These days we can’t go more than four minutes on any social media platform without noticing someone sharing about doing life their own way. Any number of hashtags, from vanlife to roadschooling and living off the grid, pop up to intrigue viewers to follow the journey of those choosing to do their own thing. Perhaps we’re moving into a time of life where the non-traditional is becoming traditional, or perhaps, if that’s not the case, it’s the bubble in which my brain wants to live. 

News of natural disasters comes from Turkey and Syria and New Zealand. There’s the ongoing war in Ukraine and strife in Myanmar and Ethiopia. There are shootings, arguments, food insecurity, racism, political division around the globe, the ongoing effects of climate change, anger in public and private life...

All of which can make for a rather bleak scenario. Musicians live through these things, too. Often, there are threads of hope and resilience to be found in what they create.

This summer, my husband and I undertook a move. A relocation from Massachusetts to Arizona has been undertaken by others, no doubt. We decided to make things a little more interesting than a direct route. We headed north. Our circuitous route is winding us through Newfoundland, Portugal, and North Carolina. When one would think to take the southerly route from the Carolina’s to Arizona in the winter months, we will make Bugs Bunny’s famous right turn at Albuquerque to get to Bozeman, Montana. Then, we’ll drive to Arizona.

Life is messy. If only we knew that as teenagers, perhaps we wouldn’t have been so hard on ourselves about not knowing so many things—like what major we want, what path we wish to take, where we want to live, how we can best help make the world better, what we want to be when we get older, how much money we ‘should’ have, and all of the zillion other questions that rattle around our minds once we begin to think about how we might ‘fit’ in the world at large. 

Color, beauty, art...what more can we ask for in our homes—and lives? One more thing: 

Make it big! 

I recently discovered Big Wall Décor, a fantastic company focused on bringing affordable large-scale art to everyone. Read our interview with founder Nick Ford to get inspired!

It is winter in the northern hemisphere now, January.

I have always found this time of year time for reflection, for creativity, for seeking peace, and of course, for wondering and considering about what the new year will bring.

This summer, my husband and I undertook a move. A relocation from Massachusetts to Arizona has been undertaken by others, no doubt. We decided to make things a little more interesting than a direct route. We headed north. Our circuitous route is winding us through Newfoundland, Portugal, and North Carolina. When one would think to take the southerly route from the Carolina’s to Arizona in the winter months, we will make Bugs Bunny’s famous right turn at Albuquerque to get to Bozeman, Montana. Then, we’ll drive to Arizona.

We’ve turned the calendar page. It’s a new year, a new month, a blank slate; we begin again. We’ve been here before, yet we’ve never been here before. We’ve flipped the page, started a new something, and entered into the unknown prior to this, but it’s never been today before and never will be again. 

Deep breaths—how will you greet this day? 

The approximate 6,000 ships that have succumbed to raging storms attest to the power of the Great Lakes. As I traveled, writing and compiling information for my three-volume travel series that explores Michigan's coasts, I heard or read the tales left behind by those ill-fated ships. They add a somber, but compelling backdrop to Michigan’s waterways.