Of daffodils and tanks

Daffodils in the depth of winter: Will they stand against ice, wind and rain? A country overtaken by an invasion: Can it endure? Lessons amidst frailty.

Your new trip around the sun

A few days into the new year, a friend greeted me this way: “I hope you enjoyed these first days of your new trip around the sun.” — Say what?

Weekend goodbye

Mark was on a train heading home after seeing his friend Sabrina over a weekend. A pleasant visit.

The last moments at the train station kept lingering in his mind.

Finding Rivendell

Rivendell is a magical place in J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing. Couldn’t possibly exist in real life. Or does it? Turns out it does and I went there. Without knowing at the time.

2 book series that will expand your world

A book series focuses on a longer story arc or common characters. It’s an opportunity to go on a longer journey and discover the story and its world more deeply.

Going nuclear is back on the table

For a long time, nuclear attacks were expected in any war in Europe. It was part of the fear we lived with.

And now the nuclear attack option seems to be back on the table.

About a backpack

When I was going train hiking in the summer of 1975, I purchased a new external frame backpack.

I had no idea it would still be with me on travels all these many years later.

The old man with the bicycle

Youth hostel. Old man choosing to stay there among all those ‘kids’. I’m glad he did, because I learned great travel lessons that have served me well in the decades since.

All that snow…

Winter x 3. I’ve lived through winters in Sweden and Iowa. With cold and lots of snow. But it’s in Arkansas we’ve just emerged from 10 days of being stuck in snow. Even so, I love winter. And snow.