We hope today finds you cozy, finding some small moments of joy in the last week of this very unsettling year. For the first time, I recently really listened to the words of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Although it was written in 1944 during World War II, it certainly speaks to our reality […]
Author Archive for Laurel (AKA chickadee) – Page 7
I don’t mean to give you whiplash, but our blog is heading back to the Maritimes now. We will be in Florida at least through next spring, and I’m determined to get our blog caught up before we get back on the road. (Hope springs eternal, and all that.) Picking up where we left off […]
As of Wednesday, almost everything has been ticked off the ‘to do’ list on the remodel. Well, not everything—but enough so that the house is comfortable and the contractors are gone. We had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, including being back in the house, the weather cooling off, and the fact that […]
Wow. Is it really over? I hope so. I am deeply relieved to step off of this insane election roller coaster. It probably comes as no surprise to anyone who knows us that we did not vote for the incumbent. But this election has made me think long and hard about the state of our […]
In late October last year, we spent a few days in Salem, Massachusetts as we made our way back to Florida from the Maritimes. (This post is way out of order in our travels, but this blog is obviously perfect for today. Plus, it’s 2020. I need an escape.) In 1692, the infamous Salem witch […]
In 2019, we spent an idyllic summer exploring Canada’s Maritime Provinces, followed by a leisurely fall journey down the East Coast of the U.S. It seems like a lifetime ago, and an alternate reality. I’ve been wanting to write about those adventures for almost a year. Instead, my attention has been consumed by surviving the […]
A devastating wildfire raged two miles from our home in Ashland, Oregon last week. A swath of burned rubble extends almost 20 miles north, smoke still blankets the valley, and some of our closest friends are displaced. In Portland and Bend, our family and friends are suffering from the effects of nearby wildfires and are […]
I‘ve had big plans of writing about our last summer’s adventures for many months now. But life keeps getting in the way. Every day, I look at an index card propped up by my computer. It says, “How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives. ~Annie Dillard.” As I push […]
Thank you, dear friends, for your great kindness in the loving and supportive comments you left in honor of my dad. During this time when we’ve not been able to gather with family and friends to celebrate my dad’s life and mourn his passing, your words have brought me comfort and lifted my spirits. I […]
I lost my beloved father on May 1st. He was 91 years old, but I wasn’t ready for him to go. If you had known my dad, you wouldn’t have wanted to lose him, either. The past few weeks have been hard. Harder than I imagined. From the moment of my sister’s call—”Daddy’s gone“—I feel […]
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If you enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, birding, art, music, quirky towns, good food, and good friends—you'll enjoy traveling with us. Join us as we explore the backroads of North America—we love company and comments!