Month: September 2015

Girls Receive Books in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, March 2006
Inspiration Life Lessons

Empowering Women is Key to Afghanistan’s Reconstruction

“Afghanistan will haunt you.” When these words were repeated during my 10-day visit to Kabul, I didn’t understand the meaning. A year later, I still struggle to comprehend the trip as images of Afghanistan haunt me.

Continue Reading
Mystical Wicklow Mountains, Ireland
Featured Nature Travel

Lookout, Ireland. I’m Heading Your Way in 2016

Look out, Ireland. I’m heading your way in 2016, at least that’s the plan. What started out as half a joke is another step toward reality.

Continue Reading
Featured Florida Fun Solo Travel

A Muddy Thrill at Florida Tracks & Trails in Punta Gorda

Some girls prefer mud massages or facials, I prefer playing in the mud. “You’ll get muddy,” I was told by the woman at the Florida Tracks & Trails Pro Shop. “Seriously, how muddy would I get?” I thought.

Continue Reading
Amulets Made by the Tai Dam People in the Loei Province of Thailand, March 2015.
Featured Solo with Others

Travel to Thailand: Dancing with the Tai Dam People

During my March visit to Thailand, I tossed aside my inhibitions and danced with the Tai Dam people in Ban Na Pa Nat of the Chiang Khan district in the Loei Province. And yes, I did it without the assistance of good libations.

Continue Reading
"‘The Canoes,"a Nancy Rubins Sculpture at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y.
Budget Travel Featured Nature Travel

National Parks, Select Museums Offer Free Admission on Sept. 26, 2015

Free is a beautiful word in this single gal’s vocabulary and Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, is indeed, a gorgeous day for my budget. It’s National Public Lands Day AND Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day Live! which means free admission into national parks and select museums.

Continue Reading
Driving Through Death Valley National Park
Budget Travel Florida Fun Nature Travel

Do Something Good for a Park, Forest or Preserve On National Public Lands Day, Sept. 26, 2015

Americans will be stepping into some of the country’s beautiful parks, forests and natural habitats to spruce them up on Saturday, Sept., 2015, during National Public Lands Day. If you’re not able to volunteer, the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USDA Forest Service have declared the day as a fee-free day which means free admission.

Continue Reading
Propose in the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art's Rose Garden
Budget Travel Florida Fun

Free Museum Admission Sept. 26, 2015 for Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day Live!

One of my favorite days is coming up on Sept. 26, 2015, it’s Smithsonian magazine’s Museum Day Live! Celebrating its 11th anniversary, it’s a day when more than 1,300 museums from across the United States celebrate the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington D.C.-based facilities by offering free admission.

Continue Reading
Travel to Portugal: Step On the Seal of the University of Coimbra to Gain Knowledge
Featured Solo Travel

5 Fun Bits of Trivia About the University of Coimbra, Portugal

You’ll think I’m a little batty with this random list of fun bits of trivia about the University of Coimbra. The visit was brief and was a stop during the Viking River Cruises’ Portugal’s River of Gold itinerary, a welcomed break on the drive between Lisbon and Porto.

Continue Reading