About Me

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I am a retired English teacher and department head, the mother of three grand mother of four, and have been married to the same man for 52 years. I subscribe to Dr. PM Forni's concept of Civility. I was born in South Philadelphia and grew up in the 'burbs. I love soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, the Phillies, the Eagles, and San Diego. I love being Mom, Aunt Kathy, Nona Kathy, and Teacher. I spend a lot of time in my gardens in the spring and summer, and in the winter I plan what I'm going to plant. I also am an avid reader and photographer.

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Monday, December 29, 2008

Travels with Kathy or "I could see Russia from my backyard"

It's 5:25 and the sun is just setting. Each day gets a little longer!:) Today I worked out at the gym -- did my requisite 45 minutes of cardio on the elliptical (and REALLY pushed it) and half an hour of weights, and saw some friends as well. I could easily work out here at home, but I enjoy running into ex-students, acquaintances, and friends.

Today, one friend who I had not seen in a while, told me of their recent trip to Antarctica. They flew to Buenos Aires and then to the southern tip of Argentina where they boarded a small ship. She is still high from the sights and the wildlife they saw. I'll see photos as soon as she can send them and I can't wait. I'd love to go there. This is one change the cancer evoked in me. Previous to being sick, I never really wanted to go anywhere. I loved staying home and hanging out -- working in my garden, cooking for friends, and reading. And then about a week after I got out of the hospital, a good friend (my chemistry teacher from high school-- the reason I became a teacher) sent me a note with a subscription to Conde Nast. He said I needed to get out of my garden and he was right. So as I convalesced, Richard and I made plans.

The following year, three days after school closed for summer (with my husband in a cast because of a broken ankle), we went to Vancouver where we boarded a cruise ship to Alaska. If I said the trip was phenomenal, I would be guilty of hyperbolic understatement. We watched the sun set at 10:30 at night from a bench at the front of the ship. We marveled at hump-back whales in Juneau as they breeched not 25 feet from our boat; we basked in the glory and pristine beauty of the Mendenhall and Sawyer Glaciers and the Yukon. We shuddered at the human greed and loss of life, both human and equine, of the Gold Rush; we dined on fresh Alaska salmon in a small but great restaurant in Skagway. It was a trip we will never forget. Since then we've visited the Florida Keys, Sanibel, Barcelona, Sicily, and Italy and I am now seriously afflicted with a case of wunderlust. I remain a voracious reader; I still spend much time in the garden and cook for friends, but Jim was right: the world outside my garden is a wondrous place.

6 comments:

Cheryl said...

How to respond? I'm such a homebody. I need a planner. I'd just like to go away for the weekend!

I would like to go to China. Italy. Alaska. Maybe one day? I have a client who travels the world. I live vicariously.

Lena said...

I am a homebody as well and never think about seeing the world. Good for you for venturing out.

I guess I am with Cheryl and living vicariously.

Jay said...

There are so many places I would love to visit. You could just spin a globe and then stop it and wherever you are pointing too would probably be a place I'd like to visit.

I guess I would like to go to England, Scotland and Ireland first, but the list of places I'd like to visit after that is looooooooooooooooong.

happyone said...

I like to travel but not to the tourists places. I loved my walking vacations in England and Ireland and I got to live 4 years in Scotland.
It appears that I've been to all the places that Jay would like to go. :-)

Do you have another trip planned?

Gin said...

You have such a great attitude! I love to travel but I'm more interested lately into traveling in the good ol' USA! I think we're going to take a long road trip this summer, if we can figure out what to do with the chickens.

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

I enjoy occasional travel, but mostly I'm a homebody. I love the memories of my trips, but don't like to go too often.