CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: December 11, 2009
What constitutes an adventure? After releasing my top picks for travel adventures last month, several readers were
Serving up Stinky Shark in Iceland
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 entrails are another’s epicurean delight. Continue reading
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
dogsledding above the Arctic Circle
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 Wanderer over years of wild living leading up my recent hip surgery. These are not for the faint of heart. They are action-packed adventures for the daring and strong-boned and able.
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 the Japanese bomb balloons in World War Two.
It got me thinking about ballooning, and my recent trip to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta – the most photographed event on the planet. With over 600 balloons punctuating the sky, it’s easy to see why.
The carnival atmosphere starts before dawn. Under a blanket of stars, vendors prepare for the throngs of visitors making the pilgrimage to this sacred ballooning site in the shadow of the Sandia Mountains. The smell of burritos and corndogs permeates the still air and flickers of light pierce the darkness as the first shots of propane surge into the nylon envelopes. Continue reading
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. It’s understood that the wives aren’t welcome and frankly, I’m fine with it. Normally.
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. Odd – but free.
The four blocks of Telegraph between Dwight Way and Bancroft are a fascinating social experiment. Both bizarre and bazaar…the street is an open air market where people are as eclectic as the merchandise. Continue reading
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 time of year. It’s certainly the most colorful — even in California, where our seasons are less pronounced than in the north. But if you want to see spectacular autumn foliage without the long travel time, September is the month to take a drive to the Eastern Sierra. Continue reading
HILLS NEWSPAPERS August 21, 2009
Twilight is one of my favorite times. Like many hills dwellers, I love the way sunset paints the sky over San Francisco. But it occurs to me, as I take in this celestial sight, that I’ve been neglecting one of the greatest cities on earth. I spend time every summer in places that can’t hold a candle to San Francisco. Like a neighbor I’ve taken for granted, I see her – but don’t really know her.
That’s going to change. I’m spending the weekend in San Francisco, and using one of the city’s great hotels for my base camp. Continue reading
HILLS NEWSPAPERS August 7, 2009
The countdown has begun for the 2010 Winter Olympics. And while most of us will opt to watch it on TV, there’s a 
pre-Olympic event well worth catching in person. A short two hour flight from Oakland puts you in Spokane, Washington for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Jan. 14-24. It’s the final event before selection of the team that will represent the U.S. in the Olympics 18 days later. Continue reading
HILLS NEWSPAPERS July 25, 2009
YOU KNOW you’re getting old when the years of your youth are deemed a “historic period.” But mid-century modern? 
I’d never heard of this style of architecture until my recent visit to Palm Springs. There they were — shimmering in the superheated air — perhaps the finest collection of post-World War II structures on the planet.
Palm Springs is considered the “Mecca of Modernism,” partly because of its Hollywood influence. In the glamour days of the movie industry, studio contracts kept stars close to home, so the posh desert town was their playground and palette.
HILLS NEWSPAPERS July 1, 2009
I’M NOT WEALTHY, by any means. But a trip with three girlfriends recently to retrieve the family jewels proved to be a rich experience.
It had been several years since my dear friend, Jillian, lost her mom. At the time, it was too difficult to look through her treasures, so they remained — undisturbed — in a safety deposit box in Grass Valley. Continue reading
Ginny Prior 