Lost Ring in Oahu! The day just started off on a bad note. My father in law let the dogs out in the front yard by accident…again. Leina, my fiancé, dragged herself out of bed early to watch the dogs. Sasha, our oldest dog, was not the problem. It was Pa’a, the one year old … Continued
There’s a field off of a growing road in a growing town in central Colorado. For most of the year, that field sits between an underfunded public school and a fire station, within earshot of a busy highway. For most of the year, that field is dirt and dry-brush. A hiding place for snakes and … Continued
Penn Quakers Pounce and Reality TV Saves Lives Author: Lisa Niver Rajna, CAS’89 Studying at the University of Pennsylvania, I learned fast and worked hard. As my studies focused on science and liberal arts, I never took a class in finance even though The Wharton School is renowned the world over for business. While watching Shark … Continued
Birthday in New York, NY The trip to New York was a present to me on my fiftieth birthday and a good enough excuse to be extravagant so I booked my stay at a popular expensive hotel in Times Square, the pulsating hub of Manhattan. Over weeks, I’d been jotting entries in my red notebook … Continued
Freedom is slow. It lacks the weariness and worry of the workday. Freedom strolls through the hours as if it had all the time in the world. Every moment seems to matter and to sharpen into clarity. No more the wicked counting of minutes. No more the squeal of the alarm clock. No more the … Continued
On Valentine’s Day, 2011 I took my oath as a US citizen at the young age of 62. My husband Bill and I were in our second year of RVing across North America. We have the freedom to be where we want to be, do what we want to do. As we were going up … Continued
AMMAN. ALEXANDRIA. ATHENS. ANCHORAGE. I hate to fly. Take-offs are especially nerve racking for me. Yet, airports are my sweet spot. I drop my responsibilities, doubts and burdens at long-term parking, give a slight nod of acknowledgment to the sliding glass doors that part to welcome me, and breathe a contented sigh as I waltz … Continued
Yeehaw Namaste: Adventure and Peace in the American West The Last Best Place My first morning in Montana, I awoke to guttural, almost prehistoric, squawks outside my window. I bolted upright and slid my sleeping mask to my forehead. Our yoga teacher had closed our Vinyasa practice the night before with a warning: over-zealous songbirds … Continued
An Afternoon in the Sun in Colorado I’ve spent many a summer in London. I’ve enjoyed a spring or two in Paris. I’ve had the pleasure of a few overnights in Cabo San Lucas, San Diego, Rapid City, Grand Canyon, and Disney World. Of all the places my feet have walked, I am always happiest … Continued
My mother was born in 1926 to immigrant parents and was the first girl in our family to be born an American citizen and a resident of the San Francisco. I had lived in the San Francisco bay area my whole life and not once realized the freedom and opportunities that were at my feet. … Continued