Join Me on a Journey
Travel is the beginning of exploration. Some people travel to discover new places and new experiences. Some people travel to discover themselves, while others want to discover other cultures and learn about our world. Appetites for excitement and food also spur many to jump on a plane or to pack up the car. Love is […]
Venice and Our Winners
I looked like a drowned rat, sloshing through the wet streets of Venice in squeaky shoes. I started the day feeling chic and ready for shopping, but the thunder that had threatened during the morning finally gave way to a steady rain that accompanied us all day long as we played dueling umbrellas with other […]
Loving the Tuscan Sun
Tuscany, you have captivated me, and I don’t wish to be free. The tears started flowing standing beneath Frances Mayes’ house, Bramasole. I hoped she’d spy me from her window, invite me in and ask me to be her bosom friend. Frances Mayes She was the sole reason my family was sitting in a van, […]
A Moment in Provence
Just like a child eagerly anticipating Christmas with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, we drove to Provence and I was giddy with anticipation. How could I not be? Provence was the object of my daydreams, the European promised land, the ultimate destination that inspired my love for France. It’s My Mom’s Fault It […]
Join the French Party
A Medieval town that seems untouched by time but that also offers the profound pleasure of endless shopping possibilities can be found nestled in the hills of the Perigord Noir region. Sarlat la Candida is a beautiful town constantly inundated by tourists in the south west of France. The tourists are right, Sarlat is worth […]
Once Upon a Time, She had New Eyes
Once upon a time, a French man took a quill in hand and became the father of the fairy tale. Charles Perrault, inspired by the magical towers and pinnacles of Chateau de Usse wrote, La Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty) in 1697. While visiting the Loire valley, home to endless chateau, I was stunned […]
Paris is Always a Good Idea
Bon Jour from France! After years of being a long-distance, hard-core Francophile, I’m discovering if my love affair was valid. My family and I are on a journey that I’ve been dreaming of for years. Five weeks, ten stops, and four countries will awaken new desires, form new loves and broaden our thoughts and minds. […]
“We’ll Always have Paris”
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Proust As this article posts, I’ll be boarding a plane and beginning my European adventure. The story of how it was on, then canceled, then back on again can be found in my previous post. Join me on a […]
Join me on a Journey!
“I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself.” For the past 20 years I have occupied a small but important spot in the middle of the corn fields of the Midwest. I have stayed close to home and created a place where I nurtured and taught my five children. Our home […]
Do you Need to Reboot?
As a homeschooling mom of five children I had many more stay-cations than vacations. Every summer when it was time once again to consider a trip to some fascinating place, we always chose to put the money toward some home repair or home recreation need. An above ground pool seemed a wiser choice that would […]