Hubby Bill and I have had the time of our lives over the last 39 years of marriage. We’ve managed through the good times and not so good times, a testament to our commitment to each other. When we said our I do’s on June 13, 1987, on a sunny and brilliant day in Cleveland, Ohio, we never knew where life would take us. No one does. But, we had fortitude, zeal, and a will to keep our love alive as best we could no matter what. Those vows were not lost on us. Over the last few w

We are finally here at the retreat for writers in the beautiful Cevennes, about an hour north of Nîmes. All writers from the US, France, and The Netherlands arrived yesterday late afternoon, just in time for aperitifs on one of the many cobblestone decks of this private home built in the 16th century. The Cevennes is a peaceful haven of small villages and hamlets nestled amoung wild forests, rivers, farmer’s markets and wineries. It’s really a hidden secret here in the South

May 31, 2026 Adventure awaits around every corner here in Nîmes. Plus, the surrounding areas are under lots of Roman influence, infrastructure, and ingenuity that is rarely seen anywhere else, except Italy, and, I’m thinking, Greece (haven’t been to Greece…yet). I can’t get enough of how different many things are in these small towns sandwiched between rolling olive groves and large and small vineyards cascading down various sized fields and hills. Exploring worlds that are

It’s T-1 day until Bill and I head to the Cevennes for a Retreat for Writers. The folks we have been hanging out with in Nîmes the past week (and the past few days with Bill in town) are going too. We will all meet up with about a dozen more folks, most coming in from the USA and Spain tomorrow afternoon. The days are flying by, and I am happy to report that I am taking advantage of the light, the glorious light, from a little after 6 am to 9:15 pm. No wonder why all those im

France is always a great country to visit, no matter the time of year. Paris is consistently ranked among the top 10 most visited cities internationally, with about 18.3 million visitors annually. However, we are not going to Paris this time; the action, at least for me, is in the South of France, and more specifically on a writer’s retreat with other Akimbo alumni in a small hamlet of maybe 240 people in St. Felix de Pelliers. It’s in the Cévennes region and OUTSTANDING in e

Traveling light is definitely a skill. Depending on where we are traveling in the world, if something was not packed, there is a good chance it can be purchased at our final destination. Say, though, you are all cozied up in Botswana’s Chobe National Park with tons of elephants, giraffes, leopards, and many other fine animals, and run out of toothpaste, well, you have to make do without it for a small time being. I never ran out of toothpaste, but I can state with experience

Some journeys take us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our destiny. —C.S. Lewis The tip of the iceberg for travel in 2026 for our household began with a recent trip to Colorado (we flew). Over the years, I’ve come to realize that travel of any kind is my therapy. It’s not lost on me that it’s a privilege to travel. If it helps my psyche to indulge in the culture and rhythm of new cities (hey, even old ones), then it was all worth it. I relax. I push myself to figure

Yesterday was a good friend’s birthday. I reached out to her early in the morning to celebrate her milestone bday - 65 and Medicare eligible! Later in the morning, I headed to a funeral for another good friend’s husband's celebration of life, with the mass and reception following (he passed away last month). These two celebrations reminded me how fragile and fleeting life truly is. How many more birthdays will we have? How many summers do we have left? For me, it’s a wake-up

For the last several years, I’ve used the 1996 Broadway Musical Rent song, written by Jonathan Larson: Seasons of Love, as my signature sign-off for the year. The song’s lyrics ask what the proper way is to quantify the value of a year of human life in 525,600 minutes. Here is the equation: 365 days × 24 hours per day × 60 minutes per hour = 525,600 minutes in a year. Plus, over the last two weeks, I’ve been pondering how to end my blog on the last day of the year, capturing

Ohio in October: Six Days, Countless Blessings My mind is overflowing with gratitude for six days on the road last week, where I’ve had the chance to visit many wonderful people — a college roommate on Kelleys Island, Cross-Country teammates in Bowling Green (including two Olympic Gold Medalists!) for a Hall of Fame Event, and family and friends in Cleveland with catch ups and dinners out. It was a great solo trip to the Midwest, and my heart feels both full and rested. Somet

Do you love dogs? Do you love stories about unbelievably intelligent dogs who are also pets? I’ve got one for you with Nancy and Rey of...

If I were working on Joy Ride Journeys (my second book coming soon), a connector could be a part of the engine, or the muffler, or the...

Ciao! Wow, this is the longest I have not blogged—six days— in over twelve years! It's been a minute to get myself together after the...

Do you pack too much stuff? There is something about savoring and enjoying the past couple of weeks traveling through Italy and now...

Almost Ready and Packed. We leave the house at Noon. I’ve stopped the mail. Hubby Bill mowed the front and backyard, our dishes from...