 2016
I enjoyed the sunset views and aroma of citrus orchards as I drove southeast from Gythio along the coast toward Vigklafia where I would catch a ferry to the island of […]
Exploring Mani
I planned on leaving Kardamylli after touring the Fermor abode, but the weather had other plans. Normally summer rains in this part of Greece are light and infrequent. Not so […]
Patrick Leigh Fermor in Kardamyli
Today I had the honor of visiting Patrick Leigh Fermor’s home in Kalamatsi (just around the bend from Kardamyli), author of many travel books including A Time of Gifts about […]
Life in Exochori
I drove back to Exochori to see its museum on Wednesday morning. It is located in the former elementary school built by local villagers. There I met Giannis Koumendeas, the […]
Kardamyli and environs
I spent much more time in Kardamyli that planned. Four days to be exact. And given that I only had the rental car for 19 days and had to travel […]
I left my heart on Kefalonia
Yes, I really did. I cried when I left, that’s how much I fell in love with the Ionian island of Kefalonia (also spelled Cephalonia). After arriving on Poros on […]
The beautiful Peloponnese
Apologies for the belated nature of this post. It turns out that using a folding bluetooth keyboard with my iphone is not an ideal computer system for speedy typing. Too […]
A bit about me
I grew up in the orchard town of Sunnyvale in the 1960s. As a kid I played among the apricot orchards near my house and would sit in the cherry […]
Memorable walkabout
In June 2000, my mom and I spent 3 weeks in Ireland. It was the first time I’d ever been. Unfortunately, I haven’t been back since. We landed in Dublin […]
Nick Ferentinos
Nick has been a key figure throughout my life. He was the journalism advisor for the Epitaph, the Homestead high school newspaper, on which I served for 3 years as […]
The Fallen
The last few months have been marked with the loss of very dear teachers, family, and friends. So many have passed recently that I compiled a list of fallen friends […]
The Enchanted Caravan
I attended one of my favorite annual events in the frosty month of January, the Kindergarten Forum hosted by Betty Peck and Anna Rainville. This year it was led by […]
Visiting relatives in Lodz
I hated that drive. It took me 12 or 13 hours and by the time I landed in Lodz I felt beaten up and thrown out to dry. Speaking of […]
Northern Lithuania and Latvia
I drove to the end of the spit where the dolphin sea world type show is held. I don’t like seeing animals in captivity perform, so opted not to see […]
Klaipeda Sea Festival
Armed with a map of the Baltic countries and a GPS that belonged in a computer history museum, I found my way to Klaipeda and a good (free) place to […]
Vilnius
I spent the day wandering around downtown Tbilsi, going to the big market near the stadium and buying a small fan to cool me off on hot nights. I went […]
Armenia or Bust
The next morning, I packed and took the metro south of Tblisi on the road to Armenia. I was lucky to get some rides to the border where I met […]
Lisa Karpinski 