Driving up the steep switchbacks of the Savoie to a historic plateau in the French Alps, our caravan came to an abrupt stop. It didn’t take long to see – and hear – the reason why. On the narrow road in front of us, a group of French dairy farmers was shepherding a...
We leaned into winter. It leaned back, hard.
In my fevered dreams, there’s always snow. So much snow that my mind struggles to find a way to accurately count just how much is falling from the sky onto the white, ice-covered streets of Asahikawa, Japan. Although it makes no logical sense, I am frantic to make sure I count each flake,...
What to do after another attack in Europe? Travel!
After the recent protests in Paris and the shooting Tuesday night in Strasbourg, the instinct of some of our American friends is to scratch France off their travel list. One friend canceled a planned trip to Paris, and another said, “Strasbourg was on my list of places to travel, but now, maybe not.” ...
Leaning into winter in a quiet corner of France
It has finally gotten cold enough that the red fox serenading us almost every night during the fall has gone silent. Or maybe we just can’t hear it anymore because the skylights in our bedroom facing the valley are closed tight for the winter. Throughout autumn, we could hear the fox, usually around...
What is our purpose? Through travel, a search for meaning
We’ve been thinking lately about our purpose in life. Philosophers have spent lifetimes pondering the question, but I’m happy to say that for people on the cusp of 60, it doesn’t deliver quite as much of an existential punch as it did when we were 18. Paula and I put in more than...
Captives of France: An escape story
Standing at the prefecture window in Dijon, Paula and I realized with sudden, inescapable clarity that we were trapped in France. On the surface, this was a situation unlikely to elicit sympathy from our friends. “Poor you, stuck in a beautiful country, in summer, with nothing but Paris and Aix-en-Provence and Normandy and...
On American Independence Day, citizens from 10 countries speak with one voice
Paula and I have been living in France for fewer than 11 months, absorbing as much French culture as we possibly can, reveling in the differences and similarities we notice between France and New Orleans, our home for more than 40 years. One of the things we’ve learned is that there is a...
Springtime in Sweden: A love story
We just spent three days in Stockholm on Sweden’s southeast coast, and two days in Göteborg (Gothenburg) on the southwest coast, the first time for either one of us in Scandinavia. Paula grew up with relatives who emigrated from Sweden, so the trip was very personal for her. Here are some impressions after...
Retired? We need a new word for this crazy, busy life
“Are you retired?” The question always stumps us. Every day for 37 years I went to a newsroom. Then one day a little more than a year ago, I suddenly stopped. And now, 13 months later, I’m still not sure how to answer. On the one hand, it’s easy. Yes, Paula and I...
Magic Hour in Flavigny
This morning at the weekly Sunday gathering on the terrace at the épicerie, we sat in the springtime sunshine with about 20 of our neighbors and friends, enjoying the long-awaited warmth and light. Everyone gathered in a big circle, sharing tidbits of gossip and news in rapid-fire French that Paula and I still...