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A Week with Grandma

Friday, September 5th, 2014

When I first arrived at the hospital after my flight to Illinois, my grandma was pale and disoriented, but delighted to see me. Now, just four days later, she's so rosy-cheeked and healthy that we've been planning her third annual fall trip to Verm...

New Chapters & Random Thoughts from the Airport

Monday, September 1st, 2014

Right now, I'm sitting in the Albany airport, waiting for a flight back to the midwest to see my family. My dear, sweet grandma Jeanne had a heart attack and is in the hospital, and every ounce of my being is ringing with impatient need to be there...

This is Natasha & Pete

Saturday, June 28th, 2014

After our first meeting in Southeast Asia, Tara and Tyler have made yearly trips to Tennessee to visit. When they bought their land, we were super excited for them, partly because it was the beginning of their homesteading dreams, but mostly becaus...

A Very Special Wedding

Saturday, May 24th, 2014

Sometimes we are all witnesses of how life can be weird and magical… Ivica I've sat down to write this journal entry many times. Each time, the result of my effort falls frustratingly short of what I wish to express. Still, I have to try....

Weekend Road Trip, Part Three: Visiting Sue & Mark

Saturday, June 1st, 2013

We're about an hour and a half into our road-trip home, headed south on Route 22A in the gorgeous green hills of the Champlain Valley. We're just a few miles from where we disembarked the Fort Ticonderoga ferry two years ago, entering Vermont for ...

This is Ivica

Friday, May 10th, 2013

…continued from the March 21st 2013 entry, "This is Karina". Sometimes we are all witnesses of how life can be weird and magical… On one fine spring day in 2010, my brother Sladjan came in my room asking me go outside and help him with his ...

This is Karina

Thursday, March 21st, 2013

Tara is one of my best and oldest friends, so it should come as no surprise that, for years now, I've been following her and Tyler’s worldly adventures with a ravenous appetite. The story I'm about to share is an improbable, synchronicity-filled ta...

Reed Collecting Tools: Sickles and Scythes

Sunday, December 16th, 2012

As our departure date to collect reeds for a thatched roof draws near, I've been researching the tools we'll need to complete the job. Namely, sickles and scythes. For centuries, marshmen (such as the one featured in the video below) have used thes...

Hanging On

Friday, February 17th, 2012

About a month ago, when the adventure of moving my mother's parents into assisted living and clearing out their house was finally nearing its end, we received a call from my dad's brother, informing us that my other grandmother was in the hospital—...

With Grandparents

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

During the month of November, Tyler and I spent most of our time in southern Illinois with my mom and dad, taking care of my grandparents. My 92 year old grandfather had been in the hospital for major abdominal surgery. It was touch and go at tim...

Dreaming of Our New Life

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to lead a self-sufficient life. As a child, I was inspired by children's book author and illustrator Tasha Tudor. I wanted to follow in her footsteps, living off the land, growing lush gardens and caring...

Tara at Chez Panisse

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

When I was little, I had a colorful children's cookbook called Fanny at Chez Panisse. It tells the story of Fanny, a seven year old girl growing up in the restaurant of her mother (renown chef and slow food activist, Alice Waters), playing in the ...

You Say Take Away

Monday, May 9th, 2011

Tara's brother, Lian, is a union organizer. Today, Tara and I joined him during one of his outings: a quick visit to a neighboring union's strike. On a corner across the street from their hospital, a group of nursing professionals calmly held sig...

Passport Lost

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

11:30 AM / Tyler We're checking in at the reception desk of a dermatologist's office (an appointment to have some questionable moles evaluated—healthcare is cheap in Bangkok), and I am happy in the knowledge that this is the last major errand of ...

The Big Climb: Part Two

Friday, February 11th, 2011

3:00 PM / Tara » 60km ridden » 1230m climbed » 600m elevation Every second of this climb is full and rich with experience. My emotions swing wildly from pure joy at the slightest breeze, to complete hopelessness and despair at the screams coming...

Welcome to Laos, Part Two: The Goat Feast

Friday, January 28th, 2011

When the soccer game is over, it's time for the feast! This party is special because our hosts are serving numerous traditional but rarely eaten dishes, all made from a single, freshly-slaughtered goat. We're honored to be included in the festivi...

Củ Chi Tunnels: Part One

Sunday, December 26th, 2010

Our first introduction to the Củ Chi tunnels is a stroll through the lovely, innocuous woods above them. As we make our way to the first exhibit, leaves flutter on to the path, falling gently from the trees overhead. It's quiet and restful h...

Pete & Natasha's First Ride

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

Natasha: Every time we take a long bus ride to get to a new tourist destination, we gaze longingly out of our tinted windows as we pass the things we really want to see – stuff like small villages bustling with activity, and roadsides full of Cam...

Slow Boat to Battambang: Part Two

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

Tara: After a nail-biting ride through the streets of Siem Reap, we make it twelve kilometers to the ferry port, bikes fully intact. As soon as I emerge from the truck, it's show time – women carrying baskets full of food and water descend upon ...

Apple Pie for Ad

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Dad, it's like those things in the freezer!" Boss exclaims, after watching us prepare a homemade apple pie. "Nah man," Ad replies, "this is the real deal!" It has been years since Ad was able to enjoy a real apple pie. So long, in fact,...

Thai Food Feast

Friday, October 15th, 2010

Being waited on hand-and-foot gracefully is not our strongest suit. Invariably, it involves numerous rounds of awkward back and forth – us reflexively insisting on doing everything for ourselves, then relenting when we realize that we're spurning ...

Driving at Night in Mongolia: Part One

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

It is already wearing on us that we can't get anything accomplished with our writing. This doesn't bode well; we've only been in Mongolia for three days. Even though we've decided to throw ourselves into this new adventure without writing about i...

Mongolian Hospitality

Sunday, September 5th, 2010

Light is fading fast as we drive off-road, over green fields towards our host's ger. Pulling up next to the round white homes, we are welcomed enthusiastically by a man we've never seen before. Perhaps he is the brother of our host? He has two a...

To the Cabin

Monday, August 30th, 2010

Back when we were planning our trip, Russia was this mammoth lumbering place I wasn't excited about visiting. Tyler always wanted to go, but I saw the vast landmass as something to "get through" in order to travel from my comfort zone of the roman...

Objectification 101

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

This morning, while Tyler showers, our host Evgeniy begins earnestly instructing me on the merits of various breast shapes and sizes. As he scrolls through an online forum where Russian women regularly compete for prizes by posting photos of thems...

Warsaw with Janka

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Yesterday, we received a nice comment from a Polish woman named Janka who lives in Warsaw. Though she wasn't sure if we would be passing through her hometown, she generously took the time to offer us a place to stay, just in case. Conveniently, w...

Farewell, Rainy Romania

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

With cartoon clouds, pixels as raindrops, and yellow, zig-zag bolts of lightning featuring heavily on the internet's forecast all week, we were less than enthusiastic about visiting the UNESCO World Heritage city of Sighişoara, our destination for ...

Bucharest Bound

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

Like yesterday, today was restfully easy: a flat, uneventful ride towards Bucharest. The highlight of our morning was finally using one of the many wells we've seen dotting the roadsides over the last few weeks! Tyler lowered the ancient chai...

Morning Has Broken

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

8:00 AM I wake up feeling happy and Easter-y with the Cat Steven's tune "Morning Has Broken" playing on repeat in my head. Birds are chirping, frogs continue their belchy song from last night, and the sun shines warmly through our tent. Tyler i...

Serbian Hospitality

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

Before we left, we received numerous warnings that Eastern Europe would be a dangerous, depressing, soul-suck full of steely thousand yard glares and ferocious dogs. So far, these stereotypes couldn't be further from the truth. The genuine kindne...

Arriving in Athens

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

We arrived bright and early in Piraeus, exited the ship with ease and head out for a morning ride to Athens. Thankfully it was Sunday, and early enough so that traffic hadn't picked up. We rode past markets of gypsies selling various and sun...

Hania Waterfront

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Note: Hania can also be spelled "Chania," (like Hanukkah and Chanukah) because we don't have adequate letters in our Roman alphabet to accurately evoke some Greek sounds. Many towns are spelled numerous ways. Hania's waterfront was just as be...

Brrrrrrr

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

In an odd change of perspective, every climb was cause for celebration today (and there were plenty of them: 800 meters, or over 2,500 feet in all). In lieu of hopping around madly trying to keep warm as we did while packing up camp, we slowly and...

Notes from the Cafe

Monday, December 14th, 2009

During our stay here on Kerkannah, we've spent the majority of our time working at the Salon de Thé (tearoom) called "la Corniche". They have free wi-fi (thankfully or we'd have to return to Sfax to get anything done) and we use it liberally. The...

Blown Away

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

Tara: Lately, when we have a few days off it takes a bit of mental cajoling to get back into the groove of cycling. Already feeling a little reluctant to leave the comforts of civilization behind, we were not encouraged by the weather that greet...

Swiss Tour Guides

Saturday, August 15th, 2009

We had a short ride ahead of us today, only 25 kilometers to the town of Burgdorf where we would meet up with our friends, Ingrid and Yves! When we arrived we were greeted with warm hugs all around and as soon as we registered at the campsite, Ing...

Kidney Stone Update

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

I am feeling 100% fine now, and honestly, it feels a little anticlimactic! I must've passed the stone while I was on painkillers at the hospital because haven't felt any more pain since then. Outside of some general tenderness, everything seems t...

This Too Shall Pass

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

I am awakened at three o'clock this morning to Tyler's persistent nudging. It takes a minute to cut through the haze of sleep and gain consciousness enough to realize what is happening. My beloved partner, who is always in perfect health and gene...

Too Much Of A Good Thing

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Normally I am the designated alarm-clock enforcer, making sure we don't hit snooze too many times before actually getting moving at a nice early hour. This morning, though, I was exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open when I told Tyler he wo...

Chez Pierre & Julien

Monday, June 8th, 2009

We awoke to the standard drumming of rain against our tent this morning. Yesterday Tyler steeled himself against the downpour, getting soaked to pack the bikes, while I stayed dry getting things organized from inside the tent. This morning, I was...

Wild & Local Foods

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

As I was filling our water bottles this morning a friendly caravanner at our campsite asked me where we were headed. I replied, "in the direction of St. Ives, but we're not sure yet!" He asked where we were coming from and when I explained a bit ...

Steak Dinner

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Another morning in England, another morning of rain! With spirits slightly sour about the prospect of another rainy ride we headed to the Glastonbury Abbey for a bit of sightseeing before we left town. Luckily the rain soon ceased and we were abl...

Hedgeley Hall

Friday, April 17th, 2009

We coasted into the Hedgeley Estate around 5:30pm. Affixed to the door of Hedgeley Hall was a note from our host, Katie, letting us know that she had run to the next village to visit her mother. The note also included instructions to make ours...

Resting in Edinburgh

Monday, April 6th, 2009

We slept in fairly late (maybe 11:00), and then set about finding another place in Edinburgh to sleep for the night. We decided we needed a rest day, and we were going to spend it hanging out in the city, walking around, and maybe getting tickets ...