History

  • A Lock on the Marko-Feingold-Steg

    In Salzburg, as in several places around the world, people can leave locks on a bridge and drop their keys in the water, symbolizing the hope of an unbreakable, unending love. This being Melissa’s birthday, following twenty years of marriage,…

  • Those Tricked Out Trick Fountains

    Any afternoon that ends with someone drinking fresh mountain water out of a 400-year-old stone chair is an afternoon worth recording. I give credit to Melissa for deciding in advance, knowing we would miss the mountains, that we should catch…

  • On to the Once Stifling Home of Mozart

    Being in a compact city, walking through crowds and narrow columns with no benches, through churches, chapels, cathedrals, castles, and catacombs, we both had to admit to missing the quieter, spread out life of the Swiss mountains. But today was…

  • Our Last Walk in Geneva, Switzerland

    Today we left for the heart of Switzerland, but Geneva was a good place to catch our breath and get over jet lag before starting our Swiss journey. These were a few more views from the global city, home to…

  • Visiting the Red Cross and the United Nations

    We loosely prepared for speaking German, but learned pretty quickly that in Geneva, almost everyone speaks French, so Melissa brushed up on her two years from high school. Nevertheless, we made it to the United Nations (with the Broken Chair,…

  • Safely. Finally. Feet on the Ground.

    We arrived in Geneva, Switzerland after more than three years of planning and more than half a day of flying, driving, and riding trains. On our previous trip overseas, Melissa conked out quickly with jet lag (we had, after all,…

  • Wouldn’t Have Missed It

    The other day, I had an afternoon meeting that blocked my calendar for two hours. It was an important meeting with an important parent over an important child. Wouldn’t have missed it. But honestly, I felt a little bummed, like…

  • Our Collective Anger

    Considering the moment, little more than a week after one of America’s beloved actors lost his s*** on national television, it’s easy to look outward, to judge the actions and consequences of someone else’s rage. It’s a lot harder to…

  • More Than a Sentimental History

    Something was rumbling today. Somewhere. I couldn’t place it. Didn’t seem like it was coming from the airport. Probably nothing. Probably. But for the first time in my adult life, far removed from the Cold War days when I lived…

  • Book #4 is Released – Cold Turkey Rage

    On Friday morning before we left New York, quietly and without any fanfare, I submitted my fourth book for publication. This was not a project I published lightly, nor is it a project I will promote heavily. It’s a very…