I have already written about our wonderful exploration of some of the Galapagos Islands, but that was actually only one “chapter” in our 18-day wanderings through Ecuador.  The islands were the precipitating factor in our choosing Ecuador, but we were equally touched by and grateful for the experiences we had in the varied facets of… Read more

Truthfully, there are so many vivid memories from this adventure that in hindsight I am not sure I can adequately retell them all.  The best I can do at this point is share the highlights that stick with me – and show through photos the awesomeness of the ecosystems we were priviledged to be guests… Read more

We visited four of the southeastern islands – San Cristobal, Espanola, Floreana, and Santa Cruz. When we re planning our trip, no two traveler reviews could agree on which islands were “the best”…and we found that each of the islands we visited had its own unique landscape, complement of animals to see, and land and… Read more

It is very clear now that all the hype about the Galapagos islands is no hype. Our five-day boat tour of four of the islands was from moment one until the very end a truly magical – and humbling experience.   While so many places in the world are abusing and ultimately destroying natural ecosystems,… Read more

Our time in Quito came to an end after a lovely dinner with our new friends Sebastian and Andrea. They treated us to what apparently is a real favorite “foreign food” – pizza! I know, funny to eat pizza in Ecuador but it actually was delicious, thin-crusted, and chock full of fresh veggies and on… Read more

Our last full day in Quito was exactly that – full…a day of varied encounters and wide-ranging emotion for me. We started our day with sharing coffee and conversation with two incredible young professionals who have devoted their time and energy to a foundation whose mission is to educate people about the most common cancers… Read more

Ruthie and I had been plotting a Mom/Daughter adventure ever since our shared journey on the Camino in Spain a few years ago.  That 15-day backpacking trek across the northern part of the country (about a third of the entire route) was an incredible turning point in our relationship.  Ruthie’s teen years were challenging and… Read more

We were blessed with the opportunity to join about 30 people from the Pacific Northwest to participate in the celebration of the marriage of Ben Glassy and Anita Kasina in Vijayawada, India last month. Ben and Ari have known each other since they were small boys on Mercer Island, and over many years Andrew and I… Read more