California’s wettest winter in decades, with record-breaking snow levels, has meant a summer of spectacular waterfalls, gushing rivers, and overflowing waterways in Yosemite National Park. And it’s not too late to go check them out! But go soon.
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I haven’t been to Waikiki since I went to summer school once at the University of Hawaii in Oahu, which was a very long time ago! Our family chose Waikiki because it had the beach and plenty of amenities nearby, and that’s the convenience we needed at the time. We also knew we could rent a car for a few days to see sites around Oahu, which is what we did.
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When our eight-year-old Lily was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) a little over a year ago, I grieved the potential losses to her freedom, such as her being able to go on a month-long backpacking trip for fear her insulin might spoil.
And then at a weekend camping trip with Diabetes Youth Families (DYF), I met outdoor adventurers, Patrick Mertes and Michael Shelver, who proceeded to blast the lid off presumptions about what people with Type 1 Diabetes can and cannot do.
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Before the planet went on lockdown, my British writer friend Claire invited some people to her home in north Marin, California, for a private concert with the world-renown, hugely talented flamenco guitarist, Ricardo Garcia. Although my friend’s home was an almost two-hour drive from my place, I grabbed the husband and kids and got my butt there.
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After spending the last year and a half in Southeast Asia, and also Europe (mostly France), our recent return to the U.S. felt… strange.
We recognized this feeling, this sense of disorientation, as mild culture shock, which, I might point out, had nothing to do with the fact that we happened to arrive when a new president was taking office in the face of overwhelming opposition and resistance. (That was just regular shock, although it did add a strange dimension to the timing of our return.) [Read more…]