Winter solstice. It’s the shortest day of the year here in the northern hemisphere. And it marks the beginning of winter which is so often dreaded here in the north. But, on the bright side, the days now grow longer. Yay! I hate short days. Winter solstice always reminds me of a very special…
“Gotta stop to breathe,” I yelled to my friend, Julie. Holy shit! I forgot how the altitude affects your breathing. I forgot how difficult even an ‘easy’ 14er can be. A 14er is a 14,000 foot mountain. There are officially 53 of them in Colorado, a state I lived in for 15 years. I…
Have you ever had a feeling in the pit of your stomach as you looked at photos from a place you have visited? A feeling of longing to be there right there at that moment – like you just wanted to dive into the picture? That’s how I feel every single time I gaze at…
The first time I saw Ireland I was amazed at the different shades of green. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the landscape. I was in awe of the roiling sea crashing against craggy, rocky cliffs. I was enchanted by the warm, friendly people. I fell in love. That love grew over…
As I have now settled back into Midwest life after 7 weeks of travel, I stop and daydream of the places I recently had the good fortune to visit. People will ask me, “what was your favorite place in Italy?” I don’t know that I can really answer this. Of all the places I’ve been,…
Up north in Italy, near the Austrian border is a valley called Valle Aurina. It’s really gorgeous. For me, it reminds me of Colorado. I took a fabulous hike on Saturday, walking first from Campo Tures, where I was staying, to the Speikboden, which is the gondola that takes you up the mountain. Once there,…
