Prisoner of Hopes

Category: Perspectives

  • 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…

  • Some Days Are Just Beautiful: Travel Goals

    Some days are just beautiful. The sky is unbearably blue. The air is cool but the warmth of the sun kisses your cheeks. A slight breeze teases your skin and all seems well with the world. It is an impulse stop. I am on my way to a work related training. We are headed north…

  • Country Roads: Travel Goals

    Detours are what you make of them. My husband has a no back track rule. He doesn’t like out and back journeys. I don’t know why. In his view, we can go out of our way as long as it leads to somewhere we haven’t already been. I, on the other hand, am paradoxical. I…

  • Echos of the Past: Travel Goals

    As a person completely fascinated with history, Ireland is a treasure chest waiting to be opened. Every town and field has a story to tell. People care about their past and work to preserve the historical record. Nowhere is this more evident than in the town of Ballina, where we experienced the Jackie Clarke collection.…

  • Ennis on Adrenaline: Travel Goals

    Landing in Ireland is always a little magical. I always know there is a fine misty morning awaiting. The first shiver of cool air and a breath of soil and sea welcome me home. Ireland is in my dna. I have never lived here, but if memory can be passed down through generations then something…

  • Zoological Meandering: Travel Goals

    I love zoos. Where else can you go to see animals frolic, listen to children laugh, learn science, and also help conservation efforts world wide? I especially love zoos that take wildlife management and animal quality of life seriously. Today’s zoo have come a long way and are continuing to evolve. We like to visit…

  • 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…

  • When the Culture Gap Seems Wide: Travel Goals

    We have been home for almost a month and Norway seems a distant memory. I finally have the photos digitally organized and labeled. My photo book has been ordered. I have even created a dvd slide show of our adventures. But what I have really done is stored memories that help us bridge a culture.…

  • Leaving in a Jet Plane: Travel Goals

    I used to love air travel. It seemed glamorous and uncomplicated. Over the last two decades, while prices have gone up, the experience has definitely lost its luster. Perhaps I am jaded or turning into an old curmudgeon. Or perhaps profit motive and misguided security measures have ruined the experience. I used to call a…

  • We Haven’t Got Munch Time: Travel Goals

    We have only a few hours before we leave Oslo for the airport. We have said goodbye to our apartment and turned in the keys. The hotel that we stayed at on our first nights in Norway graciously agrees to hold our luggage so we can zip across town to the Munch Museum. Munch is…