Back in the paleotechnic dawn of the 21st century, my mother’s request was understandable. “Just call me once a week to let me know you’re alive,” she said, as I wandered off across… Continue reading
Within hours of arriving in Cuba I was filled with regret. Or was it disappointment? It was the same feeling I get when fighting the zipper of an overpacked suitcase. The feeling that… Continue reading
Old cultures, especially agrarian ones, love their seasonal festivals, and the best time is after the hard work of planting, tending, and harvesting is done. Late summer, as the hot afternoons stretch and… Continue reading
The problem with being human is that we only live our own lives. On Day Two of my Benelux Tour, we get a chance to improve on that. Ensconced in our personal present… Continue reading
There’s a time honored formula for the first day of a tour. Welcome meeting to go over everything, then a moderate orientation walk with light-to-medium content on the way to dinner together. It… Continue reading
After three weeks of gray Dutch skies with a single day of blue to remind us it was possible, my definition of “good weather” has been adjusted. Lately, gray skies above are mirrored… Continue reading
A flock of Dutchfolk crowded the floating dock in central Rotterdam when I arrived a couple weeks ago. The last of summer’s warmth was flexing for the city, scaring away work hours and… Continue reading
I’ll spare you the details, which are simple yet labyrinthine, deeply boring, and inevitably leave you with an irritated disgust. By design. That is a mechanism of the Gish Galloper. It’s how you’d… Continue reading
The orientation meeting went extremely well, dinner was positively delicious, and my introductory walk around Bucharest was going splendidly. The after-heat evening air was hot with both the indolence of summer and the… Continue reading
Guitar cradled in front of his chest, the young man was living the dream. His heartthrob crooning filled the summer street where the evening passeggiata stroll around Bucharest was well underway. Behind him… Continue reading
