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Words form the thread upon which we string our experiences. – Aldous Huxley
Browsing All Posts filed under »Interests«
The Other Reason Girls are Hypersexualized
Do we continue to foster a culture that insidiously discourages females from doing much of anything else? Women’s-lib veterans must be SO disappointed. As we have lamented before, it seems like girls these days are too wrapped up in their physical appearance, that they put so much of their self-worth in things like boobs […]
Joan Larsen’s High Adventure: The Good, the Bad, and the Grizzly
September 20, 2017
All of those traveling to Alaska’s Denali National Park are given “the lecture” by a park ranger before setting out, warning about the dangers of hiking alone and the distance that must be kept between you and a grizzly to be safe. Unfortunately, the bears do not receive the lecture. It is where they live […]
“Thank You For Your Service.” What Do You Really Mean By That?
September 18, 2017
Instead of a thank-you, I’d like something different: I want you to pay attention, stay informed, and get politically involved. In recent years, more veterans are letting us know that they find it a little off-putting to be thanked for their service. The exact reasons vary, but I have my own, so count me […]
Joan Larsen’s Travel: Gorillas in Our Midst
September 13, 2017
By Joan Larsen The world is still in semi-darkness when we were awakened at 6am in the almost unknown country of Africa’s Rwanda, settled into vehicles, and off to what can only be described as one of the most magical encounters on our planet. To be honest, I do not believe I slept last […]
Stop With the Plastic Already!! The Plastic Convenience Trash Nation
September 4, 2017
Or maybe, the Plastic Convenience Trash Planet. Maybe, following last week’s rant about the hazards of plastic clamshell packaging, I have been sensitized to plastic packaging in general. We have really gotten to the point of the ludicrous. Somebody, please… make it stop! The other day I discovered that there is such a thing as […]
Death to the Clamshell! I Long For The Simple Cardboard Box
August 28, 2017
Hubby: “I’d like to find the guy who invented this crap and punch him in the face. If he was here I’d be like, ‘Oh, was this your idea? Come here so I can punch you in the face.'” Hubby is usually a pretty easy-going guy, and generally reserves such outbursts of violent fantasy for […]
Joan Larsen’s Adventures: Exploring Australia’s Land of the Never-Never
August 23, 2017
By Joan Larsen Flying by small plane, low over Australia’s Northern Territory, we are present- day Crocodile Dundees, wanting to be one of the first to go exploring a desert world that most travelers will never see. Our delightful, agreeable pilot seemed more than happy to chase down the only large inhabitants in the empty […]
Teen Pregnancy: The Old, Old Story
August 14, 2017
It is the old, old story. Young love, flaring passions, secret, unprotected sex… an unintended pregnancy… and life-changing consequences. Adolescence instantaneously ends, and two young people are flung, unprepared, into adulthood. Here is a glimpse backward at how things once were… A far cry from how they are today. Just some food for thought. A […]
Joan Larsen’s Scariest Climb: Reaching for Heaven on Angel’s Landing
August 9, 2017
By Joan Larsen The scariest climb It is no secret to my friends that I absolutely live for adventure… so yes, over the years I have done more than my share of climbing to the heights in so many places in the world. “But what was the most difficult, the most scary, the most life-threatening […]
Gypsies, Stereotypes, Offense, and Truth
July 31, 2017
Back in the days when parents still told their children fairy tales and scary stories at bedtime, the old saw about Gypsies stealing children was a staple (one famous example was Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, in which Esmeralda had been kidnapped by Gypsies as a child). I had never given the idea […]
Joan Larsen on the Trail of Mexico’s Hidden Secrets: Swimming With Whale Sharks
July 26, 2017
By Joan Larsen Excitement reigned as our small plane seemed to skim the clear waters of the almost unknown islet off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula — called Isla Holbox (pronounced Hol-Bosh). A bit of paradise, I thought, . . . and when the pilot further whetted our appetites by saying that the blue waters below were […]
Joan Larsen’s Hidden Wonders: The “Must-See” French Gardens of Marqueyssac
July 19, 2017
by Joan Larsen The French are good at keeping secrets. . . and it has taken me years to discover France’s southwest region of Dordogne with its spectacular panoramas in every direction. But it is here that one of the most beautiful and romantic gardens of France is located. Sitting high above the Dordogne […]
Joan Larsen’s Travel: The World’s Most Spectacular Road – America’s Big Sur, Up Close and Personal
July 5, 2017
By Joan Larsen We needed to have our breath taken away by an array of magnificent scenery, of stunning beauty that cannot be equaled – anywhere. We all seem to need beautiful “getaways” from the world we live in now. And so, with a truly wonderful lifetime of adventures ‘round the world, again we searched […]
Joan Larsen in Wildest Africa: Climbing the Dune
June 28, 2017
By Joan Larsen As a child, I whirled the big round globe that graced our living room, with a single finger choosing the countries I would go to when I grew up. For so many of us, the pictures in National Geographic fed our dreams… dreams that danced in our heads, refusing to go away. […]
Please, No More Tourism to Cultlike, Repressive Dictatorships Like North Korea
June 26, 2017
We originally published this article on 2 January 2015. At that moment, there were no Americans in North Korean custody, thanks to an embarrassing and expensive mission by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to retrieve the last two American prisoners in late 2014. Thus, we implored the American traveling public to adopt a New […]
Can We Just Get Back to Smiling Normally for Pictures?
June 12, 2017
Is personal dignity in photographs mortally wounded? First it was the weird fake gang-like hand signs (or signs that have crass sexual meanings); then it was the ridiculous kissy-face expression which has spawned numerous references to “whores of the Internet,” or “duckfaces.” It seems that this pose is widely mocked and reviled, but that hasn’t […]
Joan Larsen’s Travel: The Midwest’s Wondrous Hidden Getaway – The American Club
June 7, 2017
By Joan Larsen More often than we might admit, we find we need a change from the “every day” that has felt – well, often mundane. A “jump-start” is truly what we need… and perhaps, just a little time “away” would do a world of good. A special hand-picked getaway, one not too long […]
Swim Season Safety: Know What A Drowning Person Really Looks Like
May 29, 2017
More than half of Americans cannot swim adequately, and most of us can’t recognize a drowning person right in front of us. Ah, yes. The pools and beaches are open again. For the past couple of seasons around this time of year, I have vainly attempted to educate the public about the horrors of the […]
The Unsanitary Swim Diaper: Not in My Pool, Please!
May 22, 2017
Time for Lila’s annual public safety and health announcement: even the manufacturers don’t claim that “swim diapers” will contain a mess. Memorial Day is fast approaching, and that means the neighborhood pools will soon be opening for business. As we wrote last year, the whole concept of a diapered child in a communal swimming area […]
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September 25, 2017
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