books

The Quiet Traveler

December 5, 2012

I am an introvert. Recently completing the Myers-Briggs personality test confirmed my thoughts, and reading Susan Cain’s book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking deepened my understanding. The terms “introvert” and “extrovert” were first made popular by psychologist Carl Jung in the 1920s and then later by the Myers-Briggs [...]

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Travel Journaling ~ Commiting

May 11, 2012

On a recent trip to VA, DC and MD I decided to do a quilt or comic strip like approach to recording our journey. A shorter, busier trip, this was my way of capturing the memories. In Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler by Lavinia Spaulding she writes, “Everyone is capable [...]

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India, on my mind…

March 30, 2012

Different articles and books concerning India are crossing my path recently and bringing back many memories. January of 1997 I visited India with a group of 12 women. Our host was one of my social work professors – he taught us “group therapy” at the University of Maryland at Baltimore, but confessed to being terrified [...]

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San Miguel de Allende: Restaurants, bakeries, groceries

February 24, 2012

Whether you are eating at home or dining out at a local restaurant, San Miguel de Allende food is tasty and affordable… Restaurants La Sirena Gorda (The Fat Mermaid) ~ Calle Bar­ranca at the cor­ner with Calle Huer­tas. Happening little neighborhood cantina, dating back to the 1920s. Nothing pretentious. No white tablecloths. Just good, fast service [...]

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San Miguel de Allende: Le Segundo Semana

January 16, 2012

The day is just dawning this Sunday morning when we hear the sound of drummers very close by… Jay quickly dresses, grabs his camera and heads out the door. Men and boys dressed as Indian dancers and drummers are parading down a nearby street, creating a rich drum beat in rolling 4/4 time, as they [...]

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Art Exhibits 2012

January 13, 2012

This print, Les Courses (‘The Races’), shows Manet’s drawing at its most vigorous. The viewpoint is dramatic. We find ourselves in the middle of the racetrack with the horses galloping straight towards us. The railing slopes away at an unnerving angle as the lower right-hand corner dissolves into furious scribbling. “Manet in Black” is on [...]

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Best Travel Book Gifts 2011

December 5, 2011

It’s that time of year again… Do you have a dedicated traveler on your gift list? Or someone who stays close to home, but enjoys reading about faraway places and other cultures? Many of us enjoy spending a cold, winter’s day inside, cuddled up and cozy, gazing at pictures of places we love or hope [...]

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Best Travel Books for Kids

December 2, 2011

Giving a book as a gift can educate and inspire kids. Giving a travel book can broaden their awareness about the world and other cultures, nurture their imagination, and inspire a sense of wonder. Lonely Planet has a new book out that may do all this: Not-for-Parents Travel Book: Cool Stuff to Know About Every [...]

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Seattle’s TEDxRainier 2011 Conference

November 14, 2011

Heading off the island Friday evening we are full of anticipation about tomorrow’s TEDx Rainier event. This year’s theme is Gained in Translation: Ideas Crossing Frontiers, featuring over twenty five speakers whose ideas and extraordinary work span across domains and fuel innovations and insights. Followers of TED for years online, this is our first live [...]

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Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage

November 8, 2011

Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage charts a new course for one of America’s best-known living photographers. Different from her staged and carefully lit portraits made on assignment for magazines like Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, Pilgrimage took Leibovitz to places that she could explore without an agenda. She wasn’t on assignment this time and she chose the [...]

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Wheat Belly

October 17, 2011

Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health by William Davis, MD Two friends brought this book to my attention this week and I think it is worth checking out… so good to have doctors getting on board with nutrition and how we can effect our health by [...]

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The New Landscape in Iowa

October 6, 2011

Entering Iowa from the northwest corner, hundreds of wind turbines rise majestically from the endless corn and soybean fields that are a staple of the Iowa landscape. Pulling into an access road, we drive up to a newly installed wind turbine that looks like it is ready to be commissioned. It is a GE wind [...]

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Crazy Horse Memorial in Custer, South Dakota

September 6, 2011

Arriving late in Custer, SD we happen upon the Rocket Motel. Located in downtown Custer within walking distance of restaurants & shops, and with the coolest lobby we have seen so far, we take a room. The decor is black and white with a pristine white cotton bedspread and very fun black & white check [...]

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Historic Wallace, Idaho

August 17, 2011

After a surprisingly good nights sleep in our CRV camper we resume the drive east. Driving along Interstate 90, about 45 minutes past Coeur D’Alene, we decide to check out historic Wallace, Idaho. What a delightful surprise. The entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and whole blocks in the business [...]

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US Cross Country Road Trip

August 12, 2011

A funny thing happened on the way to the wedding… we decided to convert our Honda CRV into a camper van and drive from Washington State to Maryland. We are fortunate to have some liberty with how much time we take. Initially, we were thinking a month, but as we begin to plan, five weeks [...]

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New York City

July 20, 2011

Ice pops made from anything brewed: tea, root beer, espresso; markets galore – artisan, farmers, flea, antique; and exploring Brooklyn… here are some fun tips on the big Apple. New York’s New Frozen Treats “I HAD never been so grateful to see a banana. Peeled and skewered, just plucked from the freezer, it was nearly smoking [...]

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Japan – Lessons in Simple Living

June 20, 2011

Travels to Tokyo and Kyoto have given me and Jay a flavor for urban living in Japan, and in the Kyoto area the surrounding mountains and countryside suggested a rural way of life. And as we know from living on an island where some of us call the mainland “America” – remote, rural areas attract [...]

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Art Exhibits throughout the US in 2011

April 18, 2011

“The secret to so many artists living so long is that every painting is a new adventure. So, you see, they’re always looking ahead to something new and exciting. The secret is not to look back.” This sentiment by Norman Rockwell relates to travel as well… and we often incorporate a visit to a museum [...]

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Book gifts for travelers & food lovers

December 6, 2010

Today I read about two interesting books – one for the travel lover and the other for the food lover on your gift list (or to add to your own wish list, as I have). Seattle folks know Nancy Pearl as their librarian until 2004… now many of us know her as a book reviewer [...]

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Springtime in Kyoto, Japan

November 17, 2010

April 2007 found us in Tokyo and Kyoto for 10 days… I tagged along on a business trip of Jay’s. Here are some notes and impressions I jotted down at the time… this blog covers Kyoto. Springtime in Kyoto… showers of cherry blossoms. There is a happiness, a festive feeling associated with the blossoms as [...]

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