“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” ~F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Fall comes late in California. The warm gentle air of summer still lingers, wrapping itself around your shoulders like a favorite woolen sweater. The earth is a dusty powder; the sky, the color of sapphire. But for … Read More
“Every dreamer knows that it’s entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.” ~Judith Thurman A few days ago, I ran across a word I’d never seen before that literally stopped me in my reading tracks. Fernweh: (noun) An ache for distant places; a … Read More
About six weeks ago an inquiry popped up in my Facebook message box from journalist Nourhan El Kelawy, wondering if I‘d be interested in having a blog post I’d written about Oman’s ancient lost city of Sumhuram featured on the CNN Arabic website. I think it took all of about five seconds – and a … Read More
“Afoot and lighthearted, I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.” ~Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road The original plan was to fly. In the perfect world scenario that had played in my mind, our bags would be packed, and … Read More
It was one of those infamous Southern California mornings of May Gray when you want to reach up and pry the clouds apart. The sun is comfortably hidden above its shroud-covered floor, and you know that no amount of wishing or cajoling is going to make it break through the fog. I was sitting at … Read More
These days of social distancing are folding one into the next, as if the calendar’s only purpose is to decorate our desktops. Except for daily walks in the neighborhood and weekly grocery runs, we remain inside, quarantined in a strange new existence, hiding from an invisible foe we hope to never meet. It has been … Read More
“I would do it soon.” It was the word we were dreading to hear. Herb and I were sitting in the office of Dr. Lars Svensson, world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon and Chairman of the Heart & Vascular Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Svensson was reviewing the status of a defective heart valve that Herb had … Read More
“If bliss can be described as an exalted state of wishing not to be anywhere else, then this had been bliss.” ~Paul Theroux, Fresh Air Fiend: Travel Writings Car horns were beeping, and morning traffic was in full swing as we headed out on Ring Road to the Giza pyramid complex. It wasn’t Cairo’s traffic that … Read More
“As you set out for Ithaca hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery… And may you visit many Egyptian cities to learn and go on learning from their scholars.” ~C.P. Cavafy, Ithaca “I know a short-cut,” our driver was saying as we were headed to Dubai’s International Airport. It was … Read More
With only one day to experience Dubai, I knew this was going to be a “greatest hits” kind of tour. Last night’s surprise architectural extravaganza had offered a preview of what this United Arab Emirates city is all about – biggest, newest, tallest and dressed up in its sparkly best. Attractions are spread out across … Read More