Travel off-season, a fall trip to Greece, part I

November 25, 2010

I flew to Athens earlier this month, to meet a college friend who was on a business trip. She was speaking at a medical conference, and I came only for the sightseeing and the food. Her trip was a couple of days, constrained by work obligations on either side. I took the whole week, figuring [...]

Surfing the web, not surfing the waves, in Hawaii

April 16, 2010

We had a lovely, wonderful, amazing, restful trip to Hawaii in March. The one thing I noticed, though, was that wireless internet was ubiquitous. Even at our sweet secluded little B&B near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hale Ohia). I suppose the problem isn’t that there was wireless internet, the problem was that I was using [...]

Place of Refuge – Pu’uhonua o Honaunau

April 12, 2010

On the Big Island in Hawaii is a national park called Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, or the Place of Refuge. The place is special, white sand, black lava stone walls, ki’i figures bearing their teeth at the wind and the water, tall palms swishing their fronds in the wind. There are usually a few sea turtles [...]

A happy coincidence – finding Hong Kong House in Knoxville (gratitude #49)

December 21, 2008

My sister used to live in Marietta, GA. I was reading a great food blog about Atlanta, the Blissful Glutton, which reviewed Tasty China, a restaurant in Marietta that served Sichuan style food. They specialized in cooking with Sichuan pepper, which provides a numbing experience/taste. The food at Tasty China was delectable. We enjoyed several [...]

Job changes, once removed (gratitude #43)

November 19, 2008

My husband changed jobs. He wasn’t unhappy at the old one, just the opposite, but he got an opportunity for growth from a former employer and, after a fair bit of reflection, decided to take it. I’m happy for him and proud of him and all that. Really. I have also been anxious about it, [...]

Grateful for dial-up – the pleasure of not being connected (gratitude #41)

October 29, 2008

So, this past weekend we went up north with some friends. It was a brief trip, much too short for the length of the drive, but it was nice to get away, get up north and relax. Breathe in. Breathe out. Appreciate the scenery. Repeat. In the summertime, we share DSL and a wireless router [...]

Things to bring on a trip to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

July 23, 2008

General items: raingear and sturdy shoes binoculars bird identification guide flowering plant field guide trees field guide something to do if it rains (or go to Baadeck Yarns for knitting supplies) For a trip where you’ll have the wherewithal to cook your own dinner: crab/lobster “crackers” to crack the shell (depending on the season: lobster [...]

Happy Anniversary, Janet & Nate! (gratitude #32)

July 22, 2008

My in-laws are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. True to form, they wanted to celebrate together with us: their daughter and their son and daughter-in-law. After a little bit of discussion, they decided on the location for the celebration – Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. It’s a fitting destination, the family camped here together often. Prior [...]

Grateful for a class action lawsuit? Rediscovering personal history (gratitude, week 6)

February 10, 2008

So, I got some paperwork in the mail on a class action settlement for foreign-exchange surcharges and conversion fees for credit and debit transactions. This settlement covers the period from February 1996 to November 2006. There were 3 ways to submit a claim: Easy refund $25. Total estimation refund. 1% of typical foreign transactions. Input [...]

Grateful for time alone – gratitude week 3, 2008

January 19, 2008

This past week my husband was overseas on business. He’s back now, I’m grateful for his safe return and the chocolate he brought, of course, but I’m also grateful for the time apart. A Sailor’s Suitcase, originally uploaded by Bob AuBuchon. I am grateful for the little pleasures of having the house to myself: sleeping [...]