Veronica James's Blog, page 117
October 6, 2019
Big Kids in the Big Apple
With my adult children scattered across half of the globe I am always investigating new ways to see them.
One great way is to travel together.
That is why I jumped at the chance to join my daughter Cati in exploring New York City with Road Scholar... CONTINUE READING >>
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September 29, 2019
An Empty Nest Means There will be Flying Involved
Our nest emptied out over ten years ago, but the process was not instantaneous or immediate. Over time one thing has been inescapable, flying. Whether it is us flying to see them, or the other way around, it means buying lots of tickets. So we are always on the lookout for great deals...
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September 23, 2019
How to Plan a Family Vacation with Adult Kids
We've had this fantasy about whisking our entire family off to an exotic location for some time now. Imagine the five of us blissfully getting away from it all, laughing and sharing our experiences as we sip umbrella drinks while the sun sets into a tropical ocean.Putting together a family vacation after the kids are grown and living on their own seems like it should be a snap compared to traveling with toddlers, or worse yet, teenagers.
So why is it so hard?
With no roadside diaper changes, exploding sippy cup disasters... CONTINUE READING >>
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September 18, 2019
Sprucing Things Up with Spruce Tips
Like the sailors back in the olden days, we must always remain vigilant in our concern for the dreaded disease scurvy, brought on by a lack of vitamin C. Sure, we could just stop in at a grocery store and buy a couple of oranges, but what fun is that?
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September 8, 2019
How the Anne Frank House Made Me Feel
The Diary of a Young Girl was the first coming-of-age story I'd ever read.
And it hit me hard for a number of reasons.
So, Anne Frank House was at the very top of my list of places to visit when we arrived in Amsterdam.
The house is the actual building where the Anne and her family -- and four others -- hid before they were betrayed and captured by the Nazis... CONTINUE READING >>
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September 5, 2019
Medieval Mayhem and Martyrs in Minerve
When we venture off the beaten path we often find that the most interesting places are tiny tucked away surprises that we, and almost everybody else it seems, have never heard of. Minerve is just such a place...
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August 30, 2019
The Old College Pry
How do we know when we've become too involved in our offspring's college education?
Is it okay to call a professor to dispute a test score? Should we proofread papers? Should we have access to grades if we are paying tuition? Should we storm the Dean's office?
This recovering helicopter mom got the straight dope from college professors - and you won't believe their stories... CONTINUE READING >>
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August 26, 2019
Do You Know Juneau?
Juneau, Alaska is the only state capital that has no highway connection to anywhere within the state, or any place else for that matter. Odd for sure, yet the very reason it is so isolated also makes it perhaps the most scenic and interesting of our state government centers...
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August 17, 2019
Narbonne, C’est Si Bon
In France we have found people to be somewhat understated. For example, pas mal, meaning not bad, is a common French saying. But when we made it to Narbonne we could no longer say it. We had to adopt c’est si bon instead...
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August 9, 2019
Heavy Petting: How many strange pets can one family have?
When our nest emptied, it emptied it not only of kids, but of pets too. We have nothing against pets. We've had both dogs and cats and loved them, but the GypsyNester lifestyle of no-plans and go-anywhere isn't very conducive to taking an animal along. So, for now at least, we are finished with being pet parents.But pets are often a part of parenting and I got to thinking about some of the colorful characters that were a part of my family through the years. When I was a little kid, our first pet configuration was a... CONTINUE READING >>
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