Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square

It was my first overnight in London, a mere 18 hours to soak in the ambiance before I re-entered the United States after a three month absence.  I was searching for a curry shop, and I found Trafalgar Square.

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.

Jungle Fever in Nepal

Nepali rhino

The atmosphere is tense. We’ve hardly recovered from our morning expedition aboard a massive Asian elephant, where our mahout – the elephant’s trainer and lifelong companion – surprised us by giving chase after two rhinos through the dense underbrush. Now, over a steaming bowl of garlic soup, Malin has second thoughts about our next activity, the jungle walk.

“Lonely Planet says it’s pretty dangerous.” She frowns, looks at her boyfriend, Daniel. “People have died on this trip. Maybe we shouldn’t–” Read more >>

Houseboating the St. Johns

Houseboat on Silver Glen Run

As the sun fades into stripes of orange and purple across a backdrop of cypress trees behind me, I flick the rod and cast out to where I saw that last big bass jump out of the inky Hontoon Dead River. I watch a mama alligator drift across the river, drawn by instinct to the muffled gwonk of one of her young.
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Kinomagewapkong: Rocks that Teach

The Petroglpyhs

Hidden in deep woods in the rocky, lake-dotted landscape northeast of Toronto, a special park guards a sacred treasure. Massive slabs of marble, cracked and eroded by time, form a clearing in the forest. Dark crevices slice the stones and lead deep into the earth. Wildflowers and saplings take advantage of the cracks between the slabs, adding splashes of color against the light gray stone. Porcupines wander across the weathered surface, looking for young trees to gnaw.

The Ojibwa call this place “Kinomagewapkong,” the rocks that teach. Read more >>