Month: October 2016

Canada represents an end to the madness — at least temporarily. It means no more clear oceans, palm trees, or rice paddies. I’ve traded those for rusted autumn leaves, brisk sweater weather, and a spooky Halloween. After endless swelter, that seems like a good deal. I still haven’t unpacked the lessons from this past year. And I don’t know where the…

A cold breeze rustled the ochre leaves piled along the sidewalk beside me. The wind felt good against my hot cheek, as I squinted toward the afternoon sun and continued on my tenth mile. The original intent had been a short stroll around Seattle — with barely a few hours sleep, I figured I’d tire…

Home cooked eats and loving company. How can I compare that to another place? With more family in this one nation than in the rest of the world, and the ability to fluently communicate with any strangers, I have an insider track that you’re unlikely to replicate as a tourist. But my Romania visits are never…

It’s hard to call our time in the British Isles anything but a trip home. I’ll forever love Southeast Asia, and the lessons learned from this year will take a while to unpack, but small details — like drinkable water, or metered taxis — were sorely missed. And after wearing a layer of sweat for…