This ancient ceremony Originated in 1469 At the Gyeongbokgung Palace. High on the balcony The sounding of the conch shell Announces The Changing of the Guards: Brilliant costumes Flags and shields in hand Obscured by helmets These expressionless faces Appear oblivious to spectators Waiting in the glaring sun. One by one […]
After visiting the Columbia River Gorge with a out-of-town friend recently, I had promised myself, to not wait as long before going back again. Well, I am happy to report that I kept my promise to myself. Added bonus, my husband came along. It turned out […]
The neighborhood looked unfamiliar. The pedestrians we had come across did not speak English. We ducked into a small cafe. The interior resembled the “Starbucks” look, but it definitely was not Starbucks! Once our coffees were ready, the young waitress came over and chatted us […]
Music: alternative bossa nova classical dance electronic funk guitar hip hop instrumental jazz karaoke latin metal new age opera punk rock qawwali reggae soundtrack tango urban folk vallenato world xoomii yodeling zydeco So many choices! How could I choose only three songs? However, I do […]
On our Bali trip last spring, we realized upon arriving, that the room we had booked ahead in Ubud, was not quite what we had envisioned. The location was perfect, the price was right ( $10.00 per night including breakfast for 2! ), and the host […]
A visit from a friend last week reminded me of how easy it is to neglect exploring one’s “own backyard”. It had been a while since I had ventured out to the Gorge. Along the historic Columbia River Highway are vast forests of moss and lichen covered trees, […]
Mangos are my absolutely favorite fruit! I could eat them every day. The tastiest ones I’ve had are the Kent and the Champagne varieties. When perfectly ripe, both are sweet and without stringy fibers. They feel silk-soft and velvety on my tongue. Last weekend, I […]
Just like a seemingly perfect life, Windows with a breathtaking view, Can sometimes have rough edges, too. Looking out from the inside I wonder about the outside. Looking in from the outside I wonder about the inside. The people, the town, the country, the world.
The highlight of our Iberian Adventure turned out to be a side trip to Montblanc. This medieval walled town just north of Tarragona, happened to be celebrating their “Fiesta de Corpus Christi” that weekend. The entire population seemed to have assembled in the town square. Spectators lined up […]
One of my favorite places to visit is Iceland. This small island nation has some of the friendliest people, the best mocha and waffles ever (Cafe Mocha in downtown Reykjavik), the Blue Lagoon (talk about a relaxing experience!), some great record and book stores, good […]
Not far from where I live, is a nature park. Beautiful hiking trails wind through white oak meadows, mixed deciduous forests and dark evergreen woods. The park is generally empty, except on weekends. We’ve seen deer, birds of prey, owls, pileated woodpeckers, songbirds and lots […]
I was quite surprised yesterday to have been nominated by https://vagabonvelda.wordpress.com/blog/ for the Liebster Award. I accepted her nomination, and while I was trying to figure out how to complete the requirements for this, I received two more nominations for this award. These nominations came by way of https://thesething.wordpress.com/home-3/ […]
brilliantly glowing night sky waves rolling gently ashore fiery sun slowly sinking
Never been a gambler. However, when it comes to playing boardgames, I’m on board. No pun intended! A few years ago I took a Photoshop class at a local college. Once I got the hang of all the nifty things one can do with this […]
They are heard before they are seen. Flying by at neck-breaking speed; with the steady hum of their rapidly beating wings; they always seem to be in a hurry; sampling a sip of nectar here, and another sip there. Suddenly a competitor arrives and the battle […]
Sunday started just like any other day. Until the rain started to come down and the wind gusts roughed up the neighborhood. The power flickered a few times, then suddenly the lights went dim, illuminating the house at seemingly half the power. It reminded me of a […]
Stepping into a tiny village in Spain was a bit like time travel. The buildings were old, some of them very old. Many were in disrepair and slowly decaying. Walking through the winding, narrow streets revealed glimpses of a fascinating past. In numerous locations in Catalonia, much of […]
We’ve had a most unusual winter here in Oregon. Lots of sun, warm temperatures and very little rain and mountain snow. Until yesterday! A “pineapple express” came through over the weekend. Gusty winds carried all kinds of debris into our yard and knocked out the power […]
in cahoots with muddy boots 