Food First

Aging on the Run, long term travel, Sustainable Economies

  We’ve been on the road since October 2023. It’s funny that I don’t write much about food, because it is 57% of what we do: buy, transport, cook, eat, and clean food.  In a new place, we must find markets, discover new foods, and learn a new...

Anti-fascists in a Swiss Cemetery

Aging on the Run, long term travel, Nationalism, war and peace

When Donald Trump met Xi Jinping, it was raining in Ronca Sopra Ascona, Switzerland.  In my friend’s Swiss apartment on the Italian border, we baked bread for the Sabbath and watched Latin American TV. I wanted to see how the high-power meeting was playing out...

May Day in Milan. Bella Ciao!

Aging on the Run, Europe, long term travel, Social Movements

  Milan has long been the center of finance, fashion, and Ferraris.  It is also both the birthplace of Italian fascism and a center of anti-fascist resistance. On April 29, 2026, 107 years after Mussolini formed his fascist party in Milan and anti-fascist...

The Geography of Emotions: Montevideo, Uruguay.

Latin America

A Dutch travel writer came to Sri Lanka at a moment of personal crisis. He capitalized on his grief to write a bestseller that depicted the tropical island as a demonic place.  The work was artful but distorted by both internal angst and Eurocentrism. I thought about...

Minnesota. Joy and Sorrow In One Cup.

Radical Hospitality

The minister said joy and sorrow come in one cup. Somehow, at age 67,  this was a new concept to me.  It is confusing when strong emotions swim together. Sometimes the mixture is too powerful for us to handle. Like when a loved one dies. Especially a young one....