Where gnomes roam

When you’re out for a hike and you see a mushroom like this, you immediately think of gnomes. At least I do. I had the good fortune to take a trip last fall as part of my annual SATW Conference to Germany’s Black Forest. It’s been on my life list for hiking. After a day hike near Baden-Baden, our group was transported to Baiersbronn, a major jumping-off point for hiking in the Black Forest, so we could enjoy a rather rugged day hike in the deep dark woods. It’s the land of fairy tales, that’s for sure. And I’d like to spend a few weeks in here. Next time. Meanwhile, the gnomes have it to themselves when no one else is looking.

Not Buying It: A trial balloon

The temptations of IKEA

Imagine a world without shopping.

Some of you may shrink away in horror at the thought. But if you’re like me, shopping isn’t a recreational activity to begin with.  Okay, well, except maybe on those visits to IKEA. Thank goodness it’s far enough away to qualify as a travel destination.

After reading the book Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping (Amazon affiliate link – I borrowed a copy from the public library)  I got it in my head, “well, I can do that.”  After all, I’m trying to be frugal so I can travel more, and I just can’t think of a lot of things I need to buy.  Like author Judith Levine, I sketched out boundaries of how I could practically quit buying things.

I settled on consumption as the main qualifier.  If I was paying for a consumable – groceries, a dinner out, lodging – I’d still spend the money. It’s  tough to be a travel writer, especially in the middle of a project, and not do that. But otherwise, my Lenten pledge to myself was to Not Buy It.  Acquisition of objects wasn’t going to happen if I could help it.

It didn’t take long before I was prepping to go away on a research trip and realized that some file folders would be a smart idea. I was in Big Lots with them in my hand when the Not Buying It mantra rumbled through my head. Oops! I put them back on the shelf and walked out. Stopping there to shop was a reflective reaction to a “need” I had internalized on my way home from the bank, and it wasn’t until I left that I starting thinking about how often I did that in everyday life when I ran errands – picked something up at Walgreens, or Target, or Dollar General when I was on the way home from somewhere. Did I really need that stuff?

Three weeks on the road commenced. When I travel for research, I’ve gotten in the habit of picking up little doodads for family gifts and buying books everywhere I go. On this trip, I’d walk into gift shops and actively suppress the urge to buy. At first it felt pretty weird, but after a while, it was simply a relief.  Research-wise, however, I was in a quandary.  It helps to buy local history books … but did I *need* to?

I agonized long and hard over the first one. As I handed the director a $20 bill, she said “now this is a donation – we don’t sell books.”  Saved by the small print, but it still felt like I was cheating on my promise.  I promptly handed the book over to Mom so I wouldn’t “own” it.

By the end of my 40-plus days of Not Buying It, I thought I’d done pretty well. I wasn’t perfect, but I stayed pretty close to the mark. A few oops:

- I bought postcards to send to family and cards to send thank yous to people who helped me with my travels  (I ran out of the ones I brought with me)
- I bought another history book that I knew I needed and was afraid I’d never find again
- I bought a 99 cent e-book and a WordPress theme before realizing that virtual things are things, too.

Much as Judith Levine discovered in her year of Not Buying It,  the act of not acquiring things is a toughie when you’ve been born and raised in a consumerist society.  The best part about my experiment, beyond the cash savings, is that I’ve become aware of when I’m spending money, and I pause and think about it first. That’s a valuable lesson.

If you’re trying to be frugal, or at least get a grip on your own spending, you might find some inspiration in these blogs that I follow on a regular basis:

Becoming Minimalist
Miss Minimalist
The Non-Consumer Advocate

Kalo Paxi!

Easter in Corfu

Easter is Greece is a joyous time, a season of rebirth and renewal. Spending Easter with my sisters on the island of Corfu was very special for me, since it is the one place in Greece that truly goes all out with all aspects of the celebration. The culmination of Easter evening services is the lighting of the candles at midnight as Easter arrives. The lights spread quickly across the city. Watching from a friend’s balcony on the Liston, it was a moving scene.

Springtime and new beginnings

Springtime is a joyous time, especially when you spend it chasing blooms across the Southeast. I’m working on a new project that had me on the road for nearly a month with my Mom, our stops covered in pillowy mounds of colorful azaleas, bright bursts of redbuds, smiling nods of camellias, and hundreds of other flowers best described by sharing as photos.

Blooms at Hugh MacRae County Park, Wilmington NC

Springtime is a time of new beginnings, too. Easter reminds us of sacrifice, renewal, and rebirth. Birds rush about with nesting material – I watched a cardinal carrying pine needles to create a nest in an azalea bush , and have seen other songbirds making off with bits and pieces of the Spanish moss around my house.

I’m on track for another new beginning here in my own virtual house: a fresh paint of coat on this blog, the rediscovery of a backup drive with nearly two years of missing blog posts – mostly about my travels – patiently waiting to be reloaded onto my website, and a new set of goals for 2011.

One of my goals is to share with you my journey as a freelancer so I can help you with the nuts and bolts of how to live your dreams. I get a lot of amusing comments on Facebook to the tune of “you’re so lucky!” or “I wish I could do that!” when I share where I am and what I’m doing. Luck has little to do with it, and yes, you can do it too.  There are no big secrets here, just a willingness to “hike your own hike,” as my friends say, and blaze your own trails.

Watch for more frequent commentary from me. And thanks for following along.

Curious about George in Santorini

Ascending George in Santorini

When Sally and I went to Santorini, I was blown away by the geological delights of the places. Just being in the Cyclades was fun enough, but to be roaming about a massive volcano that was still huffing and puffing at its core … call us crazy, but there we were. After enjoying the delights of Oia and the far shores, we took a boat trip to the cinder cone in the middle of the caldera, which is filled by the sea. From the rim above, it didn’t look so massive as it did when we got off the boat and began to ascend.  George, as the locals call it, spewed out sulfur in fumaroles and deposited crystals of yellow, pink, and orange all over the bubbly basaltic rocks.

North Rim of the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon North Rim

Like most people, I had always wanted to see the Grand Canyon. The opportunity came in 2004 during a business trip that involved Las Vegas and Scottsdale, Arizona. Lo and behold, the Grand Canyon sat between them … but what a long, involved drive! Still, it was worth every mile to visit Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon – a triple play of National Parks – in one go.  The best approach to this famed spot was from Kanab, Utah to the North Rim, and although it was Memorial Day weekend there were still piles of snow all along the entrance road. Our time there was much too short … I feel a need for a long Western States road trip coming on.

Taking shelter in the Smokies

Taking shelter in the Smokies

In spring, hiker’s thoughts turn to the Appalachian Trail, the granddaddy of all long distance hiking trails in America.  My last expedition of any real length on the AT was with several friends from Florida, traversing half the Smokies during fine weather in June.  In the Smokies, hikers are asked to use the shelters at night because of bear activity. Most of the shelters have fencing across the front to keep the bears out.  This was one of the more pleasant shelters along the journey.