Souvenirs

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  • The Magic of Disney

    NOTE: This account of our family trip to Disney, January 2012, is going to make a lot more sense when I post the account of our recent ski trip. Stay tuned… I found myself many of the mornings of our… Continue reading

  • Quick Gift

    December 2020 A week before Christmas and I’m hauling dirt. Or shoveling it, actually—all 600 pounds of it, rain-heavy even though it was tarped in a trailer, out of which boy and I are moving it. It’s been in the… Continue reading

  • How the Virus Couldn’t Steal Christmas

    Every Burk at the Motel liked Christmas a LOT, But the Virus, still seething and stealing, did not. It had started the year taking back all the good– The things that we want to do, things that we should, It… Continue reading

  • Mountain Biking in Siberia

    YURT: [yərt] NOUN, a circular tent of felt or skins on a collapsible framework, used by nomads in Mongolia, Siberia, and Turkey. I don’t know why I even bothered to put in my teeth, for surely they are about to… Continue reading

  • Virtual Learning

    If you told me fourteen years ago I’d be doing math and social studies at the dining table and fixing meals in the middle of the day for a schooling-at-home child, I would have laughed. I laugh today, too, but… Continue reading

  • Zoom School

    Good morning boys and boys — Welcome to Zoom School. Come on in, shoes off at the door, this is slobbering beast is our mascot, Gus the dog, and I will be your principal, Mom. Everyone with a core body… Continue reading

  • Hanging On

    The day after dropping off college girl. It’s not that different. Seeing the little room at the end of the hall. It’s still tidy, and tastefully decorated as always–bed made, pillows in place, enough whimsy and trappings of the girl… Continue reading

  • A Balanced Meal

    I’m not sure the lady at the grocery store knew what to make. But hey, she asked. “Well… not so great, actually,” I respond. “I think I’m letting the big stuff get to me, you know? Stressing me out so… Continue reading

  • Go Bag

    On the day she drives out to return her prom dress and shop for college stuff with her roommate, Sophie receives another blow. For real. She is returning the gorgeous long gown that never got worn, spinning gold into straw,… Continue reading

  • Ground

    The Hike, Part II Not till we are down the mountain does Sophie tell me she wasn’t sure she could do it. Tell that to my legs and knees, which will be recovering for days from our eight-hour hike. If… Continue reading