Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Travel Essays’ Category

Happy Wanderer: Around the World in 16 Days

Posted in Travel Essays, Video on February 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

HILLS NEWSPAPERS: FEBRUARY 19, 2010
These days, sending a student off to college almost always includes a semester abroad. Add up the cost, and you know the strain this can put on the family budget.  But at St. Mary’s College, last month, my students and I traveled the world in 16 days – for less than [...]

Read Full Post »

Happy Wanderer: Playing my flute in the pubs of Ireland

Posted in Travel Essays on January 24, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: JANUARY 23,2010
The greatest gift I ever received came from my family, tucked inside a Mother’s Day card. It was airfare to Ireland, where I would join in the celebration of my dear friend’s 50th birthday. Jillian had invited three girlfriends, all of whom she felt would ring in her milestone robustly. I, for my [...]

Read Full Post »

Happy Wanderer: Traveling with titanium

Posted in Travel Essays on January 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

HILLS NEWSPAPERS: JANUARY 8, 2010
I have a new best friend.  It’s not something I asked for, or sought out, or even necessarily wanted in my comfortable mid-life years. I have plenty of friends. But suddenly, I’ve got a new lifelong companion, and no matter how mismatched we may be, we’re locked in this relationship.
This new [...]

Read Full Post »

Happy Wanderer: Exotic foods add spice to life

Posted in Travel Essays on December 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: December 11, 2009
What constitutes an adventure? After releasing my top picks for travel adventures last month, several readers were
quick to bring up a new category – culinary adventure. If you’ve ever eaten monkey brains or blowfish or even Lutefisk (a dish from my childhood that still haunts me today), you know that one culture’s [...]

Read Full Post »

Happy Wanderer: My top 7 picks for best outdoor adventure

Posted in Travel Essays, Video on December 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

HILLS NEWSPAPERS: NOVEMBER 28, 2009
When it comes to travel, it’s all about the list. The top ten this, the top five that…it’s almost daunting to pour through
the minutia of must-sees as mentioned in books like 1,000 places to see before you die.
So here is a “bucket list” of real adventures – hand-picked by the Happy [...]

Read Full Post »

Happy Wanderer: Your own Olympic experience

Posted in Travel Essays on November 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: November 12, 2009
THE WINTER OLYMPICS will be coming up soon and Vancouver, B.C., is the focal point. But there’s another site that offers more than just viewing the games. In Olympic Park, Utah, you get to be the athlete.
Take the bobsled, for instance. For $250, you can go flying down the Olympic bobsled run [...]

Read Full Post »

Happy Wanderer: Hot air balloons spark flights of fancy

Posted in Travel Essays, Video on October 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM – October 30, 2009
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s the balloon boy. If ever a story captured our collective imagination –the recent balloon
odyssey in Colorado did the trick. And although the saucer-shaped aircraft turned out to be empty, it could very well have housed a boy, a baboon, or even something sinister like [...]

Read Full Post »

The Happy Wanderer: A caffeinated romp through Seattle

Posted in General, Travel Essays on October 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM – October 16, 2009
Once a year my husband partakes in an out of town male bonding ritual. He and a pal pick a city in which to immerse themselves in football.  First, it’s Friday night lights with a high school game, then college ball on Saturday and the church of the NFL on Sunday. [...]

Read Full Post »

The Happy Wanderer: Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue

Posted in Travel Essays on September 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

HILLS NEWSPAPERS – September 18, 2009
In a recent survey of out-of-town guests, a surprising attraction came out on top. Berkeley ’s Telegraph Avenue was the number one choice for visitors staying at my house. As unofficial as this poll is – it highlights the fact that some of the best things in life are free. [...]

Read Full Post »

The Happy Wanderer: Sierra fall colors

Posted in Travel Essays on September 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

HILLS NEWSPAPERS  September 4, 2009
LOTS OF SONGS have been written about September. There was the bouncy little ditty by The Happenings called “See you In September” — and the somber song by Sinatra that likened autumn to the final chapter of a long, fruitful life.
I prefer the bouncy little ditty.
Fall should be a happy [...]

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »