reflections from somewhere in the middle of a road trip

on how a label can become a way forward

On keeping a wide perspective while moving forward

on limits, attention, and letting one thing be enough

I arrived early, hoping to have a few quiet moments in the gardens before the crowds. Others had the same idea, but we were a small group and well-behaved. At exactly 8 a.m., the guard scanned my ticket and I entered the park. I had 79 acres and seven million flower bulbs at Keukenhof Gardens to myself, or so it seemed. Leaving my camera, phone, and map tucked in my bag, I spent that precious first hour strolling along the paths, aimlessly wandering through this land of color

on trust, trouble, and the joy of being driven

revisiting the moments of childhood one piece at a time

on letting go of the "right" road

The Blue Car chose rush hour in Amboise to stop working. One moment I was driving up the hill away from the main square. The next the radio flickered, the engine died, and traffic stacked up behind me on the narrow street. I turned the key. Nothing. I was alone in a foreign country with a stalled car. Then the rain started. Pouring rain. It was my fourth full day back with the Blue Car. ______________________ For weeks now I’ve been thinking about comfort zones. It started in

walking forward through landscapes of memory

on arrival, journey, and the space between

on belonging between home and the road

on becoming a flâneuse before the road begins

watching the Blue Car wander—and practicing the art of letting go

on a cake, showing up, and the power of being remembered

on the preciousness of days and how we choose to live them.

on control, trust, and movement

A story about autonomy, surprise, and the unexpected abundance of solo travel

The Anatomy of a 105-Day U.S. Adventure, Part 4: the last in a series on the numbers, the stories, and what I carried home from my 2023 U.S. cross-country road trip.

The Anatomy of a 105-Day U.S. Adventure, Part 3: on the numbers, the stories, and what I carried home from my 2023 U.S. cross-country road trip.

The second of a multi-part series on the numbers, the stories, and what I carried home from my 2023 U.S. cross-country road trip.

A snowfall, a stalled essay, and the joy of being three again

The first of a three-part series on the numbers, the stories, and the lessons I carried home from my 2023 U.S. cross-country trip.

The Blue Car overshares about itself…and about Susan