A Lunch Conversation With My Teenage Daughter
My daughter and I went out to lunch recently. After we settled in at the table, I could tell something was bothering her so I asked what was on her mind. She told me about a friend whose mother told her daughter to stop hanging around with my daughter because my daughter would be a bad influence. Read more 
Snowball Cookies
The Christmas of ’51
On the way home from school a few nights ago, my daughter was admiring all the bright multi-colored holiday lights on the street poles and houses remarking how festive the area looks. When we returned to our dark home, my daughter said “Mom, we are a family with no holiday spirit” as we had nary a decoration in sight. Read more
“Once Upon A Time There Was You”
Years ago (2003), when we were living in Madrid, I read a human interest story in the weekend edition of The International Herald Tribune about a father who was losing his daughter – not to death but to the unavoidable journey of growing up. At eighteen, she was leaving to go off to college, a parting he found very painful. He expressed his anguish in a poem by Cecil Day Lewis called “Walking Away:”
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The Palm Beach Half Marathon
I’m scheduled to run 13.1 miles in the Palm Beach Half Marathon and nervousness and anxiety are setting in because the temperatures are predicted to be in the high 70’s, which is very warm for a runner like me who has been training in 40-50 degree temps. Read more
Special Places to Stay in La Antigua, Guatemala
La Antigua, Guatemala is a colonial town about 40 kilometers (24 miles) southwest of Guatemala City in the central highlands of Guatemala (although the town is in the southern part of the country). La Antigua is simply known as “Antigua” (not to be confused with the island in the Caribbean) and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site well-known for its cobblestone streets, colonial architecture and ruins. Read more
The Impasse at Home
Chicken Pasta Soup
“Sarah’s Key”
Exploring La Antigua, Guatemala
La Antigua, Guatemala is located in southern Guatemala about 40 kilometers (24 miles) southwest of Guatemala City although most people refer to La Antigua as Antigua and the location as being in the central highlands of the country because of the mountainous region and vegetation. La Antigua, Guatemala means “the old Guatemala” and was established as the third capital of the country in the middle of the 16th century by the Spanish conquistadors after two other sites were abandoned. In the 18th century after several earthquakes, the capital was moved to the present site – Guatemala City – although Antigua was never abandoned completely by its citizens. Read more
Paddock Post 