After a blue sky day, when the sun drops behind the ridge and our mini-fire-pit reaches a heated pitch, we glimpse heaven on earth as snowy yard goes from blue to pink to purple. We stand witness and declare, weekends are the best! Afternoons outdoors, chatting about nothing, sitting silent for a few fleeting moments. Living beyond the work week is all we’re really after, right? Fire and sky, feet on the earth, with time on our side, now that’s a Saturday worth remembering.
Heading west on United we chased the sunset for hour after hour until the sprawling life below pixelated the blackness with a warm twinkling gold. My destination, Los Angeles, is a carnival of lights spreading in every direction; my time ahead equally shimmering, a whole week to play like a tourist. Normally, I only visit briefly with my kiddos but with a few extra days I not only experienced some favorites but several new spots too. In light of our notorious non-presidential Presidential candidate “suggesting walls at the border and shutting out entire groups of people, it is more important than ever to travel and connect with your fellow humans–whether they’re from Hamburg, Houston, or Havana. Travel is the antidote to fear” (Cosgrove, Editor in Chief, AFAR). Whether you visit the next town over, or the furthest from it, let your vantage be about adventure. Be fearless.
I’ve been to Tokyo. London. Paris. New York. Miami. But still, I want a gondolier to inform me about the ancient waterways of Venice as we float along the Grand Canal and attempt to navigate the bustle of Delhi in a rickshaw, party until dawn taking in the nightlife of Rio de Janeiro and reveling in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I want to see my reflection in the Taj Mahal fountain, watch the grand Everest peak peek out of the clouds and the northern-lights light-up Iceland, and explore everywhere possible in northern Italy. Yes, there are plenty of places to sail, fly, drive, pedal or walk to, and all those comprise my life list.
Nine Cent Girl 