Published inBe Open·PinnedMember-onlyThe Winter I Ordered A Whole New Kitchen Built in Oregon and then Went to MexicoWhat I learned and how it all turned out in the end — One of our friends called us, “Two traveling fools...wandering about while their kitchen is being created.” “Yeah?” I scoffed and said to my husband, “That may be in his and possibly other’s opinions, but I prefer to think that we were the smart ones ‘cause we didn’t have to deal…Kitchen6 min readKitchen6 min read
Published inThe Power of Poetry·PinnedMember-onlyIf OnlyI had practiced my guitar and singing — If only I had practiced my beloved guitar, After learning the cords, I coulda been a big star. But I would only strum, Making up songs with a hum. When the mood hit every now and then. My voice was not very bold, But had a wide range, I was…Poem3 min readPoem3 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·PinnedMember-onlyThe Dream About WarAnd the wish for it to come true — From the sounds my husband had been making at some point during the night, it seemed he was having a bad dream. I asked him in the morning what he had dreamed about, not expecting an answer. His 99% response was usually: “I don’t know. I don’t remember.” Which has…Dreams3 min readDreams3 min read
Published inBeloved·PinnedMember-onlyI Love to Touch YouThe power of a touch — Touch. Such a simple yet powerful action. Not a poke or prod. Those have negative connotations and effects. They are to get attention and are harder. Who wants to be poked? A touch is softer. It can say, “Hello, dear friend. It’s so good to see you!” Or it can…Touch2 min readTouch2 min read
Published inBe Open·PinnedMember-onlyBusking in Spain and the History of Flamenco, Part 2The wonderful experience of seeing flamenco dancers perform — I did a bit of research about flamenco dancing before we went to see it live. I was interested to learn that the music, which came from the gypsies in the Andalucía area in Spain’s southern regions in the 15th century, was compiled from adaptations of music and dance styles…Flamenco5 min readFlamenco5 min read
Published inBe Open·May 2Member-onlyBusking in Spain and the History of Flamenco, Part 1The day I discovered the amazing street performers of Seville, Spain — The city of Seville was like many other cities we’d passed through in Spain as well as Mexico — lots of traffic, disappointing modern buildings, and annoying construction that was accompanied by detour after detour through the newer infrastructures. When the four of us, Vivienne, George, Marty, and I, needed…Busking6 min readBusking6 min read
Published inBeloved·Apr 25Member-onlyAlice Sings the Blues…HappilyHow a Memphis bluesman turned grief into joy — It was going to be two years since Pete died, her husband of nearly forty years. Thirty-nine years, seven months, and twenty-two days, Alice kept reminding herself when she felt downright depressed from the loss and the loneliness, which was often. …Music8 min readMusic8 min read
Published inThe Power of Poetry·Apr 18Member-onlyLife and the Pitfalls of the Dreaded Saturation PointA poem — When does a traveler get tired of traveling? When does a writer get tired of writing? When does a doer of anything get tired of doing anything they love? Saturation is likely. When does one reach a saturation point? What is a saturation point, to begin with? It is the…Poem3 min readPoem3 min read
Published inThe Power of Poetry·Apr 4Member-onlyA Silly Poem about the Massive Flock of Grus GrusPoetry inspired by traveling in Spain — A big damn bird flew in front of our car, As we drove down the road to Seville (Sayveea). It landed in a field but was too far To see what it might be-a. Was it a giant bird or small plane? I chuckled to myself. That thought was silly…Poem3 min readPoem3 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·Mar 29Member-onlyOur Journey To The Coast And Highlands — Granada and The AlhambraMore adventures in Spain! — Our trip from Valencia to Granada in the rental car was freeing and amazing. Freeing because we could go anywhere, instead of being stuck in a train to only go where the schedule took us. And it was amazing because we could see areas beyond the windows of the trains…Travel5 min readTravel5 min read
