Blog
Waking Up to Winter in the Mountains
I thought inside was quiet until I opened the sliding glass door of the log cabin balcony. When the seal was broken, inside became a turbulent detonation of noise—the clicks of the heater are an angry percussionist, the ambient hum of the humidifier a raging swarm of bees, the creak of the floorboards falling timber—compared to the sacred stillness of the snowy morning.
Jacuzzi in the Snow
Snow falls like shooting stars as I zoom through space. I blink as a flake hits my eye, and smile. Kingly pine trees scrape the night sky, holding out arms coated in white bouquets of snow, eclipsed by black branches. Returning my craning neck to a comfortable position, I sink deeper into the curve of my jacuzzi throne, letting my ice cold back submerge into contrasting tea-hot water. Snowflakes sting my exposed skin, a painful pleasure.
A Walk with Moses in the National Aquarium, Baltimore
It is dark. Deep echoes like whale songs and tinkering space rain sounds submerge me, making me feel like a mermaid in a shipwreck. On either side of me, wrapping all the way around the spiraling, descending stairwell, tall panes of glass show me the quiet secrets of the ocean. I am like Moses with the red sea parted in a wall of water to his right and to his left.
Kayaking to Epply Island
There is a small island in Lake Wallenpaupack, visible from my family’s cabin, called Epply Island. My best friend and I decided to take a kayak trip to it for a picnic day while she was visiting me during my two-month stay there to escape the craziness of 2020. We explored, did some yoga, ate lunch, and tried out her mermaid tail. When some storm clouds rolled in, we headed back with sore muscles and happy hearts.
The Paupack Blueberry Farm
The Paupack Blueberry Farm is a local pick-your-own blueberry farm in Paupack, Pennsylvania. It has 3 fields open to to the public and homemade baked goods made fresh every morning! I highly recommend their oatmeal squares.
A Walk in the French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
We follow the sticky-sweet powdered-sugar smell of beignets through overhanging Spanish moss, draping like abandoned sage curtains over the limbs of knobby, bayou trees: out of place among the urban landscape. French and Spanish architecture transports me to another time as our path opens up and we are on a courtyard of stone, overlooking Jackson Square.
Holding a Baby Alligator at Gator Country
Gator Country provides a fun and adventurous time for all ages, learn and interact with various animals large and small. There, I got to hold a baby alligator for the first time and saw the world’s largest alligator in captivity, measuring 14 feet in length.
Sea Kayaking to Playa Blanca, Costa Rica
We kayaked around a little peninsula of dry mounds that Walter said would be bright green in the rainy season. (Costa Rica only has two seasons: dry and rainy, always hot.) After so much time in the jungle, it felt good to be on the open ocean. We didn’t paddle super far, but came around to a spot called Blanco beach, where the sand was white and soft. There, we stopped to swim and see some fish hidden among the rocks. I saw a few bright blue ones that reminded me of the blue morpho butterflies, a brilliant shade that seemed impossible.
Costa Rica Waterfall Exploration
The final waterfall fell from towering heights into a vast turquoise pool. I swam to the side and climbed into the edges of the waterfall, letting it pelt me with stinging droplets. It was a magnificent end to a magnificent adventure. The four of us gathered for a group photo, and then began our journey back down the mountain. On the way, Tucker chased poison dart frogs, and Naomi and I sat on a twisting vine commonly called “Monkey Stairs.” It was truly wild.
Miro Mountain by Horseback
The horse in front of me, Paola, liked to stop stubbornly for herbal snacks along the way. We saw a weird, turkey-like bird in a tree with a red neck, and a toucan flew overhead so quickly that I would have missed it if the guide hadn’t pointed it out. Our final destination was Miro’s Mountain View to watch the sun sink lower in the sky, after which we returned the way we’d come.
An ATV Adventure Among Costa Rican Cows, Macaws, Monkeys, & Sloths
Opening a wooden and wire gate, our tour guide announced, “Welcome to Jurassic Park!” The terrain was earthy—lots of dirt, some mud, bumps, and trudging through water. Up and down and around we went, sometimes fast, sometimes carefully down steep slopes. At one point, we came into a pasture of cows that ran out of our way as we passed, mooing adorably!
Zip Lining Through Costa Rican Jungles
After a brief training, we began the journey up the mountain via a tractor up a steep, winding path. At times, it was hard to stay in my seat as gravity pulled me toward the back of the trailer! We got off and made our way into the dark jungle to the first platform. The trees loomed tall above us, teeming with the sounds of foreign chirps. Were they frogs? Birds? Crickets? I don’t know, but it was music to my ears.