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Linda Engelsiepen
Oct 31, 20214 min read
The Land Beyond the Woods -- Travels Through Transylvania
"I find that the district he named is in the extreme east of the country, just on the borders of three states, Transylvania, Moldavia and...


Linda Engelsiepen
Sep 28, 20214 min read
Without an Umbrella 2021 Edition
What happens to a travel blog when Travel As We Know It ceases to exist? The Covid-19 pandemic, besides being devastating to those...


Linda Engelsiepen
Mar 26, 20206 min read
Whales, Waikiki and a Wedding
Sometimes you want your travel decisions to be simple, and what could be simpler than a vacation to the 50th state? Hawaii’s 5 (ish)...


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Jan 7, 202010 min read
Iceland in Winter
Unless you’ve had your head in a snowbank, you probably know that Iceland has become a “hot” destination. Northern Lights-seekers,...


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Jun 18, 20193 min read
On Vacation
This is the season when most sane (or insane) Americans are On Vacation. School’s out, the weather’s warming, plans have been made for...


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Oct 11, 20174 min read
A Greek Island Cruise — The Top 10 Problems of Yachting Life
Have you ever had a vacation so epic that the only way to feel like you deserved it was to work your butt off for months beforehand? This...


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Apr 27, 20164 min read
Springing into Wellness at the Sou’wester Lodge
When I first moved to the lost tip of this lost corner of Washington, it was a deliberate exit from all that was the madness, I tell you,...


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Mar 29, 20166 min read
6 More “Havana Have-tos” — plus a giveaway!
So you’re off to Cuba, and ready for a week (or more) in Havana. You’ve already read my last post — A Half-Dozen “Have-To’s” in...


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Mar 1, 20167 min read
Havana Days & Nights — A Half-Dozen “Have-tos” in Cuba’s Capital City
Let’s not say “if” you ever get to Cuba — let’s just say you will. Because discovering a time capsule in your back yard is not an...


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Jan 31, 20166 min read
Cosmic Tripping with McMenamins
My #1 resolution for 2016 is to finally become a Cosmic Tripster. No, I can’t afford a ride on Virgin Galactic. But I do have enough...


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Oct 20, 20154 min read
Morning Meditations — Find Your Church
Four years ago on this day, I woke up to find myself a widow. Four years ago on this day, my life careened into uncharted waters. Four...


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Oct 13, 20157 min read
A Morel Foray — Mushroom Foraging on the Naches River (Pt. 2)
“Mushroom hunting folk are a really weird type of person — there’s as many varieties of them as there are mushrooms,” says Chris Matherly...


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Oct 7, 20157 min read
A Morel Foray — Mushroom Foraging on the Naches River (Pt. 1)
There are dozens of varieties of edible, wild mushrooms to be found in the Pacific Northwest. In June, I went in search of the queen of...
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Sep 1, 20152 min read
Without An Umbrella, V. 3.0
So yeah, I’ve been away a while, and a lot has happened since I talked to you last. I made this my new front yard: I did a little...
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Jun 29, 20143 min read
Summer Solstice and Self-Reflection
SUMMER SOLSTICE, 2014 Last year, at the suggestion of my beau, I celebrated the summer solstice with a ritual which has officially become...
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Apr 13, 20139 min read
Coachella 2012 – The Music Festival That Saved My Life
A year ago at this time, I truly believed that I had lost my ability to experience joy. This was not a dispassionate observation — I was...
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