Road Trip Report 13 (the last one): Homestead National Monument
Then, as now, windmills dot the flat landscape. They provide the crucial source of power to pump up water. After catching our breath at the alpine views of the Rocky Mountains, and before that, the stunning canyonlands, it was, in an way, soothing to hit the undulating grasslands of eastern Colorado, and then the flat greenery of Nebraska: space to [...]
Reading: An Exclusive Love by Johanna Adorján
On the surface, Johanna Adorján’s An Exclusive Love is about her grandparents’ suicide. But it is really a love story, in more way than one, with all the requisite tragedy. And to any student and lover of memoir, it is an interesting study. Adorján’s handling of time is deft. She imagines her grandparents’ last day and uses it as [...]
Road Trip Report 12: Mesa Arch Photo Essay
Mesa Arch @ Canyonlands National Park My son has this view as a wallpaper on his computer. I have to admit I always thought it was fake until I spotted it in a brochure of Canyonlands National Park. So then of course we had to see it for real even though that meant getting up at five to squeeze [...]
Road Trip Report 11: Arches National Park Photo Essay
To quote my daughter: "This is cooler than Monument Valley." Some whining from my sons was involved because we were "hiking again" until they realized the arches offered climbing opportunities. All of a sudden, they were totally engaged with the place. Here Turret Arch on the Windows Trail. A lone succulent survives in the gravely ground by the Windows. [...]
Writing Postcards
This summer has revived the art of writing letters and postcards for me. While my daughter was at camp, the only way to communicate with her was to write her old-fashioned letters. So I did. And she wrote back. Our road trip had me pick up my old love for writing postcards, sending greetings to friends and family as I [...]
Road Trip Report 10: Salt Lake City
The Great Salt Lake as seen from Saltair at dusk My number one goal for our visit to Salt Lake City was to float in the Great Salt Lake. A few years ago on a trip to Israel, we'd all floated in the Dead Sea. So I wanted the kids to experience that there was a body of [...]