Women’s March

In support of the Women’s March 2020 that took place last weekend, and anticipating with trepidation the upcoming election in little more than a week, it’s a good time to relive the excitement, camaraderie, and collective purpose of the march in 2017 in Denver. I also joined the 2018 Denver march; more links to photosContinue reading “Women’s March”

Vote. Just Do It!

Voting by mail has been the norm in Colorado for decades and ballots are finally being mailed out. I’m eager to speak my mind and will drop my ballot at the county building dropbox before Election Day. The importance of voting in the presidential election was seeded in my brain when I overhead my parentsContinue reading “Vote. Just Do It!”

Making Tortillas in Guatemala

Working with the editors at Ceramics Monthly to publish my article on the women potters (see previous post) was an interesting learning process. They were looking for a reporter style article and asked me questions which moved me in that direction, so I contacted friends in Guatemala for quotes and details. Usually, though, I writeContinue reading “Making Tortillas in Guatemala”

Women Potters of Guatemala

My article, “The Women Potters of Rural Guatemala,” based on a chapter from my book, appears in the October 2020 issue of Ceramics Monthly, the leading magazine for potters. I subscribed to CM for decades since my days as an art student and I’m honored to be included in their beautiful publication. As a travelerContinue reading “Women Potters of Guatemala”

Fate or coincidence

A visitor to the Georgetown Heritage Center, the old restored schoolhouse that hosts our Plein Air art show (A labor of love), told me a story about visiting a schoolhouse museum in Victoria, British Columbia. (I won’t repeat the story here; it’s his story.) He mentioned the Empress Hotel, which reminded me of my ownContinue reading “Fate or coincidence”

Pamplona: Bulls and elegant dinners

I have just learned that one of my favorite restaurants ever, anywhere in the world, is closing after thirty-two years: Restaurante San Ignacio. A wonderful indulgence on a memorable trip, and I never paid a cent for dinner because the owner, a dear friend, wouldn’t let me.  Most summers, I have spent a week inContinue reading “Pamplona: Bulls and elegant dinners”

A labor of love

The mountain town I live in—Georgetown, Colorado—is part of the Georgetown-Silver Plume National Historic Landmark District. A mouthful, I know, but it means that it’s been recognized as a place to preserve, to care for, and to last in its natural state for decades and even centuries to come. Historic preservation is a way ofContinue reading “A labor of love”

Festivals of Scotland

Who knew there were so many festivals in Scotland? A few years ago, my brother, son, and I took part in unique, fascinating celebrations all over that northern stretch of Great Britain in just two weeks. Years before, when I was teaching in Guatemala, I took an end-of-year holiday jaunt around the British Isles withContinue reading “Festivals of Scotland”

India: Sheroes

She + heroes. But I’ll get to that later. You have to keep on your toes in India; everyone has an angle. I’ve learned to be cautious, as an international traveler, with anyone who approaches unsolicited and offers a taxi. At the Delhi airport last spring, a taxi hawker beckoned for me to follow him.Continue reading “India: Sheroes”

Nepal: Milk Mothers and Happy Holi

I may not travel again any time soon, grounded as we all are by the coronavirus pandemic, but I still have travel stories in my head… A year ago, I joined a Habitat for Humanity build in Nepal, arriving in Kathmandu a day earlier than scheduled to explore on my own, after a five-day stopContinue reading “Nepal: Milk Mothers and Happy Holi”