A Tribute to my Mother
When my parents met in 1929, Dad was in his final year of medical training and Mom in her first year of medical school. As
Writing by Hand: Accessing Memories in Writing Memoir
I recently searched online for memoir writing tips to see how often handwriting might be suggested. To my surprise I found little mention of what
To Marilyn, Who Was Always There for Me
I’m writing this blog on what would have been my sister Marilyn’s eighty-fourth birthday. She is always in my thoughts, even though she passed away
Living with Mountains
Over the course of my life, I’ve lived in various settings that are considered mountainous. I grew up in northcentral West Virginia, part of the
Winter Solstice Memories
As I write these words on the 2023 winter solstice, I’m remembering the solstice of 1997. It’s a treasured memory, coming almost exactly a year
The Transformative Power of Telling Your Story
I recently visited Alaska to hold two public events for my book, Whispers from the Valley of the Yak. As always, being back in Alaska
Family Heritage: My Parents’ China Letters
For nearly two decades, I’ve kept a Christian Science Monitor article on the rewards of transcribing family letters and papers. Having completed my family transcription
Leaving China, Part 2: Making Our Way Back to America
After our harrowing flight from Chengdu in late 1944, my family spent four nights in Kunming under a moon waxing to full. Japanese warplanes attacked
Leaving China: The story my Father never told
My father was a gifted storyteller, but he never talked about our family’s departure from war-torn West China in December 1944. I’ve recreated this harrowing story from my father’s perspective.
Adventure Travel, Part 2
The joy of international adventure travel comes from exploring local cultures with curiosity and an open mind.
Adventure + Travel = Adventure Travel
Whether inherited or acquired, I too consider traveling to be adventurous. But that wasn’t always my mindset…On Kodiak, perhaps it was the island life, especially the closeness to nature that was so profoundly healing for me.
Sense of Place
When I first heard the term “sense of place” in the late 1980s, it immediately resonated with me. Mountains and mountainous landscapes are my special places.