Musings & Reflections

This post is a departure from our usual travel writing — a more personal reflection shaped by the journey. Spending time with people in their late 80s and 90s has a way of clarifying things. It strips...

Winter Insists As I sat down to start writing this post, the weather forecast announced, “Expect snow in the next hour.” A curious thing to predict when snow had been falling steadily all day, and then...

My last post about our trek to Madeira got me thinking. About islands. About why they call to us the way they do. Islands somehow manage to feel adventurous and peaceful at the same time. They are remote...

READING TIME One of the pleasures of retirement is to allow myself time to read with a minimum amount of guilt for not doing something productive. I’m currently reading Zadie Smith’s newest novel...

When moving to Spain was in the planning stage, Maggie asked me “Why Spain instead of California?” It was a good question, but my answer was not a good one. I think I said something about the cost of living...