Bringing Down the White Picket Fence
A Couple's Quest to Live Globally
Archives
We’ve suffered a great deal of loss in both 2019 and 2020. In fulfilling the commitment to take care of our parents and give back to them everything they so generously gave to us, we’ve spent the past few years practically living in intensive care units, emergency rooms, waiting rooms, other small rooms (the ones they take you to when they have nothing good to say), and fluorescent lit and underemployed rehabilitation… Read More
I never got to eat at Dooky Chase’s restaurant, and because of that, I never had the honor of meeting Leah Chase, a culinary icon of New Orleans. Sadly, Leah Chase died on June 1st at the age of 96, leaving behind a legacy bigger and more famous than the delicious gumbo she served up to presidents, civil right’s activists, celebrities, and travelers. Leah Chase transformed her husband’s small sandwich shop in… Read More
What do you know about this quote carved into the marble of the southeast wall of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.? If, like me, you read the words and thought, that’s powerful and pertinent, but what’s the context? Did he say it? Write it? Who was it directed at? So, I did a little research. This is from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to Samuel Kercheval, a Virginia lawyer and… Read More
Of all of the photos that Paul has taken over the years, this is one of my favorites. The lady in the hat, sitting by the Seine in front of the Louvre. It is often assumed that I posed for this photo, but I assure you, my arms and legs aren’t nearly that toned, and I do not own a purse or hat that glamorous. The tourists flock to the museum to… Read More
This city exceeded our expectations. From food to friendly, Cleveland rates 10 + on the cities we love list. Every local treated us as if we were their friend. Many tried to talk us into moving. The exploration of a new city can sometimes leave you feeling slightly unsure of how you will be greeted upon arrival. Will you feel safe? Will you feel welcome? Cleveland will make you feel all of… Read More
I don’t like to be stuck in a city in the rain; I don’t have good hair for it. I do prefer to sit in a window and watch other people dash through it, some of them so elegant, others so mysterious. Paul always seems to capture these breathtaking moments of people walking through the city. He can usually find the one person with the most stylish patterned umbrella as they delicately… Read More
There’s nothing that intrigues me more than grand, historic buildings filled with good food and passionate people. Paul may have had the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on his list, but my must-do Cleveland adventure started here at West Side Market in Ohio City. Ohio City is a neighborhood just west of downtown Cleveland and the Cuyahoga River. It is filled with good restaurants, hopping breweries, and happy locals eager to… Read More
He’s been to The Grand Ole Opry House, and he hates country music. He’s seen enough Tim McGraw and Miranda Lambert to last a lifetime. So what do you do for the man who has suffered through numerous musical tragedies and lived to tell the stories? You take him to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He loves rock and roll. Welcome to Cleveland, Paul (if we can get out of… Read More
There’s something about Washington, D.C. and sunshine. The sky, the trees, those cherry blossoms when they’re in bloom. Who doesn’t love this city? We’re a little bit of Alexandria and a little bit of D.C. people. This means that when we travel there, we have to visit both. I always said that if we won the lottery, we’d need to have a vacation home in Alexandria. It’s probably not the Caribbean Island… Read More
Here are four ladies, exhausted and beaten by the sun after a day of touring the Colosseum. We are waiting, impatiently, to eat a bowl of cacio e pepe at Restaurant X. Restaurant X is not the real name of the restaurant. It’s Roma Sparita actually. Anthony Bourdain put this restaurant on the map when he professed his love for Roma Sparita’s cacio e pepe on an episode of No Reservations. He… Read More
