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I decided to join some actual nomads and play at being a mendicant (instead of the bougie owner of 2.5 homes that I actually am). So I trekked out to Quartzite, AZ, which acquired some fame due to a book and film entitled “Nomadland”. Many truly homeless people come in their vehicles to boondock in…

Well, it’s been a minute so what better way to ring in the New Year than to exhume the blog. Horrific politics and health issues notwithstanding, like the Everyready bunny (how many of you are old enough to remember that one?) I keep going. This has been a week! The weather in Cannon Beach has…

This year, in order to commemorate the 11 year anniversary of Miles’ passing into the Land of Peace and Repose, I decided to take the Nomad Moon out camping with my cat Dobby.  I always like to do something contemplative and private. Since I have taken precious few van trips this summer, I thought it…

Living on the Pacific NW coast brings its share of beauty and ruggedness, desolation and introversion. Some can hack it, some can’t. For my part, having experienced the stormy extremes of weather on the Oregon coast, I have joined the ranks of the fair weather coasties. Though I consider myself pretty independent, there is a…

We’ve saved the biggest and best for last, but I’m totally in ruins by now. Trying really hard to keep all this ancient history straight but it’s starting to all run together. What everyone comes to see in Athens is of course the Acropolis, which is the sanctuary of the goddess of Athena, protector of…

You might know that the term “agoraphobia” means fear of the market place. People who suffer from this disorder are afraid of being in open public spaces. I learned from our tour guides that market places were the center of public life in ancient times as well. I suffer from what I call “agoraphilia”: love…

Our second to last night on the ship was a stormy one, but I thoroughly enjoyed the gentle rocking as we were drifting off to sleep. We even braved stepping out on deck just before the crew closed it to passengers and made us come inside. I wish we could have had more days at…

Rhodes is a Greek medieval fortressed city but of course it was conquered and settled by many different people. It was held by the Knights of St John during the Crusades and a large palace remains. One obvious difference between Turkish and Greek towns is that Greece is mostly Christian so one notices more churches…

Parts of Turkey were conquered by the Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, the Ottomans and many others. I tried to prepare myself for Turkey and Greece by reviewing my ancient history, but I never paid attention to the classics in college so there was a lot to catch up on. It doesn’t help to know…

One of the nice things about being on a cruise is that you can visit lots of different places and not have to keep repacking luggage and changing hotels constantly. I love being aboard a ship and all things marine. Viking cruises don’t allow children and have less passengers so, although we pay for the…