Prisoner of Hopes

Category: home

  • Heading Home

    It is a strange sensation when you have lived in a temporary home for awhile and it is time to leave. Our retirement plans include seeing the world, one rental house at a time. For this month, we have made our residence near the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is a no man’s…

  • Home Away From Home: Travel Goals Ireland

    When we travel, we try to rent locally. Ideally, we find a property that has been in the family for awhile. I look for local hosts who have great reputations. We avoid corporate rentals. I love spaces that feel lived in. I want local connections. But it is hard to make a selection from photographs…

  • Neighbors come calling: Travel Goals

    When you rent a farmhouse in county Leitrim, Ireland you expect a fair amount of pastoral beauty. The iconic green hillsides, the wild flowers and of course lots of sheep are part of the experience. Having been in Ireland several times prior, we knew what to expect. On our last adventure we spent a month…

  • Rural Road Trip: Out for a Walk

    When the mind races, I take a walk. If I am overwhelmed, I walk. If I have time to kill, I walk. Walking is good for my body and mind. I don’t really need an excuse to take a walk. Today I found myself with an extra hour between appointments and decided to take advantage…

  • 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…

  • “Ice”olated

    I am in the post- Christmas doldrums. It happens every year. I get all excited in the build up to the holidays. Family fun and endless games, fill the house with laughter. Trees and decorations light up the rooms with colorful sparkle. And then, everyone goes home and the decorations come down. The January sky…

  • All Good Things Must Come To An End: Travel Goals

    The end of a trip…sadness of leaving a new favorite corner of the world….happiness to be heading home. Despite the fact that I hate air travel (to be specific, I hate the hoops you have to go through at the airport), travel day is always exciting. We leave Lesa early in the morning and make…

  • 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…

  • Anticipated Arrivals: Travel Goals

    I love hosting company, especially if the company is family. Today my siblings, minus my youngest brother are coming to join us at our Italian retreat. The house has been cleaned. Groceries are bought and now I wait impatiently for their arrival. I take a walk around our quiet neighborhood waiting for their plane to…

  • A Walk On the Wild Side: Travel Goals

    After several weeks of touring historic sites and churches, we decided to broaden our Italian experience. Our destination for a local weekend experience was the Pombia Safari park. It is essentially a drive through zoo. You could drive your own car or ride in their safari wagon. We opted to drive. We arrived early, parked,…