Monthly Archives: November 2015

Back Home in Baltimore

Posted in Pennsylvania by

It’s been a week since we said goodbye to the Wookiee, and I’ve decided to write this post as though it never happened. It’s a part of my life, and I’m still sad, but it’s not a part of the weekend I spent in Baltimore, which is what I’m writing about.


Image from MingPresents. Click photo to see her blog

That weekend, I spent several nights with my BFF. We went to a fruit tree festival in Druid Hill Park, where the kids bobbed for apples in a downpour, and we took the Light Rail to the Guster concert at Ram’s Head. We put together a puzzle and watched Master Chef, and I played with their kiddos every evening. (Meaning, they bilaterally threw blankets over my head for a two-fold attack. Aunthood was so much easier when there was only one! I’ll never win against Team Sibling.) We went to a mutual friends’ house—friends I hadn’t seen in years—and reconnected like only a day or two had passed.

Being in Baltimore was like going home.

Which is weird, really, because it never felt like home when I lived there.

Continue reading →

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Longish Absence

Posted in Pennsylvania by

I spent last weekend in Baltimore, and I’m working on a post about that visit, but it will be a little bit. Sadly, the Wookiee’s yearlong fight with kidney disease ended this morning after a turn for the worse. He was my 16th birthday gift, and he’s the one who, after my first trip to Germany and spending a month away from home, welcomed me back by sitting on my head. A companion for half my life, he was a pet, a guard cat, a mascot, and an icon.

I’ll try to write my Baltimore post, but no guarantees when I’ll publish. Perhaps some would say he was just a cat, but all I can think of now are the times when he was so much more.

What Do I Have in Common with Indiana Jones?

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What do I have in common with Indiana Jones? Is it …

  • Shocking good looks? I wish.
  • Household name? Not … yet.
  • Irrational fear of snakes? Bingo.

Today when I was out hiking, I encountered one of these little guys:

Eastern Ribbon Snake
Eastern Ribbon Snake

 

Notice the picture is from Wikipedia. I didn’t take it. I was too busy FREAKING THE HECK OUT about the proximity of a snake to my open-toed sandals and ground-skimming pant cuffs. A SNAKE. Near my SKIN. Here’s how it went down. Continue reading →

My Next Trip

Posted in Getting Started by

Every trip needs to have its seed of an idea. Early last summer, it was when I told my officemate, “I think I want to invite my BFF to go to Scotland with me,” and my officemate said, “If you do, you should totally take a bike trip through the Highlands.”

Three months later, my BFF and I were slogging our bikes up hill and dale through Scottish downpours for a week. And we’d do it again in a heartbeat.

The day I learned my rain jacket isn't waterproof.

The day I learned my rain jacket isn’t waterproof.

Today I started to really think about my next Big Trip. Continue reading →