Best Moments of 2023

As usual, they are in no particular order. . . Every moment spent with Meg on her second European adventure. (With special thanks to her for putting up with her sometimes-too-moody eldest sister. And a big hug for saying, “This time, let’s go to a place you haven’t been.” And thus we spent a wonderful…

A First Time For Everything

“You are so lucky, kid,” I told my youngest sister Meg as we stood in St. Peter’s Square, the basilica looming over us. “You will never see it like this ever again.” It was January, 2022. By this point, we’d taken COVID tests in three different countries. In the coming days, we’d stand in an…

Lunches, Liquor and Other Rabbit Holes

“I just finished my small lunch,” Ricardo said. I knew what he meant. He had just finished his almeurzo. If you look up the English translation, it will say, “lunch.” But in Valencia, Spain (where Ricardo lives), it is definitely not lunch. Almuerzo consists of a small sandwich accompanied by a glass of wine or…

License to Drive (Part 1)

I am proficient enough in Spanish to read posters on the streets and emails confirming appointments. But I am certainly not proficient enough to navigate the questions asked on the Spanish driving test. So I took the test in English. And I’m not sure that was any easier. It seems they’ve used Google translate. The…