Return of the Spring

Earth on Foot 33

April 1, 2026

Happy spring!

Since last we met, gentle reader, I flew from Tokyo to LA, where I visited family, had more than one run along Venice Beach—a tradition for me—and watched the Seahawks beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl (not that I’m especially a football fan, but I have a fondness for collective spectacles). I also took a jaunt to Joshua Tree National Park for the first time. It looked like a bunch of giants had just walked away from their playground of boulders and cacti designed by Dr. Seuss. Stunning!

David and I flew back to Baltimore on Feb. 10, and since then I’ve been assiduously working on my novel, even taking a class called—you guessed it—How to Write a Mystery.

Meanwhile, I’ve also taken train rides up to New York to visit my beautiful progeny (a highlight!), had a few runs in various places here and there—mostly my Hopkins loop route—and missed the Amy Sherald exhibit slated for the National Portrait Gallery but instead hosted by the Baltimore Museum of Art.

We also drove to Lake Erie, to a town called Sandusky, Ohio, and placed my father’s ashes in the earth, among the other members of his family who have passed on, in the town where he grew up. He died in 2024, a day after his 93rd birthday. About twelve of us stood with my mom, who had prepared a thoughtful service. After, we enjoyed catching up over French fries and Reuben sandwiches at a classic Sandusky spot, Berardi’s—still in business after 75 years. 

It was chilly, windy, and grey by the Great Lake, and the sinewy frames of the Cedar Point amusement park rides stood in the fog across the water, awaiting opening day.

Meanwhile, the season, after considerable back and forth, has landed on a summertime version of spring here in Baltimore. So far, the arugula and kale at the Waverly Farmers Market don’t seem to mind. Nor do I!

We have some upcoming travel: Japan again in May, then Brazil—exciting, since I’ve never made it to South America—and in August we’re off again to Europe.

Anon, dear reader, to be continued…