Tag Archives: travel

October 5, 2025 · 10:31 am

Who We Are

seagulls sitting in a line on a curved roof

It’s been a long and strange road since the war erupted in the middle east and we got a new president here in the US. There’s no point in commenting on the bonanza of international unrest and political commentary. There really isn’t.

I have found myself listening to both sides, listening to the middle, and trying to reconcile what I hear in public discourse with what I’m experiencing first hand talking to people. Sometimes it fits and sometimes it doesn’t.

Overwhelmingly my sense is that people want to see themselves in the people around them. They want to believe that they are accepted, and that the people around them have similar beliefs. Even if there’s no evidence of this being true, it’s an assumption I see people making as they interact with strangers and acquaintances.

And it’s good. It allows for a kind of civility between people that we don’t see in public discourse. And thank god.

I’ve come to Tampa to be with my daughter Inga through a medical procedure. She and her roommates have an apartment with a balcony. In the morning I’ve been enjoying my coffee on the balcony with the seagulls in the photo above for company… witnessing a continual flow of people and their dogs at the dog park below, people going to work, families coming and going, heron fishing in the pond, palmettos swaying in the wind — enjoying a view on this little community starting its day.

red leaves emerging from a tropical potted plant
Inga and Bella’s balcony plant

Realizing that everyone is venturing out with their unique reality and experience in their bodies has made just sitting here watching an adventure. Whatever challenges or beliefs, whatever physical circumstances they have, there’s a beauty in the sameness of everyone – even the heron – navigating life. I equate this with working with plants and learning about their medicine. They are endlessly giving of healing support, endlessly patient, individuals themselves, and they interact with each person as an individual. Mutual respect and recognition are the only real rules.

So whoever you side with, if you take a side at all in any of the many disagreements we have, we’re all in this together. It’d be nice if we led with that.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

July 26, 2023 · 11:37 am

Santorini

Santorini is volcanic, sun drenched. It’s dramatic, beautiful, and full of art. This week, it’s also hot as hell. There are fires in Rhodes – another island in the greek Aegean. But here, it’s business as usual, except for the heat.

We’re staying at a wonderful place – the Christos Apartments, Oia. It’s family run, two brothers, a father originator, the family. They are hospitable, help with our arrangements, and there is a beautiful terrace overlooking the sunset – the photo above is mine from last night from that terrace.

Oia is said to be the most beautiful place on the island. After touring a few spots I agree.

The catamaran cruises are wonderful. The archaeological tours are amazing and educational. There are talented, educated, kind people from all around Greece summering here for extra income – driving, sailing, waiting tables. They are horticulturalists, builders – coming from other professions to spend a few months here with the tourists on this beautiful island. They work long hours, though.

The way to see the island properly is to take a catamaran.

Aside from relaxing over the water and catching many rays, the views are mind blowing – and cannot be done the remotest justice with my camera – and one can truly get a sense of the place. The others on the tour were mostly Americans, the “transfer” – a taxi lift – somewhat chaotic with cliffside views – ended with a drop off on the pier and a welcoming crew ready to take us out. After enjoying views of the islands we stopped to swim and the chef made us a lovely spread of all sorts of delicious food. The crew was Anatalie, Cosmos, and two other unnamed smiling crewmates – one identified as “the chef!” and one that steered the catamaran. Anatalie navigated the shifting deck with true sea-legs, taking pictures on request and answering questions. Cosmos, an agriculturalist that grows olive trees in a place I can’t remember on the mainland, was friendly, talkative, down to earth, and tied us up at all stops.

The archaeological tour felt like more than I paid for. We expected to tour Akrotiri – a greek Pompeii that dates back about 2000 years earlier than Pompeii. We were treated to a tour of mount Elias first thing – a beautiful monastery atop a mountain.

Our tour guide Tanya of Kamari tours spoke to everyone in their native tongue – Greek, English, German, and French. At least. There may have been other languages. We saw Pyrgos, which was beautiful – full of architectural interest, toured a cave that was once the home of native santorinians, learned many things of interest, including about how donkeys stable in caves to stay cool, capers plants that grow everywhere, and wine vines that are not trellised but instead wrap in circles.

We learned about private churches and why there are stones in roofs (to give builders and workers a foothold).

And she walked us to a terrace overlooking red beach, which was very dramatic.

There were winds this week – they were heavenly. Not as many today, though. I’m told it’s the hottest day so far at 45 celsius. And of course the trend is… warming, warming. Our AC is out; we have a fan, now, and as I write we come to just after 6pm – two hours before our magical sunset here in Oia (pronounced EE-a) and the temps starting to ease, there is a breeze starting to appear.

Tomorrow we have a wine tour – we learned one of the oldest (perhaps the oldest?) export Santorini has. I’ll write more about volcanic beaches, ancient cities, and nights on the caldera in the next post. For now, I go to find some souvlaki and watch the sunset….

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , ,

February 14, 2016 · 5:12 pm

Hawaiian Sunrise

IMG_20160214_113623958

6:30 AM in Hawaii.
Birds in a giant tree to the left of the villa sing to greet the rising light …. another one – larger, louder- pipes up just to the east; I think he’s on the jetti below my lanai

but he is invisible to me except for his clear, determined voice.  I wonder if he will do this tomorrow.  If he did this yesterday.

Watching the cool morning light stretching up toward the last star shimmering in a periwinkle sky,

now sinking into a dusty pink, then to a sunrise-to-the-east yellow, like cream on clouds that rest on the horizon …

is healing, full of grace.

In the dark below, a small fishing boat pulls away from its dock, gliding silently along a jetti.

Sipping coffee, I watch as it moves toward the sea.

Jetti locataires- palm trees and flowering bushes – are watching, too.

We watch together.  The little boat reaches the ocean and shrinks away.

Inevitably the light pushes up, drowning the star and it’s periwinkle sky.  Boats appear in lit slips, now visible, and the sun appears, looking more majestic than I remember it.

IMG_20160214_120617787

I must be in paradise.

Leave a comment

Filed under Poetry, Uncategorized

Tagged as , ,

August 27, 2013 · 12:07 am

The Forecast

The forecast for Charlottesville was partly cloudy, with showers at noon, when we set off for Monticello.

I’ve wanted to return to the home of Thomas Jefferson for as long as I can remember, having some magical memory of a day spent exploring the estate in my father’s company as a young girl.

And so, ever faithful that providence, together with science, would support me, I set off with my family to visit the fabled estate.

There are times in your life when you must see, when you cannot help but see, your intentions and desires are not going to be satisfied.  That the fates have determined you must pursue a different course, that you must alter your plans, and accept what comes instead of what you expect or plan for.

That day, on the road to Charlottesville the sky blackened.  We drove on, checking the weather again, reassured there would be partly sunny skies and warm weather.   And yet, the skies opened in such a torrent that we couldn’t see the way forward, and the rain continued throughout the day.  In the end, we weren’t able to tour the property, the house was shrouded in a kind of gloom, and we were so soggy we could not bear to visit the museum or shop, because of the air conditioning.

So much for the forecast.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as