I adored my photography class junior and senior years of high school. What made the experience so incredible? Perhaps it was my quintessentially cool teacher, Mr. Colombe (insert high school girl crush here). Perhaps it was the hours of darkroom freedom I was granted to experiment with this art form. Regardless of the reasons, it …
I recently shared on social media an article I wrote for International Living Magazine. As far as I could see, it was certainly innocuous in its presentation – detailing one of the smaller beach communities along the NW Pacific coast of Costa Rica. In it, I described the close-knit expat community in a very positive …
Seeing everyone’s father’s day posts still stabs me in the heart. My Father, Ace – as he was nicknamed, died 12 years ago, a couple of weeks before that special holiday celebrating dads. I was angry that cancer and Parkinson’s took him away too soon – leaving me anguished and wiser. It is no pleasure …
I recently answered one of those “get to know you” Facebook questions about the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten. I have never seen so many “puking” emoji and gif responses in one place (except for a few political posts – but I am not going there). It created such a stir I decided to …
I have been uploading photos to my social media pages daily while on an epic journey through South America. You know; the drill we all perform on vacation if we are active social media consumers – posting humorous or artistic photos, signs lost in translation, landscapes, architecture, and food – basically giving our followers a …
I have been fortunate to travel and sample wine in many world-famous regions of the five biggest wine-producing continents. This article is not about bragging – this is about me believing I was some sort of wine connoisseur. Assuming that liking the taste of wine and drinking it often means one knows how to actually …
LASIK corrective eye surgery is a common elective surgery to correct myopia (nearsightedness). Millions of people go under the proverbial knife (or laser, in this case) annually. The procedure amazingly takes only a few minutes for both eyes. In simple terms, successful surgery looks like this: The laser (or blade) cuts a small flap on …
Laser Vision Correction: What I Wished My Doctor Told MeRead More »
I recently returned from a 5-day self-guided trip to Cuba covering Havana – the capital, and Viñales – in the countryside. We stayed at a “casa particular” which we found through Airbnb. Casa particulars are apartments or rooms with bath owned by local Cubans and rented out to visitors. Our accommodations consisted of a clean, completely …
Cuba: Dispelling Misconceptions for USA TravelersRead More »
I have done a few stupid things traveling around the world. Not that I am a naïve traveler or that trouble necessarily finds me. Some events are unavoidable. And others? Well, they were simply stupid, or not researched thoroughly. There is that old saying that God takes care of fools, drunks, and children (or something …
My Safety Precautions for a Woman Traveling Alone InternationallyRead More »
Recently I attended a celebration in Chicago for my mother’s milestone birthday. 90 years old! I must add, it was not celebrated in a hospital or a long-term care facility. Nor did she enter the party sporting a wheelchair, a walker, or an oxygen tank. In fact, it appeared as if we were celebrating 70 …