Prisoner of Hopes

Category: Nature

  • Travel Goals: Wildlife Adventures

    It started out as a simple hiking trip, just a few days with a friend to explore a highly rated woodland trail. Nature had other plans. Reviewing the forecast as we packed, we decided that two days on the the at temperatures well over 100 with high humidity was probably not smart. So we decided…

  • Summer Struggles

    I have a love/hate relationship with my yard. It is spacious with wonderful trees. I have small garden spaces and patios. I even have a large freestanding octagonal swing structure surrounding a fire pit. We also have delightful wildlife that, four months out of the year, turn into creatures of mass destruction. I love to…

  • Down by the Riverside: Travel Goals

    In the evening, the air is different. A breeze moves in and the sailboats head upriver. In the approaching sunset, a faint glow emanates from behind the clouds. The light shifts subtly, and a chill descends on the riverside. It is calm by the river. People laugh and talk. Lovers hold hands as they watch…

  • Acting Like Children: Travel Goals

    I love a good park. Parque das Nacoes was created in 1998 as the site of the Lisbon World Exposition. It is a large modern park along the banks of the Tagus. After several failed attempts to exit the Oriente metro, we eventually found our way to the central section of the park. We had…

  • Ado at the Zoo: Travel Goals

    I love zoos. When I was a kid, my parents would take us to the zoo for the whole day. St. Louis has a world class zoo. It is free and available to everyone in order to promote conservation and love of animals. As an adult, I still visit the St. Louis zoo as often…

  • Cinderella in Wonderland: Travel Goals

    As a little girl, I read countless fairytales. Cinderella going to a ball in a carriage made from a pumpkin requires imagination. The carriages in the Museu dos Coches are beyond imagination. I walk around the fantastical creations in disbelief. Kings and queens used these rolling masterpieces to make a grand entrance. I don’t know…

  • A Walk in the Woods

    Today was unusually warm. I woke up and could smell the trees. It smelled like Spring. The outdoors called to me. Anticipation. A short drive to a state park delivered me to hills of endless trees. There were several trails to choose from. Each, an entry way into the forest. Happiness. There were others on…

  • In Praise of Trees

    I love trees.  They speak to me in ways that I can’t adequately describe. The sturdiness of their limbs, the roots reaching deep into the ground, the delicate leaves; all contribute to their timeless beauty.  Of course, trees are also practical. Trees keep the air clean by filtering carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen. One…