We boarded Viking ship Tuesday morning in Amsterdam. I went on a walking tour, with tour guide Anni, directly from the pier. It was neither historic nor charming: passenger ship terminal, commercial buildings, and train tracks. But she gave a good introduction to Amsterdam and gave me a crucial bit of information. We never would have made it to the Concertgebouw (a worldclass classical music venue) for the orchestra concert that evening without knowing how to walk to the Centraal Train Station AND that tram 2 and 5 go to Concertgebouw. CRITICAL! I enjoyed the mile walk, but did wond ..read more

Had a great European breakfast buffet at the hotel. I focused on protein: salami, cheese and eggs, with a side of potato cake. Our walking tour guide was about our age: he studied in Amsterdam in the seventies. We walked along canals, went through a little alleyway that is gated in the evening, and learned about Amsterdam. For years Catholicism was illegal and there were ‘hidden churches.’ We went into one: it looked like a normal housefront but inside was a cavernous church that opened up like the Weasley’s camping tent. Begijnhof, a peaceful oasis in central Amsterdam, was established in th ..read more

29 Sep 2024  We arrived at Logan Airport, Terminal E, three hours before our scheduled flight to Amsterdam. I felt relaxed and prepared with my backpack and carry-on-sized bag. (We had bought one checked bag each, but I have a goal to pack only a carry-on and be able to lift it above my head as needed.) As we stood in line at the automatic kiosk, Jim said, I don’t have my passport. It was very difficult for me to relax at that point. He went to the counter, but the agent assured him he couldn’t check in without a passport. (Back in the 80s he once flew to Mexico knowing he didn't have his ..read more

On our road trip last month, we stayed in Kane, Pennsylvania. Jim discovered Elizabeth Wood Kane. Her husband, General Thomas Kane, fought in the Civil War, including at Gettysburg. We are familiar with him because he was a great protector and friend of the Latter-day Saints when the federal government was hostile to them. Kane and Brigham Young became friends and Brigham Young invited Thomas and Elizabeth to Utah. They took a road trip (much rougher than any I’ve ever been on) through Utah from Salt Lake City to St. George in southern Utah. Elizabeth wrote a memoir of the journey, Twelve Morm ..read more

 After South Carolina  we stopped in Maryland to see my brother and his wife. Knowing we were headed for Kane, Pennsylvania, she recommended a stop at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, PA. I found it deeply moving. From the National Park Service brochure: September 11, 2001, morning: Four commercial airliners are hijacked by al Queda terrorists in a planned attack against the United States. Two are flown into the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York City. A third is flown into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. A fourth plane, United Flight 93, a Boeing 75 ..read more

 Our niece keeps bees. It’s an admirable occupation. Sherlock Holmes kept bees in his retirement on a small farm upon the South Downs. Our apiarist relative established a hive about three years ago, at the outside corner of her parents’ house in Charleston, South Carolina. She has about three pounds of honeybees, or 10,000 little winged creatures. We recently visited Charleston and as I was lugging luggage to the front door, I heard an angry buzzing around my head. I walked all around the front yard to escape but the insect persisted in circling my head. I finally starting waving my arms ..read more

 I’m finding the stress of my life cutting into my sleep. I seem to sleep long enough, but I can tell when I wake that I’ve been worrying about my responsibilities all night long. With no school-aged children at home I often don’t follow weather forecasts. This morning I awoke before six a.m. vexed by a complicated issue. I got up to work on it on my laptop and when I glanced outside after about a half hour, something magical happened. When I was a little girl I received a Polaroid camera for Christmas. (My granddaughter has a camera with the same technology.) I would take a picture and ..read more

 I just got back from a religion class at our chapel. (Adult religion classes offered during the week are called “Institute.”) It was inspirational and reminded me of my one experience with BYU Education Week back in 1993. Brigham Young University opens its campus each year for a week between spring and summer semester. BYU professors and others offer free classes and lectures on a huge variety of subjects. I saw Stephen Covey give a lecture on Joseph Smith, using the same paradigm as he uses in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I attended a college-level art history class. (I’ve often ..read more

 The yellows are fallen and browned. A few stubborn dark leaves, chiefly oaks, hold on. I lived in a little town in central Pennsylvania until I was nine. I loved the rolling hills surrounding our little Susquehanna River valley. To me, after the leaves fell, the hills were covered with soft brown fur. As I grew older I realized that my impressionistic view was a fantasy. Bare tree limbs and twigs catch your jacket and scratch your face. But the childish fancy won't give way to reality. The sight of a late autumn wood is comforting and cozy. My oldest cousin, Lola, owned a sugar beet far ..read more

 I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before. For the past thirty-eight years I have reveled in the simple but deep pleasure of living in New England: a place other people go to on vacation. In the fall, I enjoy walking and driving, day after day, watching the colors change from the deep augustal green through reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. According to The Boston Globe, “Summer 2023 was the second-rainiest on record in Boston,” with more than 20 inches falling in three months. In drought years the trees turn color early, and this year they turned late. I was happy to see that even though we ..read more