#aging adventures

Maggie’s beads. So where did they land on this unforgettable experience?   Dotting the landscape from Dublin to Budapest, they mark our journey in their own special way.  The first was placed at the base of the statue of Oscar Wilde in Merrion Square Park, Dublin. Look at his expression!  Did he know what we were up to? Oscar Wilde Staue at Merrion Square Park We should have placed a…

I remember our first day in Thailand vividly. I was overcome with regret that I had signed us up for two years in a place that on first glance,  was so dirty and delapotated. But miraculously, as each day passed, I was able to see the beauty that was hidden just behind the piles of rubbish. So it is with Slovakia.  My first day here was a real disappointment. Abandoned buildings falling apart.…

Many years ago my good friend, Jeri, and I traveled to Italy on an unforgettable adventure. With Rick Steves’, “Europe Through the Back Door”, as our bible, we used a eurail train pass to get from town to town, covering way too much ground in just a few weeks. We saw countless cathedrals, palaces and Roman ruins. It was exciting and overwhelming. At one point, we were walking over the Bridge of…

As I pulled the beautiful blue glass bead from my back pack, I knew I had a perfect place to put it.  We were in Porto, Portugal on the main boardwalk along the river. A blue dingy was on the dock, waiting. The bead needed to be on this boat. It was so apropo because the creator of the hand blown bead loves water and her husband is a guy who builds boats.  Porto, Portugal After not quite hiding…

I woke up with a surge of sadness. Three days of chaotic joy. Running Singing Rapture at the moon. Puddles Dirt Wonder in the mundane. Tears Laugther Each moment a gift. Carefully wrapped in a precious memory.

“Look! bubbles! Can you say bubbles?” Our little granddaughter, just 16 months, laughs and runs over to pop a bubble. Then, smiles and yells, “bubba!”  Rick and I break out in a round of applause, smiles and words of encouragement. “Good job! That’s right! You did it!” What a feat. What a grand moment.  It used to be that my grand moments were much more grand. Scuba diving in Indonesia. Skiing…