oh the places you'll go

In South Korea, I met a friendly dog next to a farmhouse restaurant. We became best friends and I'll remember her forever. The owner of a tofu restaurant gave me extra desserts for free; there were many pictures her husband riding horses in Mongolia. (April 2024)

Banff - walking the Six Glaciers Trail back to Lake Louise in the fall and spotting fluffy mountain goats; staying at the cozy Ambleside Lodge (Sep 2024)

Birds of New Zealand (March 2025) - Ruru (Morpork owl), Karearea (New Zealand falcon), Kea parrot, Kereru wood pigeon

The Ruru is a native owl

Who yells mor-pork into the night

She glides around on silent wings

A small puff of delight

The Karearea is a rare hawk

Who looks at me in alarm

While keas find me quite dull

Without treats in my arms

One kea yells “keaaa”

While another hops around

She finds an apple under a pipe

She flings a jar off a mound

A group of tourists are trapped

In the buff weka space

And in the midst of chaos

The fellas try to escape!

The kereru holds a place dear

Chubby pigeon, little head

One looks at you from the side

One sits right above your head

The road goes ever on and on...

Down from the door where it begins

Now far ahead the road has gone

And I must follow if I can

Bilbo humming