Do you remember your first international travel that sparked a fire of curiosity inside? Travel that discovered a world beyond your inner self. . . the melody of spoken foreign languages,  foods tasted, cultures that differed from our American way of life. The excitement and effects of a day spent in a piazza, along a river, or gazing at the art in museums, or the first time you entered a cathedral older than America. I do and it caused a tremendous renaissance within me. Memories I recall are my first TWA transatlantic Constellation ... Read More

My parents aren’t big drinkers.  Thus it was surprising when my father suggested a brilliant solution to a wine dilemma I was discussing with him over the phone. You see,  I have a compulsion to share things (goods, not personal information), especially when I’m playing hostess.   When I have friends over for dinner,  I sometimes get overly excited about sharing wine and I open a bottle I’d meant to save.  Or, I’ve failed to properly hide a bottle and a friend has unwittingly opened a special bottle I was saving. ... Read More

Isla Contadora Airport, where you await your delayed flight by going to the beach, and where your suitcase full of dirty laundry accidentally gets loaded into a private plane, never to be seen again. It’s Candace again, and I’m back from my vacation to Panama, Columbia, Aruba, and Bonaire.  I had a wonderful time, along with a misadventure or two, and am happy to be home and back at work.  One of the nice things about flight delays is the opportunity to catch up on my reading.  I finished reading Grimm’s Fairy Tales, The ... Read More

I am gearing up for travel.  For Christmas this year I asked for a suitcase and an eBook Reader.  These are magical gifts, like a car…they open up worlds.  When I traveled to Europe I carried far too many pounds of books, since I’m an avid reader and was anticipating a lot of time in trains and train stations. I’ve had my Kobo for a week, and I’m in love with it, I’m almost looking forward to all the time I’m going to spend in airports and on airplanes this year. I leave for Panama on December 29 and return on January 10.  ... Read More