mission trails flowers

You may not know this, but San Diego was in an eight-year drought until last month. Pretty much the entire time I’ve lived here. I can think of periods where it had been months since we had even a sprinkle. Pretty unbelievable if you live somewhere where rain is more commonplace. But this winter was incredibly wet (as I’m writing this in May, it’s raining today). Other than giving me an excuse to buy cute rainboots, one of the perks of a wet winter is what comes in the spring. This photo was taken in Mission Trails, where I love to…

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susan and crawfish

I love this photo. I was maybe three, chunky and barefoot in our neighborhood in Houston. My parents would buy live crabs—or, in this instance, crawfish—and boil them for a feast. It was their way of connecting to their Louisiana roots. My mom tells a great story about how, when they took me to Red Lobster, they would usually give me applesauce. But one day, they foolishly gave me a taste of crab. What a mistake. I’d shriek, “crab! crab!” and refuse the paltry applesauce. I don’t remember eating my first crawfish, but I love that this photo depicts my…

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sardinia wall

I don’t remember the name of this town that I wandered into after visiting ruins in Sardinia. It doesn’t matter, really. But I do remember that I spent a lovely few hours all by myself in this town. After eating a crummy sandwich at the only restaurant open on a Sunday, I meandered. I found a path that led up a hill overlooking the town and paused to take a photo of this interesting wall. The point was: it was one of those moments where I revel in the joys of solo travel. To go somewhere with no agenda, no…

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