It had been 18 long months since I built houses overseas, and nearly as long since I had left the United States. WAY too long for me. I had been leading volunteer teams abroad to partner with families in need of decent shelter with Habitat for Humanity—two or three times a year! You can imagine … Continue reading
Lima is known for many things, perhaps best as the gastronomic capital city of South America. Given some advance warning, you can try to get reservations at some of the hottest foodie destinations anywhere. I flew into Lima just one day in advance of meeting my Global Builders team, 15 volunteers who would be building houses with me and The Fuller Center for Housing. Without a lot of time to get to know this enchanting seaside city, I could only check a few items off my list. Guess that means I’ll have to come again! Here are a few highlights that I highly recommend and the ones I would have done if I’d had more time. Continue reading
Final stop on our week long journey through southeast Tennessee, northern Georgia and western North Carolina—the tiny town of Black Mountain, North Carolina. We had the better part of an afternoon here, on our way to the Asheville regional airport, where we’d drop our rental car and fly home. We started with a visit to … Continue reading
My roadtrip adventure continues to Asheville, North Carolina. So far, we’d flown to Chattanooga, TN then drove to Blue Ridge, GA on our way to Asheville. I’d never been to the vibrant bohemian artist town with a reputation as ‘Beer City’. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is probably still best known as the … Continue reading
If you don’t have friends with houses in places you’d like to visit, make some! I’ve hosted loads of visitors in my life, and thankfully, I have friends who reciprocate. I’m always happy to trade lovely housewarming gifts for their hospitality and company. My friend and I flew into Chattanooga, rented a car and drove … Continue reading
A short flight from Baltimore, Chattanooga represented another starting place to spread my wings during the heinous Covid-19 pandemic season of thwarted travel. Lucky for me, I have a few friends who are usually up for an adventure, and this road trip with just that. My friend and I flew from Baltimore to Chattanooga, hopped … Continue reading
To all my whole food plant eaters out there and to those who have yet to discover the joy and benefits of eating plants, I give you a new idea. It was new to me anyhow. A few months ago I took my doctor’s advice and read *Chef AJ’s The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss: … Continue reading
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine of Hippo [Episodes no longer available live. Sorry everyone!] To all my fellow travelers, I created these 15 short but sweet episodes with you in mind. This is the travel podcast that I wanted to listen to … Continue reading
Just a short time exploring the cobblestone streets of Lübeck, Germany is enough to soak in the culture of this once major trading center founded on the Baltic coast in 1143. One of the thriving medieval cities of the Hanseatic League, a confederation of merchant guilds and market towns which monopolized trade routes in the … Continue reading
If you’ve never seen the History Channel’s action packed historical drama, Vikings, I recommend checking it out if you are planning a visit to Norway (or not; it’s that good). We visited a few ports of call during a Northern European cruise. While cruising isn’t my preferred way to travel, it was interesting to explore … Continue reading
Global Staci 