The Very Hungry Entourage

Anniversary

I see you for the first time through a window. I peer in from the street. You talk to strangers while you wait for me. You see me and smile. Next, a loose hug. We order food. You ask me about pomegranates. You talk about Australia. You pronounce it funny. We move outdoors. It’s February….

Clear skies

I moved aside. The trail that led to the mountain viewpoint had thinned as it entered a wooded section of the national park. I pressed myself against a tree as a nimble, handsome (and most notably), extremely young backpacker cruised by me. “Thanks, have a nice hike!” he said with an Australian accent, his smile…

The Sticks, Part 2

As I mentioned previously, folks in my life often wonder why I love it here in the middle of nowhere, New Hampshire. Recently I did a bit of reflecting about that, so I thought I would share the reasons why rural life is so appealing to me in a series of posts. My #1 (read…

The Sticks, Part 1.

I live in the real middle-of-nowhere part of New Hampshire. We can occasionally hear gunshots from our back porch, for instance. To note: guns produce a sound that our two dogs detest almost as much as the humans, as the entire house breaks out in a roaringly loud cacophony of shrieks and barks any time…

Baja

A quarter-century… I sit here trying to wrap my head around that phrase because nearly 25 years ago, I spent a few months exploring Baja California Sur. This year, for our wedding anniversary, I returned with Gavin. We chose the sleepy town of Pescadero, on the Pacific coast, to hunker down for a few days…

Summer

On more than one occasion I have found myself apologizing for apologizing so much. The word “sorry” finds its way out of my mouth a multitude of times daily. I hypothesize that it is a bizarre habit that I must have developed in utero, as I am fairly certain that I felt tremendous guilt turning…

Madeira Moments

A Portuguese island. Family from both sides of the Atlantic together in one place. A lot of walking. Stops for snacks along the way. Oh, and of course… wine. The perfect trip.

Octopus Parenting

I was raised by a woman who once told me that she purchased our family home for one important reason: The real estate agent told her there were plenty of babysitters around. My mother practiced a form of what some might consider “hands off” parenting. Most of the time, I was a free-range kid. I…

San Juan City Views

Eighteen inches of snow are meant to fall here in New England – all by tomorrow afternoon. Yes, 18 inches. I must add that we just received the gift of 10 inches of powder a few days ago. Apparently New England likes to dump an entire winter on its inhabitants in one sitting. Don’t get me…

Templeton: A Love Story

We were meant to be together. When I read about him in the classified ads of an Irish newspaper, I instinctively felt a connection. I picked up the phone and made arrangements for us to meet in Dublin. The next day my friend dropped me off one street over from where we were going to…

Bearing Witness

It had been a struggle to find focus. My mind felt continuously foggy and preoccupied. To get into a different mindset, I made an effort at light house cleaning. It didn’t last. The dust bunnies in the corners of the room continued to expand dramatically and seemed more aptly described as dust elephants. The “clean” laundry…

New England Mountains

Much of my time as a child was spent daydreaming, and thoughts of my future life were almost always filled with the ocean. Never did I think I would find myself most at home in the forest, tucked between peaks. Here are some of my favorite images in and around the mountains. “Keep close to…

First Impressions

A Subaru passenger seat provided me with more information about Gavin, the man destined to become my husband, than I could have imagined. Future-husband (who happened to be the car’s owner) and I were just finishing a wonderfully prolonged day of bar and coffee shop hopping. It had been a dream date, actually. Neither one…

St Lucia

Moments off the beaten path

Stellar Awkwardness

The cabin was packed with bunk beds. Each dusty striped mattress was within reach of a wooden shelf on the wall for any personal items we might need for the week. I watched anxiously as Sandra Genatossio plunked down her bottle of “Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific” shampoo on a shelf right next to the one I…

California

Reinvention is a blast. And free time is a beautiful thing. I finally have a few moments to work on the blog and I’ve decided to end 2016 on a different note. There is a new look and a new format, as the blog is now specifically essay-based; both personal and photographic (and more written…

The Ugly

In the early hours of November 9th I was curled up on a hotel room bed. I was sobbing and my heart was aching. It was an ugly scene. In fact, everything around me felt ugly, most notably the election map on the screen in front of me. My personality is programmed to embrace joy, humor,…

I Need Some Comedy, Folks

About eight years ago I sat on my couch, anxious, heart pounding, watching as Katie Couric interviewed the woman who had already become the principal player in my nightmares; then-governor and vice presidential hopeful, Sarah Palin. I was rattled by her answers to nearly every question, but I remember my head actually falling into my hands when…

A Mother of Dragons

I realize we are a bit past Mother’s Day. However, I think I need to extend the holiday, because I want to celebrate my mother for more than one day… Because I am the daughter of Babs. And Babs is the stuff of legends. Ok, she does not harbor a secret stash of dragon’s eggs. But she…

Springing Up

I enjoy bellying up to a cozy bar, husband within arm’s reach and a good cocktail even closer by. This is not always easy to do in the mountains of New Hampshire, so on a recent trip to Boston we did an awful lot of bar hopping. We drank spicy and aromatic concoctions and managed to…