This week I'll be heading out on my Solo Journey. For the first time, my destination is in my own state: the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Those barrier islands off the coast separate the Atlantic Ocean from the mainland. Included in the area is Roanoke Island that was the site of England’s first settlement in … Continue reading Time to Take Off
Solo journeys
Late Bloomers: Never too Old to Start
Last Saturday after we finished my Book Launch, I joined two of the women who helped host the event in the kitchen as they were finishing putting away the food. "We were just talking about how brave you are to go on those journeys by yourself," LaVerne told me. "Yeah, we don't think we could … Continue reading Late Bloomers: Never too Old to Start
Happy Birthday to Me!
Yesterday was my birthday. I spent the day with my ten-month-old grandson, Baker. We alternated between playing with his stuffed 'my first basketball' while watching the March Madness games and him practicing walking. He gave me my first "Happy Birthday Grandma" card and reminded me why I need to stay healthy. Being with him was … Continue reading Happy Birthday to Me!
People in My Path: Tapestry of Support
When I go on my Solo Journeys each year, I pray before I leave that God will "bless me and the people in my path." I never know who those people will be, but when traveling alone I know that I'll depend on others along my way, and they may need that same support from … Continue reading People in My Path: Tapestry of Support
Solo Journey 2019: Outer Banks Bound
Lately, I'm reminded of the end of my 9th grade year, when it was time for exams and all I wanted was to be done, especially clearing the last hurdle: passing my Algebra I exam. I'd gotten myself into a hole by falling behind because I was afraid of my tall, stern teacher, Mr. Calhoun. … Continue reading Solo Journey 2019: Outer Banks Bound
Sunday Suppers
It was almost 9:30 on Friday night when the Amtrak train finally pulled into Penn Station in New York City. The eleven- hour ride from Durham was my first solo journey by rail. Our younger son, Ross, was twenty-eight and had lived in Manhattan for five years. I would spend the weekend with him before … Continue reading Sunday Suppers
Color’s Calling
The gray days of early February were weighing me down. Being used to moderate winters in North Carolina, I’d had about all I could take of sub-freezing days and the sun hiding out behind depressing clouds. At that time, I was in a group of women who were learning to knit scarves. When my mood … Continue reading Color’s Calling
Lavender Field Morning
The Pelindaba Lavender Farm stretched before me like a landscape canvas; foreground with rows of lavender, mid ground with a lake dotted by white triangular sails of small boats maneuvered by summer campers, and background of snow-covered Mt. Baker stretching majestically to the northeast. I walked the perimeter in the cool morning air that was fragrant … Continue reading Lavender Field Morning
Interior Mansion
“This doesn’t look like the picture on the website,” I said to myself when I pulled into the hostel, my heart sinking. The nondescript, white frame house needed paint and renovation. What will it be like here, I wondered and thought of the next three days. From the exterior, this hostel was less impressive than … Continue reading Interior Mansion
Flying Horses
I stood at the edge of the crowd of adoring family and friends cheering on the riders of the Flying Horses Carousel at Oak Bluffs. My coworker from Boston, had told me that when she was a child, her family came here every summer. It was a popular spot on Martha’s Vineyard. I could just … Continue reading Flying Horses
Connie Rosser Riddle 