A shot I grabbed near my hotel in San Diego one December morning.

--Rob

Orchid

An orchid in the Smithsonian Institution's annual orchid exhibition.

Okaloosa Island

Here is the beach where I spent many an afternoon swimming as a teenager.

--Rob

Important travel lesson learned the hard way #1: Do your research

When I was a carefree young graduate student, the thought of planning a trip in advance seemed ridiculously square. It went against the whole free-spirited aura I was trying to cultivate. As a result, I had lots of bad travel experiences. On the upside, bad travel experiences make for good stories. So sit back and let me squeeze you a bit of lemonade from the lemons life has handed me.

My husband, Rob, used to travel to Payson, Arizona for 10 days every August for work. Most years I would drive up there for a weekend and get a hotel room nearby. I would spend the days hiking the utterly gorgeous Mogollon Rim country, and spend the evenings hanging out with my sweetie.

One year, way back when I was in grad school, I invited my friend Kris to accompany me on this journey. We made the hour-and-a-half drive up from Tempe, spent the afternoon hiking, and met up with Rob when he was finished with work. We all drove into town, figuring we’d just pop in to one of the many motels along Payson’s main drag and get a room for the night.

Wrong.

A shot from an alley in Seattle, Washington. I liked the lines.

--Rob

Just when I thought flying couldn't get less pleasant...

Airline considers fee for lavatory use.

Doesn't it seem like that should be terribly illegal?

Tugboat at Woods Hole

Tugboat docked at Woods Hole, Massachusetts and yes, that is snow....brrrr....

--Rob