Posts from the “travel” Category

The Homestead

Posted on October 20, 2015

Five weeks of third grade, first grade, pre-k; five weeks of CCD, soccer, hip hop, gymnastics, homework, projects; five weeks of stirring the kids awake every school morning with a rapid succession of brushing, dressing, eating, packing and dashing; five weeks of new job responsibilities bringing new stresses; five weeks of precariously teeter-tottering between balance and insanity I was left with only these words, “Calgon, take us away!”

The Homestead, in Hot Springs, Virginia, is a resort that dates back to 1766. Two hundred miles away, the last sixty miles meandering through bucolic towns, we were instantly transported away from routine and time. It is one thing to experience history displayed on walls, in the wear of the brick, in the stories told and it is another to sit on the carriage, sip from the tea cup and recline in the chair by the fireplace. I realize that this hotel has been re-built and re-decorated many times over but as I played checkers I couldn’t help but feel the past, very present.

Amusement

Posted on September 11, 2015

It spins, it tosses, it lurches, it bumps
My stomach tumbles
Laughter escapes

Down below, the cotton candy vendor shrinks
Ringing bells quiet
I smell the sea

I stretch, I shrink, I slim, I fatten
I get lost in a maze
Crashing into walls

Balls fly into cans, horses stagger forward
The claw is clawing
Tickets stream

Pigs, horses, crayons, fish
All won with pride
Loved treasures

Persisting like the sand in our shoes
Carefree sunny days
Will warm us in winter

This City

Posted on September 8, 2015

This is a city I never stop falling in love with, the longer I am away the fonder my heart grows. As I make home with my current city, which is actually my old city whose streets I’ve driven for the past two decades in my dad’s Mustang, my friend’s Chevette, my Odyssey, I visit my old city which is actually my new city and it somehow feels like coming home.

This is the city where you walk the crowded sidewalk with a slice of pizza, cup of Joe’s coffee or Mister Softee cone in your hand while hearing the beating drums, jazz quartet or pianist, heading to the bookstore, theater or bar then stumble upon an artist selling jewelry, paintings or music. This is a city of predictability, a city of spontaneity, a city of connection; anyone from anywhere can belong.

The Bahamas

Posted on August 17, 2015

In my closet I have many shoes. I have the pair that instantly boost me a foot taller allowing me to tower over everyone, seeing heads of balding men and down women’s blouses. I have my flip flops which are essential for sunny days and sandy days, for dashing out of the house in chase of an errant child. I have my dusty Doc Martens from high school that go perfectly with my Morrissey t-shirt. I have my low boots my high boots my brown boots my black boots when I need to be stylish and practical and sophisticated and comfortable. I have my sneakers, which no one believes I own, because they are seen on the rare occasion when either outdoor exercise will occur or Toms just won’t do. And I have THE pair that goes with everything and takes me everywhere, that allow me to strut and dance, the strappy pair that stay put when swinging from chandeliers. How perfect that Jen has the same pair.

Celebrating in Cancun

Posted on August 2, 2015

We celebrated my parents 50th wedding anniversary and my father’s 80th birthday with a family trip to Cancun, Mexico. The Beloved Hotel was all-inclusive, luxurious, serene and a perfect host to our family of twenty one.

Isla Mujeres

Posted on July 25, 2015

Isla Mujeres, Spanish for “Island of the Women”, is an island in the Caribbean Sea about eight miles off the Yucatán Peninsula coast. To the west the skyline of Cancún can be seen across the clear waters. The island is roughly four miles long and one half a mile wide and has approximately 12,000 inhabitants.

An Ordinary Life

Posted on July 6, 2015

I’ve lived an ordinary life. The only one of four children to be born in the United States, my parents immigrated and struggled and succeeded in creating a new and safe home for us. They worked long hours, learned enough English to get by and found comfort and community in religion. They raised their four daughters as best they could, prioritizing piano and church over cheer leading and parties. We had enough to have a warm house, new clothes from Sears, dinners at Pizza Hut and an Atari but not enough for hotels, a vacation to Europe, dinners at Red Lobster and SAT prep classes.

I’ve lived an ordinary life. I got a job as soon as I was old enough, went to state college and dove right into a full-time job after graduation. I married, had children and bought a house in the suburbs. My sisters stories all unfolded similarly. None of us are rocket scientists or neurosurgeons but we are all happily married, employed and live within 45 minutes of each other.

I’ve lived an ordinary life. I haven’t won the lottery or an Oscar but I also don’t know what a prison or a rehab center look like. I’ve gone hungry because of my slim fast diet in college and the sporadic years throughout my youth and adulthood of discovering the secret to a flat stomach, not eating. The only scars I carry are on my left shin and left elbow from a bicycle accident when I was eight.

Celebrations in New York

Posted on May 14, 2015

In an ideal world all of our favorite people would live close enough to have monthly Sunday dinners, meet for coffee on a Tuesday, drinks on a Thursday, celebrate every birthday and see every playoff game and recital. In my children’s ideal world every cousin and friend would live next door. It isn’t an ideal world but every once in awhile we get to not just be neighbors but live under one roof. Our weekend in New York allowed us to have Friday, Saturday and Sunday dinner and be there for two very special celebrations.

Jonathan’s First Communion

“Keep Austin Cool”

Posted on April 30, 2015

Austin is the state capital, home to the University of Texas and lays claim to being the “live music capital of the world.” Some Austinites have adopted the unofficial slogan “Keep Austin Weird” referring to a desire to protect small, unique, local businesses from being overrun by large corporations. Originally known as Waterloo, Austin is situated on the Colorado River. Congress Avenue Bridge, the first bridge across the Colorado River, is home to the world’s largest urban bat colony.

California Dreamin’

Posted on April 14, 2015

Stripped of the distraction of routine, blissfully ignorant of the people, politics and pace, three hours behind home we can live in the past and in the moment all at once.