It was a gorgeous January day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the temperature was hovering somewhere around 70 degrees. Deciding to take advantage of these temperate conditions, we headed for a gorgeous greenspace simply named City Park. While tooling around in a rented tandem bike, a few sculptures displayed on paths only accessible by foot captured our attention. So, after a fun filled hour of literally being a back seat driver, I suggested a little stroll through this eclectic garden. Game for anything with his trusty camera, Kurt acquiesced. I’m so glad he did, because ..read more

When we travel, my inner Catholic sometimes gets a little giddy when I discover a local attraction that appeals to the spiritual side. At times, I have led Kurt on a wild goose chase in and around Remote-ville USA trying to find a certain holy location discovered via an internet search. Rarely are our efforts fruitless, but, I have to admit, we welcome those points of interest that easily accessible, like the iconic St. Louis Cathedral.  Overlooking Jackson Square, the St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic Church in the United States. This structure was built in ..read more

There is so much to do in the French Quarter of New Orleans. My favorite attraction had to be the artists that lined the perimeter of Jackson Square. Known as the Jackson Square Artists’ Colony, they define themselves as follows: A self-regulating group of free-spirits who have created and sold their original art in the open air of Le Vieux Carre de la Nouvelle Orleans for over a century. Although this group is self regulated, members do have to abide by certain city regulations. Artists must secure a city permit, which is easier said than done as only 200 are dispersed annually. Those with pe ..read more

One thing made blatantly clear as we explored the streets of New Orleans was that many of its residents were not afraid to robe themselves in all of the colors of the rainbow. These are my kind of people ..read more

It was January 2022. We rang in the New Year, weary with cabin fever and the copious amounts of negative vibes provided courtesy of the pandemic. A remedy was needed to alter the probable negative trajectory of the next 365 days; we decided that remedy was New Orleans. And though there are numerous attractions in the Big Easy that could possibly trigger an outlook beneficial to the common good, nothing there left me as awe inspired as the Tree of Life. Located in the Audubon Park near the zoo, its official name is the Étienne de Bore’ oak. De Bore’ was the first mayor of New Orleans, and this ..read more

It’s no secret that I like animals. Every encounter is a novel, yet delightful experience, truly attesting to nothing less than an amazing imagination of the Creator.  Wildlife viewing is common in the Grand Canyon; furry friends often cross paths with visitors, especially in the winter when the human population has greatly dwindled.  We were fortunate to meet several locals along the rim; however, we kept our distance as they have attacked visitors in the past. These mighty beasts, know as Rocky Mountain Elk, are incredible to watch, but what’s more incredible is the story of their jour ..read more

It’s a balmy 10 degrees in Arkansas’s City of Roundabouts this morning. Mother Nature has sweetly spread a blanket of white powdery snow across the state, pretty much halting everything for the next few days. All is quiet inside and out, save for a few birds staking out the best options from the neighborhood feeders. This widespread hush has resulted in a trip down Memory Lane, to wintry day about a year ago, the scenery, I admit, a bit more impressive than my backyard.  “Let’s go to the Grand Canyon,” he said about a week after Christmas 2022. ”We should be able to get hotel reservations, rig ..read more

I blame our trip to Salvation Mountain on Covid. Craving a bit of mountain scenery in the desert (I know, it’s a bit unrealistic), I purposefully chose Palm Springs as a stopping point since it boasted an amazing tramway ride into the San Jacinto Mountains. Unfortunately, the tramway schedule had been abbreviated due to the pandemic, resulting in it being closed on our full day in “Hollywood’s Desert Playground.” Staying with the “mountain” theme, Plan B required a 75 mile drive south on Highway 111, a Border Patrol checkpoint on the way back, and a 6.5 mile cruise down a dirt road that peeled ..read more

The caretaker of Salvation Mountain offered us a final recommendation before turning his attention to another group of visitors. “If you like this, I’m sure you’ll like East Jesus. It’s just a mile away. Turn left where the road ends.” Okay. We were game. I mean, we were in the middle of nowhere driving down a dirt road that hadn’t been kissed by modern civilization in a month of Sundays, but heck, isn’t one possible component of an adventure communing with that which is unknown? Slowly, we made our way down the rough, dusty path, which ended abruptly. “I guess this is where we turn left,” I w ..read more

I’m not sure how the rest of the world deals with things, but after I received my diagnosis, when it came to telling others, I tried to keep this little tidbit on the DL. I didn’t want to be the fodder for gossip, I didn’t want any sympathy, and, God forbid, I definitely needed no anecdotes of the horrifying trail that Parkinson’s has blazed in the past. Being a person who has dealt with lifelong anxiety, I required no help in stoking the flames of apprehension that could potentially paralyze me long before this disease did. The peeps in my inner circle know me well enough to give me the supp ..read more