One of the first concerts Espen took me to was Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin at the Wolf Trap. This date is memorable for two reasons. The first reason is that it was hot as Hades that day, and the gentle musical stylings of Mary and Shawn coupled with the heat lulled me into a state of suspended animation. The second is because it … Continue reading Barcelona
I married a Norwegian who hates winter. By the time February rolls around, he’s pretty fed up with the cold. How to fix this? Hit the beach! Every year since we’ve been together, we’ve been like the birds, heading south to warmer climes. Our first vacation, in fact, was to the Dominican Republic (I’ll eventually get caught up on our travels and will have a … Continue reading U.S. Virgin Islands
One of our friends is Icelandic. One night over dinner with him and his wife earlier this year, Snaevar shared some of his favorite things about his country. It was enough to set Espen’s wanderlust ablaze. A week later, he called out from his desk, “So. Iceland. Would you really want to go?” I said yes, of course. The next day, the trip was booked. … Continue reading Iceland
My father is originally from Milton, Delaware. On the last Saturday of every June, there’s a family reunion of sorts (more like a big family picnic) at one of the state parks. I went once when I was about 9, way back in the ’70s. The next time wasn’t until 2012, when I joined a cousin who knows even fewer people on that side of … Continue reading Delmarva and Cape May
Espen visited New Orleans back in 2013, when he went in July (!) with his friend Inge as part of a road trip across America. (How two Norwegians survived the heat that time a year is a mystery.) Of all the cities he has visited while living in the states — and there have been many — New Orleans remains one of his absolute favorites. I … Continue reading Bon Temps and All That Jazz
Where the Road Takes You 