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…
Tag: Photography
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.
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…
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,…
There’s a Starman Waiting in the Sky…
I looked out at the students sitting in front of me, ready to continue the discussion and anxiously awaiting their responses to the question I had just posed. Instead, I was the recipient of blank stares. I could practically hear the crickets in the background. This scenario probably doesn’t sound all that unusual to other college…
Praising My “Useless” Degree in a Time of Political Insanity
“What the hell are you studying?” The manager at the deli where I had a part-time job was looking over my shoulder, squinting his eyes. I was reading during my lunch break, and I suspect his confusion came from seeing the title of the book in my hands. It was called “Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion”. Or maybe it was…
The Very Hungry Entourage 