Valerie Hartshorne Turned 90 in August 2021
Valerie Hartshorne, my mother, turned 90 on August 25, 2021, and we all came down to NJ to celebrate the milestone.
Magnifico Douro: A Splendid Time on two Rivers
Paddling a kayak on the Douro and the Pinhao rivers in the center of Portugal, and viewing two ancient flour mills up close.
Green River Festival: Thirty-three years of Music and Tradition
Green River Festival, August 27-29 at Franklin County Fairgrounds, Greenfield MA produced by Signature Sounds for the 34th year.
Porto is Where I Begin My Journey
Porto, Portugal is the country’s second city, it is where I will board my ship on the Douro River to cruise eastward all the way to Salamanca Spain.
Tonight I Fly to Portugal
I am flying to Porto, Portugal to join a cruise from west to east on the Douro River on the Scenic Azure, a small river ship.
Molloyster Aquafarm: Slurping Oysters Grown in Maine
We met up with Todd and Meredith Molloy, the proprietors of the Molloyster Aqua Farm. They took us out on their boat to see the farm and sample the oysters.
Montague Reporter: My New Travel Column
I’ve found a new place to share my travel stories in print, next month I’ll start as a travel columnist for the Montague Reporter, a newspaper based in Turners Falls MA.
Book of Eels: How Do They Breed?
I picked up a new book from World Eye Books in Greenfield a few weeks ago, after lamenting how I did n’t read enough books and was spending way too much time ‘Doomscrolling,” as descibed in this dreary article in Wired magazine. So don’t want that. So I picked out […]
Europe Looms: With Las Vegas and Maine Coming Up First
June and it’s over for us here in the U.S. I commented today about how surprised I have been that the pandemic has lasted as long as it has. I have to say, despite whoever is still mask-wearing and fretting, damn it, it’s over. We survived, and it is only […]
A Solitary Life Even as the Pandy Ebbs
I’ve been spending what feels like a spectacular amount of time solitary, all alone these past few months, and it has lost the charm it once had. During the height of the pandemic of 2020, it all felt fine to hunker down, day after day, night after night. I spent […]
Returning to the Beloved Homestead After More than a Year
It’s been seventeen months since I last saw my sisters and my mother. Like the rest of us during the Annis Horribilis, nobody has been able to see their families, and for me, it was absolutely refreshing to come down to New Jersey homestead once again and visit with the […]
Lacking the Dread in My Head
It’s hard to describe but anyone who has ever had dread knows just what it is. That looming fear, that thing hanging over you, that potential disaster just a ticking time bomb away. I used to have this sometimes when I worked for companies instead of myself. I was parking […]
Making Music Came Back Last Night
Music returned last night, what I used to do every Wednesday was again on the schedule. It was great to see the friends who were willing to play inside.
Central Florida for the Win!
Central Florida to Ocala, New Port Richie and Tampa was a perfect tonic after a year of no travel. Glass-bottomed boats at Silver Spring, Ybor City and more.
Randolph Churchill Was No Chip off Winston’s Block
Winston Churchill has always been a person who I hold in the highest esteem. Just listening to him speaking to the people of England during the serious times during World War II, hearing how he phrased his remarkable pleas for calm and to do what’s right. He’s the best. I […]
Post Vaccine Life Begins Right Now
I’m now post-vaccine, having had two Moderna vaccine shots and I am ready to resume my normal traveling life.
Kitchen Milestone, at Pandemic Finish Line
I’ve finished a milestone, the kitchen that has been a work in progress since 2015, is finally almost completely done.I’ve finished a milestone, the kitchen that has been a work in progress since 2015, is finally almost completely done.
Marching Through It
It’s a super chilly early March day out there, the kind of day when you’d much rather put another log on the fire than go outside, I want to walk but….come on, too cold. Hoping it warms up soon. I like this photo I captured of a tiny girl walking […]