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by maribeth
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Manchester Memories: Nostalgic About Fall Foliage Trips with Mom
I grew up with five brothers and no sisters. My parents had four boys in a row, then me and many years later another boy. With this configuration, I was destined to be either a tomboy or a girly-girl. My mom was a little of both. But since she finally had her long-awaited daughter, she wanted to make sure I became as much of a little lady as possible. And what’s one of the most feminine pastimes? Most would agree that shopping and going out for lunch rank high in that category. Yes indeed, a tremendous amount of female bonding takes place over browsing the boutiques and chatting about life over a delicious lunch of quiche and salad.
We lived in Troy, New York, just fifty minutes from Bennington, Vermont, close to the New York/Vermont border. Manchester is less than a half hour from there, so in all it would be about an hour and fifteen-minute trip. As soon as we left our house and headed east we plunged into delightful countryside, passing small family farms and traversing quaint villages as rural upstate New York morphed into bucolic Vermont. Rolling through once verdant landscapes kissed by fall’s golden sun and chilly nights, we delighted in viewing an artist’s palette of every variation of red, yellow, burnt umber, sepia and chartreuse. The brush, fields, flowers and trees all revealed their autumn splendor.
As if this festival of colors was not enough, most every house and business was done up with often fabulous displays of pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn (now known as Ornamental corn), cornstalks and sometimes a smattering of ghosts. Here the scarecrows were authentically clad and many had also served a purpose in the fields where crops had been freshly harvested. Today, these colloquial scenes have been souped up with giant plastic blowups in the form of spiders, ghouls and other representations of today’s exuberance over Halloween.
Yet the sincerity of these Vermonters remains true; fall is a time of sensory celebration. As many in the world know, autumn in Vermont stirs all of the senses.
Sure, the traffic through these country roads and towns has increased over the years. But when you’re on a fall foliage tour, leaf peepers don’t care much. That was the case for Mom and me when we had encountered a few jam ups some years back. Those slowdowns provided us with the opportunity to take a closer look because driving to Manchester meant enjoying the sites and scenery along the way. One could take a week going to Manchester from the capital district area of New York, a route followed by many New Yorkers, including those coming up from the city.
Peppered with antique shops, farm stands, all kinds of specialty shops and places to enjoy a bite, this near-famous Route 7 could easily be considered one of the top shopping and touring thoroughfares of New England.
When Mom and I were making Manchester our final destination, we’d typically only allow ourselves to stop at a handful of spots because we wanted to save a chunk of time for this oh-so happening Vermont town. Our goal would often be to arrive at The Equinox, an inn that has existed since 1769. Spotting the tall and stately columns in the front of the inn signaled that we were stepping back in time. Lunch within this bastion of tradition was always very special. Today, known as The Equinox Golf Resort & Spa, this historic property continues to evolve and is now a destination hotel and a Manchester landmark more so than ever.
After lunch we’d mog around the center of Manchester, popping in and out of shops to our heart’s content. By 1977, Mother Myrick’s also rose to the top of our list of must-sees in Manchester. This confectionery began as a small fudge shop and now ranks as a first-class purveyor of all kinds of yummy sweets, including baked goods. People from all over the country order from their online boutique. Mom’s favorite was their buttercrunch, a handmade toffee made with Cabot Creamery butter. So many memories are wrapped up in foods. I’ll have to procure some for myself soon. Is candy a food?
Northshire Bookstore also opened during this era in an historic building that operated as an inn for over a century. One of the best-known small independent booksellers in the country, Northshire Bookstore has grown throughout the decades both in size (10,000 feet) and stature. Browsing here offers a delightful experience. In addition to being a general bookstore, they also showcase a curated selection of magazines, cards, stationery and all kinds of Vermont-made goods from comestibles to crafts. They, too, have a strong online presence and their author’s events are first-rate.
We would usually leave the town center at a reasonable hour to save lots of time at the now defunct Jelly Mill, a huge old barn filled from the floor boards to the beams with an immense selection of gift items. Seeing this beloved establishment close its doors after so many years was sad but thankfully its disappearance allowed smaller boutiques to shine. Manchester Woodcraft and Above All Vermont are a couple of the shops that make this lovely Vermont town worth the trip.
As time went on and the influx of travelers to Vermont’s Green Mountains grew, so did the shopping scene in Manchester. By the eighties, outlet shopping had become big here and soon Mom and I were spending less time at lunch and more time scouring the discount stores. Favorites outlets have long been Pendleton (for gorgeous woolens), Marimekko (for colorful prints), Le Creuset (for super sturdy cookware from France) and Armani (for fabulous Italian fashions).
We’d sometimes stop into the Orvis store to pick up Christmas gifts for the brothers that liked to fish. (The Orvis family, who once occupied a wing of The Equinox, founded this esteemed company in Manchester in 1856. Known as a world leader in fly fishing, their goods embody the spirit of the Vermont way of life. So it’s only fitting that you’ll find two Orvis stores here, the main one and an outlet.)
Mom and I would pull into our garage past dark with a car stuffed with a prized selection of goods and gifts. Typically we’d only bring the Vermont cheeses, sausages, maple syrup, cider, apples, cider donuts and other goodies into the house. The rest would be stashed away for our own pleasure or for future gift giving to others. Either way, all that we purchased had so much more meaning because of the manner in which we did our shopping and the charming places where our treasures were found.
A Tour of the Heart:
A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France
These trips with Mom were repeated year after year in the fall as well as during other seasons. They left an imprint on me so indelible that I developed an aversion to big cookie-cutter stores. No, I needed to shop in places full of character and charm, even if I only picked up a thing or two.
From Vermont Country Stores to Paris Big Names
With these seeds planted, I eventually founded a shopping service in Paris, France called Chic Promenade. During this time in my life, I organized visits behind-the-scenes to the big names, so that people could learn the story of revered French houses such as Dior, Nina Ricci, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and many others. Chic Promenade also helped visitors discover the lesser-known boutiques of Paris, establishments full of history and tradition that provided a unique experience as soon as you passed through their door.
Before I even conducted my first tour, I began to write about these boutiques as well as the special places of interest, neighborhoods, restaurants, hotels, spas, tea salons and wine bars you’d want to incorporate into all kinds of shopping and touring excursions. In all, I have authored four books on shopping and touring in Paris and the French provinces.
It was a proud day when Mom and I went to Northshire Bookstore for my author’s presentation of one of these books. My passion for shopping and touring in Vermont had come full circle.
Thank you Manchester. Thank you Vermont. Thank you Mom. Merci to all for providing me with such inspiration. I’m sure you’ll find your own form of je ne sais quoi in Vermont when you go as well.
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by maribeth
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KOTO, Kittens and Kookiness
My Friends and Me at KOTO’s Purple House on Pine
Leave it to KOTO, our beloved community radio station here in Telluride, Colorado, to bring me back into the fold. I’ve been wanting to get back on the air with Travel Fun, my talk show on travel, and start blogging again for quite some time. But life has kept me occupied with other doings and it has been hard finding the time for these two favorite ways of being in touch with you.
My last post, which highlighted a photo of my mother and me fresh from the hairdresser, was in March 2021. Sadly, my sweet mama passed away that following July and exactly three months prior to that–in April–my dear brother, David, succumbed to his three-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Needless-to-say both left a gaping hole in my heart as well as much to do, including clearing out a large family home stuffed to the heavens with belongings and an abundance of memorabilia. The fact that all of that occurred back east–a great distance from Colorado–in the height of a pandemic and after much caretaking made it all the more complicated. But I’m back in Colorado now full-time slowly picking up the pieces of my life after having been intimately involved in theirs for many years.
KOTO is the heart and soul of Telluride. Most of the community, its visitors and folks tuning in from afar turn to our little radio station, an NPR affiliate, for all kinds of musical entertainment, talk, news, the avalanche report and other important announcements such as a lost dog report or road closures and traffic slowdowns due to a mudslide or elk crossings. Plus, they regularly broadcast most of Telluride’s big music festivals, including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Telluride Jazz Festival and Telluride Blues & Brews Festival. Its audience is truly worldwide. So when the bright and shining Cara (Pallone), Executive Director of KOTO, asked me to be a guest DJ for KOTO’s 2022 Summer Fundraising drive, a live one-hour segment Friday, August 19 from noon to 1pm, I was deeply honored and also somewhat daunted; I knew that this marked a time when I was to put it in gear.
And maybe you thought I was just horsing around in my little town of Norwood, Colorado?
Me Down on the Farm in Norwood
Admittedly I love the peace and tranquility of this old ranching town less than an hour from Telluride and I have been hooked to the Netflix series “Heartland.” But you can take the girl out of Paris but never Paris out of the girl. As much as I’ve embraced a more down-to-earth lifestyle in Colorado, there’s still a big part of me that’s every bit of a Parisian sophisticate.
With KOTO’s Summer Fundraising theme of Across the Universe, I thought I’d dust off my cowboy boots (gardening clogs, actually) and tell you my story.
I’ve been a travel writer since the late eighties. I lived in France eleven years and have traveled back to Paris and the French provinces considerably since I moved back to the States in 1994. France has always been my specialty but since I moved to Colorado over twenty years ago, I have also become passionate about and well versed in the American West. I authored five books on France, three shopping and touring guides to Paris, one shopping and touring guide on the French provinces and one travel memoir entitled A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France. I segued into travel writing after I had created a shopping service in Paris, called Chic Promenade. During those years, I lead people on the discovery of off-the-beaten-path boutiques and also arranged behind-the-scenes visits of the big names such as Hermès, Dior and Nina Ricci.
My Travel Memoir: Tour of the Heart
I’ve traveled extensively throughout the world to places as far-flung as Guilin, China, and big parts of Morocco and Nova Scotia. I’ve written about many of these places at my blog, www.BonjourColorado.com. I’ve fallen way behind on posting there because I have been involved in lots of family doings since 2016. But I’m back at it now!
In past years, I’ve freelanced for Forbes, The New York Times Syndicate and a number of other outlets. I currently write online content for Discovery Map, a company that publishes those colorful, hand drawn maps that you find in about 150 destinations throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. For them, I’ve written about great places to visit such as the Outer Banks, of North Carolina, Cape May in New Jersey and Bozeman, Big Sky and Livingston, Montana, to name a few. And yes, I even wrote about Telluride because there’s a Discovery Map here as well. I have to admit it’s the longest and most inspired writeup of all that I’ve done. I also recently wrote a blog for them entitled “Summer Travel Woes: How to Make the Best of Your Airline Experience,” which anyone planning to hop on a plane anytime soon should read.
Steve and Me at Telluride Jazz Festival
I am happy that a few special guests will be chiming in during my big Guest DJ appearance on Friday. Steve Togni, General Manager of Mountain Lodge Telluride and also my partner of almost fourteen years, will be there to talk about the hospitality industry in Telluride and also to tout a very special Mountain Lodge premium that he has graciously donated.
John Gerona, Owner of The Village Table in Telluride Mountain Village and another of my favorite persons, said he’ll stop by. That will give us the opportunity to thank him for providing a super convivial and delicious dining experience to the community for the past ten years.
On Duty as a Telluride Ski Instructor
Noah Sheedy, Director of the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School, will be popping in as well. I’ve been a ski instructor in Telluride for almost nineteen years, a profession that has helped to balance out my writing career–and me–in many ways. If KOTO is the heart and soul of Telluride, then Telluride Ski Resort encompasses a good part of the rest in our majestic mountain town.
Peter Hans, the driving force behind Discovery Map, will be calling in either from their headquarters in Waitsfield, Vermont or from his sailboat in Newport, Rhode Island. We’re similar in that we summered together up in the Adirondacks, both lived for a long time in Europe and then settled in quaint mountain towns in America where we continue to live out our passion for sharing travel and ski experiences with others.
Victoria at Her Paris Boutique
If the lines aren’t too busy, I hope to have a special phone call from Paris from my friend, Victoria Wolff. I met her during my Paris days and her boutique, Wolff et Descourtis, is still my all-time favorite address in the City of Light. Her family has been in the textile business since 1875 and at her Galerie Vivienne showcase (and online) you can buy the most magical shawls you’ve ever seen. La beauté française est extraordinaire!
Mountain Lodge Telluride
And yes, I have rounded up quite a few premiums–or gift certificates–from some of my favorite places within the region. The grand prize is a Mountain Lodge premium for a two-night stay in a one-bedroom residence, valued at approximately $1500, at this beautiful slopeside property.
Mountain Lodge: A Great Place to Party
And here’s the fabulous news:
ANYONE DONATING A MINIMUM OF $25. TO KOTO WITH THE TRAVEL FUN DESIGNATION WILL BE ENTERED INTO DRAWINGS to win my premiums. That means that if you make your donation at KOTO.org or call the station at 970-728-4334, you have a chance of winning either the grand prize of two nights at Mountain Lodge or one of the other great premiums I’ve also rounded up. The drawings will take place at the end of my Guest DJ segment, which is Friday, August 19 from noon to 1pm MST. Remember that you can tune in online at KOTO.org if you’re not local. Note that your chances of winning are quite strong, since I likely will not have a gazillion donors. You can enter as many times as you want as long as you make a $25. donation each time. Tell your friends and family! I will start out with the Mountain Lodge drawing at about 12:50pm MST and make my way down the gift certificates listed below with their corresponding values:
Aveda Telluride Spa, one of my favorite spas in T-ride has generously offered one custom facial valued at $170. and one custom massage valued at $150. Merci mes amies!
Mesa Rose Kitchen + Grocery
Mesa Rose Kitchen + Grocery in Norwood, the best address in Norwood for fresh foods and a real community vibe: two gift certificates, each worth $50.
Coffee from Telluride Coffee Roasters
Telluride Coffee Roasters, the premiere coffee purveyor in Telluride that also has an online boutique: $70.
Arena Hair Studio
Arena Hair Studio: Sandra Arena, my gal in town (Norwood,) who knows how to make me beuuuuuutiful: $60. gift certificate for any service.
Beaucoup de Breakfast at The View
The View restaurant at Mountain Lodge Telluride, excellent food and drink with spectacular views: $50.
Loving La Coçina
La Coçina de Luz, super fresh Mexican food restaurant: $50.
Cindybread: Pains aux Chocolat Just Like in Paree
Cindybread Artisan Bakery, an all-time délicieux bakery in Lawson Hill: $50.
Sawpit Mercantile
Sawpit Mercantile, a fabulous pitstop for barbecue, gas, liquor and other much-needed goods: $50.
Nails with Mandie
Nails with Mandie in Naturita: one of my new West End discoveries for having my nails done: $40. gift certificate for a pedicure.
The Friendly Folk at Counter Culture; photo credit: Michael Mowery Media
Counter Culture Kitchen and Catering, for great takeout sandwiches also in Lawson Hill: $25.
Thank you to all that have generously donated gift certificates that will be used for my KOTO fundraising campaign!!!
Remember that if you donate $100. you will also be entered into two separate KOTO drawings: one to win a brand-new SOL GalaXy paddle board and the other to land yourself a two-night stay at The Peaks Resort & Spa package.
Our Happy Place with Our SOL Paddle Boards
Steve Paddling at Sunset in Norwood
And if you donate $50., you will receive a KOTO sun shirt (in addition to being entered into my drawings). Super cool. The supply is limited, however, so act fast.
Note that all proceeds are tax deductible and all go to KOTO.
Once again, in order to be added to all of my drawings, donations must be paid in full by the end of my show by let’s say 12:50pm on Friday. So break out the plastic!
With added luck, I might even have some additional premiums come Friday.
The Superlative Setting at The Peaks Resort & Spa
In terms of music, I, of course, I will be playing some French and maybe some Chinese and Moroccan tunes as well. I’ll also have bluegrass, which I’ve come to love since I’ve been in Colorado. And since I’m originally from New York (upstate) and love Frank Sinatra, I’ll definitely be playing “New York, New York.” I’d also like to work in some Dooby Brothers and/or Eagles because they remind me of summers spent at Lake George, New York.
Had I not taken a hiatus from Travel Fun, my talk show on travel, I’d be up to almost nineteen years of doing radio at KOTO. Yet between the pandemic (when I only did a handful of shows remotely) and spending lots of time back east for family matters, I’ve had to take a break from doing my show. I look forward to being back on the air on a regular basis very soon. For Travel Fun, I’ve enjoyed interviewing all kinds of people about travel, beauty, fashion, food and wine and a variety of other subjects including one program entitled Sex, Travel and Fun. Travel, of course, can be very exciting. Guests on my show have included lots of locals, many second-home owners and a good amount of “outsiders” I contacted because I thought KOTO listeners would enjoy hearing what they had to say. One such example is Graham Watson, renowned photographer of the Tour de France bike race.
I’m most definitely an avid listener of KOTO. I love radio in general, so much so, in fact, that I don’t even own a TV.
In past years, I was very involved with volunteering at KOTO events, which was always fun and super interesting. I hope to get back to that soon as well. Some of my most memorable gigs included being in charge of the green rooms for KOTO Doo Dahs and other happenings. I did this for Jackson Browne, the Subdudes, Bob Dylan, Lyle Lovett, Michael Franti and some LIp Syncs. I was also in charge of KOTO merchandise for Bluegrass a number of years and yes, I had my stints working the KOTO beer booth at Bluegrass and doing endless hours of decorating for the fabulous KOTO Halloween parties. A lot of this I did with Jumpin’ Jan, which made it all the more meaningful.
KOTO is my family. I love being a part of the ski school family and my KOTO family. I started both in December 2003. That was when it was not very popular to be writing about France. (Remember Freedom Fries?) So I switched up my life and the rewards have been far better than I ever could have imagined. A very well known travel writer once told me that having a radio show is a great way to build your audience. Far more than that, however, it has made me feel very loved. I have truly enjoyed working with KOTO staff and DJs and it has been fun, too, when people recognize my voice and say things like “oh, you’re the travel lady.”
If you’ve made it to the end of this story, you deserve a glimpse at my kittens. They are the ultimate kure-all for all kinds of kookiness.
It’s a Star-Spangled Blue-Eyed Holiday Everyday with Our Kittens
Thank you to Amy Peters for her great coverage of this summer’s Guest DJ Day in the Telluride Daily Planet and the Norwood Post. Her piece, KOTO Radio Takes Over the Universe, will tell you even more about what’s happening at KOTO and what’s in store for all on Friday, August 19.
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by maribeth
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Giving Thanks
Thank you!
Hello, it’s me. I’m still here. I have composed many blog posts in my head to you these past months but it has been hard putting my thoughts in writing. Like so many people these days, I’ve been rather overwhelmed with life. And yet there have been many bright spots, a lot that have involved enjoying wonderful meals at home, tuning into concerts and movies online, embracing paddle boarding and picnicking and other low-risk activities, mostly with Steve, my partner of twelve years, and our three kitty cats. I’ve also poured much love and energy into cultivating my garden and settling into my little house. I’ve done some writing, mainly for Discovery Map and, in fact, I recommend you check out their Map Geek Blog where you can read stories that I think you’ll find to be both entertaining and informative.
I know how to make the best out of every day and every situation and I try hard to do just that. Thank God! Sometimes though it’s more of a challenge than others. Focusing on gratitude even in the darkest times helps a lot.
Summer Fun
As you can read in my recent Caring Bridge post, entitled Hoping Against Hope, my brother, David, continues to battle cancer very hard. He truly is an inspiration and there’s no doubt that his positive attitude has buoyed many of us up when we have felt great despair.
Sometimes I wish I wasn’t such a feeling person but there’s no doubt that vulnerability can also be a strength. It definitely fosters compassion.
Like so many, I hold my feelings in my gut. I’m hoping that I’ve hit the reset button on that–at least for the most part. As I wrote in my Caring Bridge post, learning last May that my brother still had cancer thrust me into a high state of anxiety. I thought that after his laryngectomy last February that he’d be cancer free. By early August my stress began to manifest itself into severe abdominal pain. It took a while to figure out the cause of it and lots of Oxycodones and wines to manage it but it was finally corrected the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. That’s when I had a hysterectomy and aside from some post operative pain and discomfort, I could tell right away that the surgery had worked. Time to say goodbye to the Oxies, the heating pads and hot water bottles and to enjoy wine purely for its taste rather than largely for its medicinal benefits. (I had even gone so far as to buy a bottle of whisky recently; anti-inflammatories just weren’t working.)
I am so very grateful for having had this surgery. It almost didn’t happen. I’m sure you’ve heard how overloaded our hospitals are due to COVID and that there’s a big nursing shortage (since many are in quarantine). Well, I can tell you that it’s real. My doctor, Dr. Kimberly Priebe, called me about four days before I was scheduled to go in and explained to me how Mercy Hospital in Durango, Colorado–like so many of our hospitals throughout Colorado and the rest of the country–was loaded with COVID. She explained to me that if I went through with the operation, she’d want to keep me off the floor and have me stay overnight in a hotel rather than in the hospital. The plan was for her to check in on me there and to keep me as far away from COVID central as possible. With the help of Steve, it appeared that I’d be reliant on a sort of “Little House on the Prairie” nursing and doctoring, straight out of the post-op recovery room. “And that’s provided there aren’t any complications and that you meet all the criteria for being released,” my doctor emphasized.
This all felt daunting and pretty scary, adding stress to a situation that was to be more than just a walk in the park as it was. I’m so grateful for all the support and advice I received from loved ones and particularly a couple of close friends from the medical world that helped me to eventually give my doctor the greenligiht with confidence. “You need to get this done. You have to trust that the medical professionals will keep you safe,” said my brother Frank. It wasn’t an easy decision, especially knowing that all of my doctor’s other surgeries for that day had been cancelled, including for a woman that had Stage 4 uterine cancer. But I persevered.
So Steve and I drove over two hours to Durango in a snowstorm the Monday night before, sanitized our hotel room (with a complete spray down of alcohol) and stocked the fridge with the food and drink I had packed into our cooler. Steve brought a thermometer as well as a blood pressure monitor; he was ready to handle whatever situation was going to be thrown our way. (He also had all of his ski gear because I insisted that he hit Wolf Creek the day of my surgery, since there was no point of him stepping foot in the hospital. He lucked out because it was a powder day. He talked to my doctor slopeside and then later picked me up at the end of his ski day!)
Thankfully all went seamlessly and I am so very grateful that I was able to have the surgery because I can’t imagine having had to go on much longer with such pain. My wonderful doctor lobbied for it to happen because as is the case with most of the hospitals in Colorado now, mostly only emergent surgeries are scheduled these days. I’m also very grateful to the entire medical staff because I know they are all working extra hard in order to make up for the shortages.
This brings me to a full-on plea to all to wear your mask and take all of the recommended precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Please, if you are a non-masker or if you tend to be lax with your social distancing and such, know that it is very real. My heart goes out to all of our medical workers that have to be exposed to this virus in order to help us. Just walking into the hospital for my pre-op bloodwork and COVID-19 test a few days before my surgery gave me the willies.
I have, in fact, felt heaps of gratitude to all healthcare workers and their support staff the past few years as I’ve assisted my brother with his cancer battle. I am in awe of their skill, hard work and commitment to their patients’ well being. In all of our countless interactions, I think we only encountered a handful that were less than pleasant and maybe one that was incompetent–or at least made a significant mistake. These people truly are heroes and I salute them during this period of giving thanks and forever more.
It seems as though the reset button has been hit for my brother, David, as well. We all have the power to promote healing within ourselves but there’s no doubt that we need help (sometimes a lot of it) from those in the medical profession.
I am grateful for modern medicine and all of our healthcare workers. I am also very grateful for the friends and family members that have supported me throughout these trying times.
I just received my pathology report and there’s no cancer. Plus, it has been almost ten days since our little Durango jaunt and Steve and I have seemingly not caught COVID. All is well.
Here’s wishing all of you good health and healing!
Steve & Me this Summer
Discovery Map Travel Writing & Books: A Tour of the Heart armchair travel Discovery Map sense of place The Good Earth traveling from home Trip Fiction
by maribeth
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All Kinds of Armchair Travel
An Excellent Read that Takes Place in 20th Century China
As I outlined in my Discovery Map post, Traveling from Home, there are many ways to transport yourself to other lands through books, music, virtual museum tours–you name it! I’m sure you’ve discovered many as you’ve sheltered in place these past weeks. I don’t know about you but I have not been at all bored. All I need–at least in terms of armchair travel–is to experience something that evokes a strong sense of place. My favorite medium is books, which is a good thing because I don’t even have a TV (by choice).
Here’s a cool site where you can locate a book–fiction or nonfiction–by its locale: Trip Fiction. Want to read something that takes place in Hawaii? Or how about Germany? Africa maybe? Trip Fiction will suggest to you the titles that tell stories that take place in those lands and many many more. Check it out!
My Travel Memoir: A Tour of the Heart
As for me, my favorite read of late has been The Good Earth, by Nobel Prize-winning author, Pearl S. Buck. It’s a classical novel of Pre-revolutionary China and I can tell you, it puts you right there in China as you follow the farmer, Wang Lung, and his selfless wife O-Lan on their triumphs and travails. They had far more of the latter than the former, so needless-to-say, this story makes you grateful for the life you have today no matter how challenging it might seem right now.
On a much lighter note, I can’t help but recommend my travel memoir, A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France. I promise it will whisk you off to Paris and the French provinces where you’ll be able to sample lots of excellent food and wine along the way. As a gift to you, dear reader, I am offering the eBook version free tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday. If you haven’t read it yet, please do check it out. Tell your friends, too.
May you be safe, secure, entertained and informed during these COVID-19 times and always!
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by maribeth
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April Showers Will Hopefully Bring May Flowers
Late April Sunrise in Telluride
As T. S. Eliot wrote in his poem, “The Waste Land,” ‘APRIL is the cruellest month.’ It has been extremely cruel to many, especially those that have perished due to COVID-19 and all their loved ones as well as those that tirelessly cared for them. It would have been easier not to feel such pain and to have remained in Eliot’s winter state of mind, numb and protected from all, as he wrote in ‘Winter kept us warm, covering.’ But it was not meant to be.
Already from this profound place, most of us have experienced a sense of rebirth and renewal, a recurring motif for the month of April and the most prevalent theme of the messages put forth in this year’s Easter, Passover and now Ramadan messages. I attempted to encapsulate this in a story I wrote for Discovery Map, entitled Map Geek’s Worldview: We Are One. I hope you’ll find a moment to take a look at it and that you’ll find some hope within it. Unlike T.S. Eliot’s renowned poem, April does not have to be the cruelest month despite the fact that it has indeed been very harsh.
Love to all!
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by maribeth
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Discovery Map and Me
Using My Discovery Map in Southampton
You may have noticed that I’ve been posting links to Discovery Map stories here at my blog for just over a year. Wait, don’t tell me you’re not familiar with Discovery Map? I bet many of you are–either through my blog posts–or having actually used one of these cheery, hand-drawn maps on your travels. If you’re not familiar with Discovery Map, I suggest you become acquainted with them. They have a presence–yes, in the form of super cute and handy foldout maps–in some 125 destinations across the U.S. and abroad.
Good news is that Discovery Map is actively developing their web presence. That’s where I come in. They are expanding their website in a variety of ways, including showcasing written descriptions about their destinations. There’s not much room for that on the actual maps but the sky’s the limit on their website.
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by maribeth
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Discovery Map Is Coming to Telluride
Me with Peter Hans and Laura Potter from Discovery Map
I love being a travel writer and sometimes I really love being a travel writer. As much as I like to write, the sitting on my butt part (whether in a desk chair or on my couch) can be rough. (Yes, I do stand sometimes but I don’t have a stand up desk per se.)
So often the travel writing part I like the most is the research phase. That aspect of my job is even better when it involves lots of good connecting with people, great skiing and memorable food. Such was the case this winter when Discovery Map International came to Telluride to carry out an important phase of their map-making process. Yes, they came to Telluride because as of next fall, there will be a Telluride Discovery Map added to their community of over 150 maps within the United States and beyond.
Loving Raclette with Laura and My Boyfriend Steve
I’m happy to be involved in writing web content for this dynamic company. Read Fun Times in Map Making, a Map Geek story I wrote for them, to find out more of the back story that goes into the Discovery Map process and most especially how it all went down in Telluride.
Brian Lewis of Discovery Map Telluride
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by maribeth
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We Love Memoirs
This Week’s WLM Sunday Spotlight
Have you ever heard of a Facebook group? Maybe you’re part of one. There are all kinds of groups on Facebook made up of like-minded people sharing information on a gazillion topics from antique cars to zebra stripes. (I have’t looked up either but I’m sure they–or some likeness of these subjects–exist.)
We Love Memoirs Header this Week
For the past two weeks I’ve gleaned a ton of information and support from a FB group that’s all about covering very specific health issues for women. I’m also part of a couple of FB groups that highlight deals (and some doings) in Telluride, Colorado, where I’ve been living for fourteen years. My most lighthearted FB group of all, however, is WLM, or We Love Memoirs.
Victoria Twead
What a fun bunch of friends! Each time I pop in, my mood is uplifted by words and images from men and women that share a common bond: a love of memoirs. Over 4,200 strong, it’s populated with readers and writers of memoirs, firmly established authors, wannabes and fans. It’s all good because we all love memoirs.
Set up in 2013 by Victoria Twead and Alan Parks, two memoir authors that wanted to create a place where memoir-loving people could chat, exchange ideas and interact with each other. It’s a coffee klatch of sorts with one big common thread.
Alan Parks and One of His Many Alpacas
Victoria, New York Times bestselling author of Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools and the “Old Fools” series, checks in on a daily basis from her home in Australia. “Apart from producing my children, passing my driving test and hitting the New York Times bestseller list, co-creating We Love Memoirs is my proudest achievement,” she says. “It is a wonderful, caring community of readers and memoir authors, and every time I hear of another WLM meet-up somewhere in the world, I get a warm fuzzy glow.”
Indeed, WLM is often taken off the internet when WLM members get together with other members in person. Can you imagine having tea with someone in a faraway land that shares your passion and is connected to you by the same group of fun-loving memoir readers? It’s like being a part of the same tribe.
WLM cofounder Alan Parks, author of Seriously Mum, What’s an Alpaca? and the “Seriously Mum” series, calls Spain his home.
