A Place Called Roam

PRAGUE'S ORLOJ DELIVERS A GOOD TIME

4/5/2017

Clockmaker Mikulas of Kadan & mathematician Jan Sindel get the credit for this magnificent timepiece.

Leave it to Orloj to show us a good time in Prague.

With nothing but time on his hands (my bad!), the oldest working clock of its kind in the world took center stage to do what he does best time and time again; mark the passage of time with uncharacteristic flair.

Indeed, Orloj was quite the charmer; downright heavenly!

LET THE SHOW BEGIN

3/14/2017

Pretty in pink.

Come, come, my pretty ballerinas. It’s show time!

No slouching; this is your moment to shine.

WAIT FOR IT

2/24/2017

No lyin'. Life is dandy.

It’s a recurring dream that pops up from time to time when life requires reflection; a nightmare for this retired teacher.

My classroom is in chaos. I’m bumbling the lecture, sensing an uncharacteristic lack of preparation as I grapple with my ineptitude and their waning attention.   The more I bumble, the more my students rumble, until they abandon all pretense of propriety.

Pockets of chatter pop up like dandelions in the spring marring my once pristine patch of pupils.    An exchange between two girls escalates in the back row, prompting a Pavlovian response from those drooling at the prospect of being the first to post the mayhem on social media.

Blessedly, the bell rings and the chaos is carried away on the winds of change.

Lord knows, my life of late has been chaotic.

I thought time would put things right, but still, nothing feels right.   Even the weather (sunny and seventy yesterday in Chicago?) has conspired to make February feel like May.   I’m confused, as are the crocuses and the daffodils.

My new mantra?

Be still. Trust life and His plan for my life.

And so, like a dandelion (they keep popping up all over today’s literary landscape) I wait; for direction, for inspiration, for that moment when it feels right again to share my joy.

DO NOT SQUANDER THE GIFT

2/6/2017

The dome above the tomb of Jesus that rests inside Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

The tears came without preamble in the middle of our lunch, in the middle of a very public venue.

“I’m a mess,” I offered my befuddled husband as hot tears spilled onto my cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” Jim asked with tenderness, reaching across the table to take my hand.

A CONVERSATION WITH ANDY, MY BLOOD CLOT

1/19/2017

The plot thickens!

Andy?

I know you’re in there, dude. Remember, we met almost a week ago.

We need to talk, Andy; I don't want us to part on bad terms. I just want my life back, my future. I want normal again.

Okay, a new normal. Whatever!

ROMANIA'S SIGHISOARA'S CITADEL: A BLISSFUL UNION OF PAST AND PRESENT

1/2/2017

Marry the woman, marry the family; especially in Eastern Europe.

My motto?

Life’s a party. Let’s crash it!

Ok, so maybe Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn get credit for being the Wedding Crashers, but hey, this is 2016, a decade and then some beyond their 2005 antics. Somebody has to continue the tradition.

Crashing the party in Romania was easy.

THE WORST IS OVER

12/24/2016

I agree with my youngest grandchild; the holidays can be brutal.

Ah, yes! Weren’t the holidays brutal?

So much for peace on earth.

All those expectations were exhausting; the planning, the spending, the calories, the parties, the family members who make you question your ancestry.

Church services were wonderful, an oasis in a sea of insanity.

I expect the worst is over; at least until the bills and pounds start adding up. Ugh!

Fortunately the New Year is right around the corner, as is a fresh start.

I’ll resolve once more to turn over a new leaf. I'll clean house, join a Fitness Club, and diet in earnest, at least until Valentines’ Day when chocolate and I have a date with destiny.

I figure if all else fails, I can always start planning my next trip.

DRACULA'S BRAN CASTLE: HISTORY WITH A TOUCH OF MYSTERY

12/13/2016

Nice digs, Dracula!

Drah-coo-lah?

My bad. I’m working on my Eastern European accent; still working on my Transylvanian history, too, since visiting the Romanian province nestled in the Carpathian Mountains of Eastern Europe.

If memory serves me, your castle, Bran Castle, was built for the King of Hungary sometime in the 14th century by the Saxons of Brasov in what was then known as the province of Wallachia.

Friends in high places, I see; literally.

You were a Knight of the Order of the Dragon, huh.

Bram Stoker never mentioned you were a knight, although he did bestow you the title Count.

You know Bram Stoker, the Irishman responsible for your worldwide fame, right?

Wrong?

He got it all wrong?

Do tell.

MISSING THE MAGIC

12/2/2016

Ah, caramel corn. The stuff of dreams; and nightmares.

My advice?

Skip the caramel corn.

SAILING THROUGH TIME & EUROPE'S IRON GATE

11/22/2016

Two fishermen add substance to the enormity of time and beauty behind Europe's Iron Gate.

Time, and the River Danube, had carved an amazing channel through Eastern Europe's Carpathian Mountains.

An early morning fog had added mystery to amazing. The queen of Europe's rivers had done it again, rendering the journey extraordinary.

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