‘paradise is a state of mind.’
-dolly parton
lake superior – way U.P. in michigan
summer 2025
Sep13
Category Archives: adventure
Sep12
another adventure.
another adventure begins today
wifi – iffy
I’ll be in and out of touch
tales forthcoming
some sooner
some later.
—
‘one way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.’
-william feather, american publisher and writer
—
image credit: pinterest
Sep29
the monk of mokha.
celebrate national coffee day with a your favorite cup of coffee and this wonderful book
it’s the incredible but true story of a young man, Mokhtar Alkhanshali,
a beverage, a history, a mix of cultures, and pure perseverance
the unlikely and winding journey he took
from here to there and back again
keeps you wondering
will his dream come alive?
with a refusal to give up
a survival instinct
and lots of thinking on this feet
you’ll follow along
with this poignant, suspenseful, moving, and often funny story
as Mokhtar struggles to keep his balance
and not abandon his people
both near and far.
written by award-winning author, Dave Eggers
you can’t help but cheer him on
and you might even learn something along the way.
Mokhtar Alkhanshali and company
—
“Al-Shadhili became known as the Monk of Mokha, and Mokha became the primary point of departure for all the coffee grown in Yemen and destined for faraway markets.”
-dave eggers, the monk of mokha
—
credits: Dave Eggers, 2018, NYT bestseller, Knopf Publishing
Aug14
flight of the bumblebee.
i’m the praying mantis by the window
next to the fuzzy bumblebee in the aisle seat
each headed out on our own journeys
sharing a common space for a time
love talking to strangers
their story never fails to be interesting
when i wake up tomorrow
i’ll be in portugal
maybe i’ll cross paths with the flying bee again
perhaps not
everything is possible
let the adventure begin.
—
‘the earth is what we all have in common.’
-wendell berry
—
art credit: Flight of the Bumblebee by Hawaiian-born Canadian author/illustrator, Eric Fan.
May11
even cowgirls get the shoes.
“cowgirl courage isn’t the lack of fear, but the courage to take action in the face of fear.”
-j.h.lee
Apr6
here we go!
“april hath put a spirit of youth in everything.”
-william shakespeare
Jan26
pixie dust.
‘We proudly support the local fairy community with cinema and live performances!
Our fairy door is located at the front entrance of our theater.’
(from the beautiful michigan theater)
the fairies have officially moved into the theater at last
(though most likely there long before anyone noticed them)
“trust the pixie dust.”
-author unknown
Sep13
ride along.
stopping for an oil change
on my way home from school
the tech went to open my hood
pausing to tell me
i had a ‘little friend’ traveling along with me
a praying mantis
who had hunkered down and hung on just below my windshield
he very carefully opened the hood
the mantis hopped up on the windshield wiper
hung out while my oil was changed
just taking it all in
other people came over to check him out
still he held his ground
the tech carefully closed the hood when finished
trying to very gently coax the mantis to go back to his safe spot
before i drove off
but the mantis would not be deterred
hung on as i drove to the book store
then i drove toward home
with my very special hood ornament
my ride along
even still hanging on
gone when i got home
perhaps he hopped off
stopping to visit a town along the way
i hope it was the adventure of a lifetime.
—
“the truth is
you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.
life is a crazy ride,
and nothing is guaranteed.”
-eminem
Jul25
quietly floating through the cloud forest.
crossing the continental divide
into the pacific region
for a visit to canto del rio and a hike into the cloud forest
one of the most unique environments in the world
surviving on costa rica’s mountaintops
incredibly quiet and powerful
the cloud forests are formed by a combination of wind and geography.
—
“in the cloud forest the fog is taken into the plants, thus ever clearing the air and feeding the streams. these forests are sacred, for they both bring flowing water to the ecosystem and hold the earth in place during the rains.”
-angela abraham
Jul23
up in the canopy and so lucky.
it was a very lucky day
to wake up and look out my window
to see the high clouds had cleared
revealing the top of the volcano at last
then a hike up and into the tree canopy of the arenal rainforest
amidst many highly specialized flora and fauna that very rarely live in other places.
it’s estimated that no less than 1/3 of all tropical species are found in a rainforest canopy.
it was such a lovely way to end the day
to see these skies when returning in the early evening
after a day spent up high in the canopy
a very lucky day indeed.
“the forest is for me a temple-
a cathedral of tree canopies and dancing light.”
-dr. jane goodall
I didn't have my glasses on.... 