Travel Writing
How I Got the Bug
My first trip to another country was in 1994 with my mom. We went to France. I thought it would be a fun and interesting trip, but I wasn't expecting to become addicted to travel. I was hooked and had to see the world and all it had to offer. After a vacation to England, I became determined to live there. I wanted to live in a foreign country as a local, not a tourist. So I quit my job, traded in my car for a bicycle and a rain poncho and moved to York, England.
Run In With a Sea Turtle
One of my life long dreams was to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The experience lived up to the hype. Not only was it amazing, but I made friends with a baby sea turtle. I was able to swim with and feed him. This trip resulted in a prize winning photo and a travel article in the Arizona Republic.
Island of Giant Lizards
The photo of me feeding the sea turtle won second place in The Grand Circle Travel photo contest. The prize was money to be used on a trip. This enabled me to go on the trip of a lifetime, a trip I never thought I'd ever do. I went to the Galapagos Islands.
I walked amongst the giant land and marine iguanas. It was an amazing experience. These animals had no fear. They did not pay any attention to us humans. I also snorkeled with baby sea lions, who were just as curious about me as I was about them.
Adventures with Mom
Over the past eight years Mom and I have taken a major trip each year through Grand Circle travel including trips to Scandinavia, European River Cruises, Canadian Maritimes, Egypt and the Nile, and China. Senior groups and Grand Circle travelers have requested copies of “Mom Versus Amsterdam” and encouraged me to pursue publication and write additional essays. "Mom Tackles Tut" and “Mom Meets Mao” are currently in production. My 2008 trip with Mom was a river cruise to the Provence region of France where Mom studied forty years ago. What secrets I discovered from her past! Ooh la la!