I used to walk (ok, hustle) to school in Wenatchee, Washington. First, down Orchard Street to Orchard Middle School after we first moved to the U.S. (and after the kids recovered from their shock that I was the new girl from Jamaica and yet my skin didn't match their mental pictures). Then, from Utah Court over to Wenatchee High... but most memorably down the crazy driveway and back up the neighbor's horse access road to catch the bus in Sunnyslope. Like this*: It being the early 90s, I ... View Post
A Safe Spot in the Outdoors
In early 2012, I was fortunate through some of life's unusual circumstances to meet Ed Cooley, a nationally-renowned photographer living in Rogers, Arkansas. His stunning, more vivid than life photography is displayed at his own White River Gallery in historic downtown Rogers and is also currently exhibited at Tavola Trattoria in Bentonville. Ed and I began to get to know one another a bit, and although we don't connect frequently, he is high on my list of favorite people. When I met his wife ... View Post
On mothers and daughters and music and fire
Last night I sat around smoldering embers with the child of Arkansas. She asked for another torch and then settled for sticking a branch into the flames and writing smoky letters using the night sky as her canvas. She bounced restlessly from chair to chair under the half moon, and finally settled down on the grass. The little dog, ever her sentry, was restless too: the night sounds, distant sirens and neighborhood kids screeching like banshees left her anxious about protecting her little ... View Post
An Ode to Highway 71 in Arkansas – Part Two
Explore other meanderings, scenic byways and roads less traveled over at Travelin' Magpie. Follow this trip via Mapquest or see highlights, photos & check-ins on Foursquare. Part Two: Traveling Northbound from Lockesburg to Huntington In a previous post (a *while* back. cough.) I wrote a bit about my enduring affection for Highway 71 in Arkansas. In fact, that post even comes with a recommended soundtrack - go back and give it a quick read so this ramble is a bit more (or less) in ... View Post
Why The Hunger Games Is Appropriate For Small Children (Sort Of)
I was stunned when our oldest daughter, at about the age of five, casually mentioned Hannah Montana. At that time, she was neither spending time at other kids' houses nor watching TV without me knowing. How did she even come across the character? I didn't necessarily have anything against Hannah Montana, although I knew with certainty that she had not been exposed to that highly contagious virus at home. More recently, our youngest daughter donned a pair of my heels and threw a white, gauzy ... View Post
A Good House
It's 9:00 on a Saturday morning in June in a quiet little neighborhood. It's not the trendy place to live, but it has deep heart and soul. It's been around awhile. Very few people are stirring despite the stifling heat that is beginning to approach as the day wears on. In just ten minutes, the sounds of the neighborhood will change from birds chirping and the breeze ruffling the leaves of the old maple trees to the sounds of lawn mowers, sirens and traffic on the edge of the old neighborhood. ... View Post
