“Our life is a constant journey, from birth to death. The landscape changes, the people change, our needs change, but the train keeps moving. Life is the train, not the station.” – Paulo Coelho Traveling by regional train is such a treat when you’ve been subjected to the indignities of air travel and commuting in…
The 1853 Newfield covered bridge is a survivor. Wooden bridges were usually torn down when they grew old. New York State once boasted of 250 such bridges, now there are only 24. And Newfield’s is the only remaining covered bridge in Tompkins County, New York. As with any survival tale, it comes with a story…
“As long as I live, I’ll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I’ll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I’ll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can.” – John Muir What is it about waterfalls?…
“The sea isn’t a place but a fact, and a mystery”– Mary Oliver, The Waves It’s been less than two weeks since I’ve visited the ocean, and it feels like forever. We’re deep into the holidays now, and the end of the quarter, the end of the year and the end of…
(Reposting this from December 7 after it reverted to a draft for some reason) A few days ago I said let it snow, and 1200 miles of driving in it constantly across the middle and Southern Tier of New York and through Massachusetts and New Hampshire I regret not being more specific in my statement….
The woman at the front desk looked at me and smiled as I checked in Tuesday, thanking me for being a Hilton Diamond member and informing me that my room was upgraded to a suite. I thanked her, still shaking off the miles of driving, accepted my cookie and water and rolled my bag to…
There are many ways to get from Boston to New York City. Driving or taking a bus are viable options that offer advantages in flexibility and economy. Flying used to be the fastest way until security requirements stretched the time commitment to be roughly the same as driving. And then there’s the train, the oldest…
There’s a painting in the long hallway at Richardson’s Canal House that you can get lost in for hours. The artist was Edith Lunt Small, who passed away in 2017, 38 years after creating this fanciful world on canvas. Edith lives on in the painting, portraying herself as a skinny-dipping artist swimming in the Erie…
“Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’” – Marcus Aurelius There are times when I read a page in a book and realize as I reach the end that my mind didn’t make the journey with my eyes. My mind will race along with thoughts of urgency of my own design, distractions of this,…
The Mayflower is famous as the ship that brought the English Pilgrims to settle in Massachusetts Bay in 1620. Less famous (in the northeast anyway) is the ship that brought Swedish settlers to the lower Delaware River (roughly where present-day Wilmington is) in 1638. This began the wave of Dutch settlement in the region, largely…
