A tourist can buy a lot of things in Fredericksburg, Texas. They can buy a cowboy hat, hand-sewn down the road or machine made halfway around the world and in a range of colors from black to tan to flamingo… Read More ›
Unusual retirement options
The Gold That Remains
It’s funny how travel works, the way one trip invariably sprouts into three: the planning, the experience, and the memory. How the experience may exactly match, or wildly differ from, the expectations. How memory tends to polish up the good… Read More ›
Farewell Pickles, and Thank You
Pickles is dead. About two weeks ago, my daughter-in-law found her unresponsive in her cage. Although she was only two, that’s roughly the life expectancy of a hamster—which is what Pickles was. She had been a breeding hamster and was… Read More ›
Bay City and Beyond
If you’ve never heard of Bay City, Michigan, raise your left hand like you are about to recite an oath—palm facing away from you, thumb to the right. Your hand is now a map of the lower peninsula of Michigan…. Read More ›
Conclave: The Sequel
I enter Vatican Square late afternoon in anticipation of the first conclave vote. Security is heavy, but once inside people are playing games or lounging on cobblestones. Children chase each other in circles. It’s a leisurely Sunday afternoon picnic vibe…. Read More ›
The World In Between 