Why did I Choose Whitby?
Because, I have never fallen as quickly or thoroughly in love with a place, since first visiting Puerto Viejo over a decade ago. Sunset over Whitby Rail Station, January 2025 I hopped off the train and strode purposefully toward the pier,toward my lodgings for the next four days. The seaside resort town was awash with the amber glow of sunset, and I had minutes to spare before oranges gave way to purples, then blues, then black in the night sky. 50 meters from the station, I turned around, grinning at the world and snapped my first photograp…
New Orleans 2: Jaguar Tattoo
Over the past two or three years, I completely cyber-stalked a henna artist in NOLA, the daughter of a friend from MD who now lives in Singapore. Swan of 504 Henna has been creating beautiful works of art in plant-based pigments for years, and her neck henna tats have had me enthralled. I once promised myself that if ever in New Orleans, I’d find her and get her to create something beautiful for me. Having never met her, or knowing where to find her this was to be a big task. But, serendipitously, I find myself in the French Quarter of NOLA.…
Bob Mortimer Cured my Scuirophobia
A lifelong crippling phobia, gone. I'm free. I read a book that retold--practically verbatim--the story of my first meeting a new friend in a London bar, it also engaged squirrels in new and interesting ways, and eventually solved a murder mystery...all while making me laugh out loud every few chapters. People on the bus no longer sit near me. The Satsuma Complex is written by Bob Mortimer, a comedian from Middlesborough, who has lived a colorful life and pissed in more than one teapot in hotels across England. The germaphobe and tea-lov…
Recent Painting & Accomplishment
I snapped a few photos of myself while watching the first England match of the 2023 Women's World Cup, at 4am, on my laptop, at the farm. This was my favorite one of the series. I challenged myself to relinquish control and succeeded. Rather than rely on small brushes, short strokes, and meticulous control over the medium, I slathered on acrylic paint with larger brushes, finger tips, and pencil butts to daub on acrylic paint. This was a meditative practice, and I am brimming with pride at the result!
The Bard, On Love at First Sight
I am currently reading Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, for the first time ever. By reading, I mean that I sit in the park on a blanket, taking in the sun, and reading aloud to the birds, bees, and passersby walking their dogs. Thankfully it's a big park (Sherwood Gardens). Anyway, very early in the play, I come upon the brief mono by Olivia, after having just met Cesario (Violet disguised as a young lad) for the first time. She has fallen immediately and irretrievably in love: What is your parentage? 'Above my fortunes, yet my state …
Summer Holiday: Back at the Farm
At Northland Sheep Dairy The original plan was to head to Bethany Beach for the annual family reunion and body surfing competition. So hubby and all of his brothers, sisters, in-laws, nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles headed to a strip of Delaware to reconnect and unwind. I hear they had a great time...for while everyone was sunning and sanding at the beach, I was home alone taking a unit test followed by the final exam for Speech & Voice Science (I passed) . Not to miss another family tradition, I headed to Northland Sheep Dairy , a fe…
Walking in Baltimore, Mid-May
Gorgeous pink and peach roses, in a dry garden... I decided to bike from my neck of the woods to visit a friend who lives a couple miles north. After enjoying the ride for a few blocks, I opted to hop out of the saddle and stroll, taking in much more of this glorious day. Dogwood shrubs, and no wire! On my first photographic pause, I bent down to pick up some trash in the parking lot of the Northwood shopping center, a redeveloped retail space meant to serve the community. My personal feelings do no align with those of community members and ne…
Sound Bath at the Writer's Retreat
A few months back, a mentor-friend asked about my willingness to facilitate a sound bath at an upcoming retreat, held by the American Assn. of Colleges and Universities. The week-long writer's retreat was to occur in March 2023, to benefit STEM faculty at historically Black universities. This gathering was right up my street; serving one of my favorite professional audiences, who would welcome a break from the week of intense focus required for their work. This woman is not an official mentor, but an expert, an friend, a sounding board, a …
The Hysterectomy Saga, 2/4
Part 2: My Uterine Fibroids Borrowed from Tommy's.org. This is the relative size of a 14-week gestational uterus...it's huge, right!. At the time of my surgery, the benign masses had increased the size of my uterus to the equivalent of a 14-week pregnancy! I could press on my belly and feel the bulk of my uterus. This organ is normally the size of your fist (or rather one's own fist). For me, the three large fibroids meant: longer more frequent periods, with cramps--something I had not before experienced in my adult life the…
memories of mom
This past few weeks have been pretty tough in my household. My partner and I prepare for the inevitable passing of his mother and we can simply wait. At one of our weekday date nights, he brought up the topic of memorable mom stories. And he shared them with me over wine and veggies outside of our favorite vegetarian restaurant. His mom was a tough broad while he was growing up. She never panicked when her boys got scraped up or hurt. She handled things in stride. Today, she's still pretty tough; it's one of the things that I'll …
On Socials