Ten years ago, I took a solo road trip to a conference in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Along the way, I treated myself to several side trips, including one to a town I had always wanted to see: Burr Oak, Iowa. This was briefly the home of one of my favorite authors, Laura Ingalls Wilder. ThoughContinue reading “Pilgrimage to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Burr Oak Home”
Category Archives: Travel
Parallel Travelogue
Some quantum physicists theorize that every decision we make splits off a parallel universe in which we chose a different course. If that is true, then somewhere in a parallel universe, I will arrive today in Great Britain. Last May, when covid-19 vaccinations were spreading far and wide, and the virus’s Delta variant was barelyContinue reading “Parallel Travelogue”
Patron Saint of Petrinis
Today is the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. While technically I am Catholic, I’m not at all religious, so I don’t claim that the day has deep theological meaning for me. But it does have genealogical meaning: the Petrini side of my family is from Assisi. So I’m calling St. Francis’s feast dayContinue reading “Patron Saint of Petrinis”
Twenty Years
I posted these memories a year ago, near the nineteenth anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001. It was called “Nineteen Years” then. I’m updating it for today, the twentieth anniversary of that terrible day. I was five months pregnant and in bed that morning nineteen years ago, thinking about getting up to packContinue reading “Twenty Years”
Farewell to Cornwall in October
I was so looking forward to our trip to the United Kingdom in October. We’d planned to spend time in Cornwall and other points in the southwestern corner of England, as well as taking a day trip into Wales. We were planning to stay in the house that’s used as Doc Martin’s home and surgeryContinue reading “Farewell to Cornwall in October”
Packing It In
We knew our little Prius just wouldn’t be large enough, so we rented an SUV and are loading it up to get Jon Morgan to school with all his stuff. Unfortunately, it’s a compact SUV, and we couldn’t quite get everything in it, unless one of us stays home. So we had to put theContinue reading “Packing It In”
National Geocaching Day
I just realized that today is National Geocaching Day. Do you Geocache? Geocaching is an activity that involves the use of a GPS device and instructions or clues to located containers called “geocaches” at specific locations all over the world. Anyone who has registered on the website can hide a geocache or search for one.Continue reading “National Geocaching Day”
Photo Friday: Perspective
This photo is one I took last weekend on a mountaintop in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. We were hiking on the Appalachian Trail, to reach the top of Spy Rock. We hadn’t done much hiking in some time, and were out of practice. But we made it to the top, which was atContinue reading “Photo Friday: Perspective”
Postcards From the World: Iowa Dreams
Today’s featured postcard is one of the traditional “Greetings From….” card with the place name in big letters made up of images of tourist attractions. This uniquely American postcard design was first created in the 1930s by a German immigrant printer. They were originally printed on paper that was embossed with a linen-like texture. OfContinue reading “Postcards From the World: Iowa Dreams”
College Countdown
A week from now, my son will be moved into his dorm room and preparing to start his sophomore year of college. So the push is on to have everything ready. There so many pieces to keep track of! We met with his roommate and his roommate’s parents earlier in the summer and figured outContinue reading “College Countdown”
