earth on foot 9 23 July 2025 “What would the world be, once bereft Of wet and wilderness? Let them be left, Oh let them be left, wildness and wet; Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.” — Inversnaid, by Gerard Manley Hopkins (This post dedicated to my amazing mom) Some spaces, both mental … Read more
earth on foot 8 16 july 2025 Hiking and running around the verdant land that is Slovenia, I saw reminders of World War I, World War II, and the country’s independence in 1991 (it was part of the former Yugoslavia and became independent in a 10-day war in that year). An example of this is … Read more
earth on foot 7 9 july 2025 Two birds dash by my head and land on the branch of a tree nearby. They are arguing, one chirping pointedly at the other, then the two tweeting back-and-forth aggressively. A strong wind blows across my back; branches from a recent storm scuttle about the sidewalk and the … Read more
earth on foot 6 2 july 2025 Sometimes as a traveler, I feel the way a bird might. I land on a tree branch somewhere (though our accommodations usually have pillows, beds, etc.), quickly absorb data, take a breath, snack, then fly off. Venice From Oxford, we drove to Bristol Airport, returned the car, flew … Read more
earth on foot 5 25 June 2025 Again a spider walks across my notebook, a tiny creature this time, half the size of a sesame seed and pale white like mashed potatoes. My page is aglow under the orange canvas umbrella here at a bistro table in Worton Kitchen Garden, Oxfordshire. We are here to … Read more
earth on foot 4 18 june 2025 A small brown spider crawls across my notebook. Spiders are storytellers, weaving intricate tales everywhere here.After hours of travel from Newark, my mother-in-law and I walked and walked, from Newnham to Cambridge Center and back, enjoying the last light of the season’s long, long day.Cambridge snapshots:—Moving aside for … Read more
earth on foot 2 3 June 2025 There is a soba shop in Ueno Station, a hub for 15 transit lines including the Tokyo Ginza and Hibiya Lines and Shinkansen bullet trains. I walked 20 minutes and arrived at the cozy restaurant during the very active lunch hour. I place my order at the touch … Read more