Dear Redding,
It’s been a while since I’ve visited you, almost seven years. I hadn’t even written you. So I admit I was a bit wary and nervous when I flew into Redding Municipal Airport a few weeks ago. Would you remember… Continue Reading
Travel
9 basics of backpacking
Part 1 When the Earth was created, some of the most pristine and amazing places were situated in the most remote and out-of-the-way areas. As Earth continued to develop, some smart individuals opted to keep them this way, rather than… Continue Reading
Writings from a wanderer: Rebuilding after the fire
It’s a relief to see a blue sky. The smoke from the Butte Lightning Complex fires blanketed Butte County for weeks. Fire turned the sky in Paradise orange. Ash rained down in Paradise and Chico. Wind and dry brush fueled… Continue Reading
Writings from a wanderer: Chico farmers market shows local flavor; more than just food!
A blindfolded man held his hands over a row of four steak knives. Three were point-down and one stood point-up. A tense crowd in the Chico City Plaza watched. The knives were covered, and, like the blindfolded man, the crowd… Continue Reading
For rent: Charming Italian apartment
This time last year Bruce and I were packing for our month-long trip to Europe: two weeks in Italy to celebrate our 10th anniversary; two weeks in the Czech Republic for Joe and Marie’s wedding. It was a trip of… Continue Reading
Trip to Northern Ireland offered insight, inspiration
BELFAST — If you are at the end of your rope about how screwed up the world is, if you think that it has become hopeless and that there will never be peace in this world, you need to go to Northern… Continue Reading
Fraises Gariguette – Strawberries from France
By Doug Cushman
A sure sign of spring here in Paris is the arrival of fraises gariguette, those famous, sweet strawberries from the southwest of France. The first time I tasted them was six years ago when I first moved here. I had invited my landlady for lunch and she arrived with a small paper bag filled with the gariguettes. They were a revelation; fresh strawberries? In April? I’ve been a convert ever since.
Continue Reading
Roughing it in Bologna
By Doug Cushman
Every spring the world of children’s book publishing screeches to a halt and all eyes, ears and pocketbooks are focused on Bologna, Italy, where foreign rights agents, lawyers, editors, writers, illustrators, literary agents and anyone interested in children’s books descend on this small North Italian city to show their latest books or buy the next bestseller. Continue Reading
Writings from a Wanderer –
A journey to the heart of Death Valley, by Lauren Brooks
I stuffed my hands in my jacket pockets as the wind blew my curly hair in all directions. Sand seeped into my boots as my boyfriend and I hiked across serene sand dunes in Death Valley National Park on the first day of April. The sun had yet to rise over the mountains Continue Reading
Le Sot l’y Laisse, by Doug Cushman
It took me the better part of six or seven months to finally learn the pronunciation of my favorite neighborhood bistro, Le Sot l’y Laisse (luh sew-lee-less). Sot in French means “silly” or “foolish,” laisse is from the verb to leave, as in “leave it alone” or “leave it there.”
A loose translation would be, “It would be silly/foolish to leave it.” The sot-l’y-laisse is also the “oyster” of a roast chicken, that soft, tender part just above the tail. The story goes that a fat, wealthy Continue Reading
