St Clair Shores, Michigan – We have given up a lot this year (as everyone has). But I wasn’t quite ready to give up our annual time with the grandparents on Lake St Clair. After much deliberation, we finally came…
Birding at the Venice Rookery
Venice, Florida – One of our favorite annual activities is birding at the Venice Rookery. Just before sunset, hundreds of birds come home to roost on this tiny island, managed by the Venice Audubon Society. This outing offers prime bird…
Frogs are Singing
Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica – But something in myself for maybeFrom somewhere other said: not tooMany words, please, in the muddy shallows the Frogs are singing. Mary Oliver, from Swan: Poems and Prose Poems, Beacon Press.
Corcovado National Park
Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica – The next adventure: a 2-day hike across Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula. Day one was from Los Patos station to Sirena station, 21km over muddy trails through primary and secondary rainforest. We saw…
All the Feels
Cabo Matapalo, Costa Rica – The last two and a half weeks have been an whirlwind of terrifying and gratifying adventures, countless bird and animal sightings, long drives on bumpy roads, intense loneliness, and overwhelming gratitude for the opportunity to…
The Twins do DC
Washington DC – In another life, I used to live in Washington DC. In fact, this is where Daddio and I met, way back when (but that’s a story for another time). This year, we took the twins for their…
Winter Break Escape
Sarasota, Florida – This week the twins joined all of the other grandchildren of Massachusetts, making our annual winter break escape to Sarasota, Florida. I don’t love Sarasota: there are too many strip malls and traffic jams. But how I…
Venice Museum of Natural History
Venice, Italy – The Venice Museum of Natural History is creepy. So of course my kids loved it. This place is filled with specimens that explorers brought back from around the world — featuring everything from stuffed animals to mummies…
Adventure awaits in Costa Rica national parks
Covering some 10% of Costa Rican territory, the country’s national parks protect a stunning array of landscapes – wetlands and forests, caves and volcanoes, and habitats for creatures galore. This is the country’s greatest natural resources, and it’s all yours…
Big Cat Habitat
Sarasota, Florida – We took a break from the beach to visit the lions and tigers and bears (Oh my!) at the Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary. It’s like a zoo, except all of the animals are rescues.…