Blog

My need to write a blog post generally starts with a bunch of thoughts swirling around my mind, begging to be tamed. My process of writing is largely an exercise in simplification, focus, and organization. Simplification starts with throwing out as many thoughts as possible. Most thoughts end up on the floor, others are filed… Continue reading My New Blog Site

Earlier this week a friend and I explored the length of Milwaukee Avenue in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. In a city where an avenue can stretch for a hundred blocks, Milwaukee Avenue is just two blocks. I was struck by the rows of small houses built on lots that are a quarter the size… Continue reading Milwaukee Avenue: When Citizens #Resist

I love to travel with just one piece of luggage: a backpack small enough to carry on to flights. Earlier this year, I decided it was time to buy a new backpack. The final impetus was a flight I would be taking from Miami MIA to Lisbon LIS, Portugal. I would be traveling with only… Continue reading Travel Gear: Carry-On Backpack

My daily routine is pretty simple these days: After a full English cooked breakfast, continue walking east across England, following the line of Hadrian’s (Roman) Wall. If available, stop at a tearoom for a pot of tea and cake. At the end of the afternoon arrive at a comfortable bed and breakfast or inn for… Continue reading Snapshots: Hadrian’s Wall Path

I’m walking across the narrowest part of England, following the course of Hadrian’s (Roman) Wall. Construction of the wall started in the year 122, and some sections remain to this day. The walk is 84 miles, which I’m comfortably spreading over 7 days. On the 8th day I fly home to Minneapolis. Yesterday I took… Continue reading The Road to Minneapolis: Mile 1

Our nephews (9 and 10) attend a school where literacy skills are taught in English, but several other subjects, including math and science, are taught in Spanish. It’s a joy to see the boys use their skills. In 2016, they slipped unselfconsciously into Spanish when speaking with a server from Spain in our Edinburgh hotel.… Continue reading Planning a Trip to Spain with Kids

I’m staying in an idiosyncratic 12-room hotel in the town of Ronda in Andalusia, Spain. My suite fills three floors in a tower: first floor, entrance and bathroom; second floor, sitting room; third floor, bedroom. I’m going to get a lot of exercise tonight. I’m pretty sure my bed is the same bed Madonna used… Continue reading Madonna Writhed Here

One of the challenges of travel is having to bring myself with me. If the trip is going to be more than passive entertainment, I have to try to erode my preconceived notions, prejudices, blindspots, and cultural programming. This week I felt shock when I first saw the scene pictured at the top of this… Continue reading Travelling with Cultural Baggage