Prisoner of Hopes

Category: family

  • Donegal Drive: Travel Goals Ireland

    My favorite days in Ireland are unplanned ramblings. We know we want to spend time in Donegal, but it is more of a general idea than a plan. We say goodbye to the sheep standing in the driveway and head out along rural roads. We wander remote one lane roads until we find a lovely…

  • The Rovers: Travel Goals Ireland

    Of all the things we could be doing in Ireland, my our son in law wants to go to a Sligo Rovers game. I was thinking music festival or dinner by the sea. But it is their vacation and we have been here for weeks, so the local soccer game is now the plan for…

  • Origins: Travel Goals

    I like to dabble in family history. I have heard and sought out the stories where I could. Scots Irish traders settle in Appalachia and meet Cherokee women. English settlers meet somewhere along the way and mingle in one twisted tree. Some branches dry up as written record and oral traditions meet. I have traced…

  • Peonies Make Me Think Of You

    In the Spring the peonies pop up from the ground in vibrant greens. As their big leafy stalks appear, I think of you. Memories come unbidden of sitting on your front porch in the Spring rain. I would rock slowly in the old iron chair that used to sit in your Dad’s lawn. Generational history…

  • My Toes Are Cold

    As I sit and watch the snow outside my window, my toes are cold. But my coffee is warm. I have central heating in my house and a blanket on the arm of my chair. My toes are cold, but they don’t have to be. Down the hall, I have a warm bed which I…

  • Another Christmas….

    I am up early this morning. Another Christmas when I can’t sleep. Waiting in the glow of Christmas tree lights, I give thanks for the family sleeping under my roof this morning. Another Christmas Eve is in the books. Everyone gathered and all the cars in the driveway, I finally relax. My version is to…

  • Regroup: Travel Goals

    The only thing stranger than receiving company while traveling abroad is sending them off while you remain. After our whirlwind week together with the extended family, we were exhausted. Everyone (except me) slept late. We starts the day slowly, sharing coffee and pastries. And we reluctantly said our goodbyes. They were headed to Milan to…

  • Grand Torino: Travel Goals

    With only one more day to spend with the siblings in Italy, we decided to head to Turin (Torino). This often overlooked town was the capitol of the Northern Roman Empire and the domain of the Savoy dynasty. There are more palaces in and around Turin than you will find in entire countries. The Palazzo…

  • Unsupervised: Travel Goals

    The minute our guide left us, we were u supervised in Milan. Relieved to be on our own, I gladly traded in my earpiece speaker. Maybe we won’t know quite as much as a tour guide but we can enjoy sights at our own pace. Our first order of business was to buy tickets to…

  • Milano At a March: Travel Goals

    It was a priority to see the Last Supper at the Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan. To get the tickets into there Last Supper, we had to take a tour. I may have mentioned that I am generally not a tour person.The walking tour of Milan started at 8:15 am. Our house was at…