winifredcreamer

Charleston, SC

We just arrived in Charleston, swooping in over Labor Day weekend. Hurricane Dorian isn’t scheduled to land until Wednesday or so. It may veer another direction in the meantime, so we’ll hope for the best. Our house here is completely charming, decorated to the teeth. We are very comfortable, right in the toe of theContinue reading “Charleston, SC”

A brief detour to Syracuse

Syracuse was just as warm as Chicago when I arrived, but I was scheduled to accompany my mom on a dinner cruise on Skaneateles Lake that evening. The weather was perfect, the water was smooth as glass, and the food was good. Even though we were guests, it seemed like a worthwhile activity even ifContinue reading “A brief detour to Syracuse”

It’s August. Why are we in the Midwest?

I always tell people that Chicago is a great place to visit spring and fall, but is to be avoided in the summer, when it’s too hot and humid, and in the winter, when it’s way too cold. Why am I not following my own advice? We spent the year until now visiting Australia–it wasContinue reading “It’s August. Why are we in the Midwest?”

Under the “Heat Dome”

Meteorologists must spend all their down time inventing terms for the next big climate moment. “Polar Vortex”, “Snowmageddon”, “El Diablo”, and now “Heat Dome”, are some of the more recent ones. I say this in admiration, as we all feel better when the weather changes and we know we’ve survived whatever-it-was. https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/how-a-heat-dome-happens-1.5216908 In the Midwest,Continue reading “Under the “Heat Dome””

Art and Artisans in Australia

As we traveled around Australia, I was impressed by many of the artists and artisans we met, whose work was creative and out of the ordinary. Here’s a small snapshot of them. Aboriginal Art Aboriginal Bush Traders is one of many places that sells work by aboriginal artists in Darwin and the Northern Territory. UnlikeContinue reading “Art and Artisans in Australia”

High Noon Birding Society: Australian Cockatoos

One of our goals in visiting Australia was to see as many of the cockatoos as possible. We heard that in some places there were so many cockatoos in city parks that they became a pest. We wanted to see that many cockatoos. And we did. As we traveled around the country, we tried toContinue reading “High Noon Birding Society: Australian Cockatoos”

Traveling the World in the Age of Overtourism

We travel because we have an insatiable interest in other people and places, in what is around the next corner, and in what it is like to sit on the porch and read a book in Adelaide, Australia compared to Wheaton, Illinois or Invergordon, Scotland. We marvel at the beauty all around us. We haveContinue reading “Traveling the World in the Age of Overtourism”

Good to Know About Australia

Impossible to sum up Australia, but some things worked for us and others didn’t. Here are a few tips based on our experience over six months. All my $ figures in this post refer to Australian dollars, currently about US$.70=AU$1 Airbnb: We stayed in eight different Airbnb properties in Australia that ranged from passable toContinue reading “Good to Know About Australia”

Australia: Looking Back

At the end of six months in Australia there is a lot to look back on. Our experiences here have been excellent. We’ve met lovely people, had all kinds of adventures, and saw beautiful land and sea. I have such mixed feelings. There’s a pain in my heart for all that we are leaving behind,Continue reading “Australia: Looking Back”

Auckland in Three Meals

We stopped in Auckland on our way back to the US. We didn’t need to, there are direct flights from Brisbane to the US, but we saved a mint, so decided to do it. We arrived on Monday afternoon and left on Wednesday morning, taking a brief culinary tour during our stay. We began withContinue reading “Auckland in Three Meals”