My Travel Shopping Calling

“Anybody can buy. It takes an artist to shop.” (Jennifer Finney Boylan)

I’ve never been particularly accomplished at shopping in our travels. On cruise vacations, for example, I often impulsively ignore bargaining with local merchants at street markets and thus often pay more than seems needed. In addition, during road trip journeys, our CR- V trunk space normally clutters up with sports memorabilia and souvenir trinkets I’ve purchased, making travel essentials we need to access more difficult to find. Furthermore, in the absence of more discretionary shopping habits, my luggage typically carries excessive shopping weight, ultimately burdening our arduous walking treks across Europe. How sad it seems that my well earned reputation of shopping unwisely manifests in my uncomfortable decision to linger passively outside on a park bench in front of tourist souvenir store while my wife happily browses inside.

I thus strive these days to find effective ways to become a more savvy buyer in the travel shopping moment. It seems, first of all, that I must learn the art of patience in browsing for items and not necessarily feel compelled to purchase them. Furthermore, as I observe more closely how my money-wise wife acts in such travel shopping occasions, I should strive to attain more of a ”minimalist philosophy”of what to bring home. In facing the challenge to maintain my physical/ emotional wellness as a retiree, I can likewise learn more mindful consumerist behavior as a sightseer. How would you evaluate your own shopping habits with respect to some of the most memorable shopping settings from our recent travels?

Amidst the damp chill of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, we entered Boudin’s Market to the pleasing smell of fresh sour dough bread and other bakery delicacies.

At the Sunday Bastille Market in the Marais district of Paris, we purchased fresh fruit, baguette, wine and then headed to a neighborhood park for an inviting picnic lunch.

Pikes Place Market in Downtown Seattle provided us a tantalizing variety of fresh seafood displayed on icy racks from Pacific waters.

On a a torrid summer day on a cruise stop in Barcelona, Spain, we discovered this colorful gelato stand along the La Rambla corridor as an ideal dessert choice to cool off from the oppressive heat that day.

The festive carnival atmosphere along Bourbon Street in New Orleans provided an enticing invitation to reinvent ourselves with new masked/costumed identities.

At the Route 66 Museum in Kingman, Arizona , we rediscovered our fondness for living those “happy days” in small town America during the 1960s.

The addictive sights/sounds of delicious candy pervaded our senses as we toured the Chocolate Land Factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Homemade recipes of “Old South” cuisine captured our interest as we walked along the central corridor of the Charleston, South Carolina City Market.

At Old Town Santa Fe, New Mexico, we curiously browsed at local shops displaying a creative array of Native American/Mexican art pieces.

Walking around midtown Manhattan, my wife could not resist looking for hip shopping bargains at the “cosmopolitan department store, “Uniqlo”.

At Shakespeare and Company Bookstore in Paris, I could easily find the right book for me to read in my travels.

At the Center for the New Age in Sedona, Arizona, I discovered the perfect rocks to enhance my spirituality interests.

This month, my wife and I will embark on a Princess Line cruise covering various ports in the Caribbean/Latin America. A major question thus arises about how I might open my spending wallet wisely to celebrate this holiday season?

December 3, 2019 11

My Traveling Dilemma

“As you grow older, you become faced with the problem of what to do with your time.” (Sunday Adelaja)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone:

I immensely enjoy traveling over six months each year. Yet why does the option of staying home sound increasingly more enticing? Why not buy a dog/cat and enjoy my simpler lifestyle as a pensioned retiree in South Florida? Turning more introspective at times in the face of the latest health, financial, or family challenge, my enthusiasm for taking grandiose *trips/ vacations now seems at times to be shrinking. At the moments of lifestyle doubt, some realistic questions thus emerge. Does a nostalgic glance at a past photo album now suffice as a suitable replacement for a journey to Paris? Can reading more travel blogs on Word Press satisfy my wanderlust urges to visit exotic places? What entertainment opportunities am I missing at home by being away so often? Why do I seem more intolerant these days to extreme cold or hot weather?

A past weekend jaunt to Cleveland, Ohio provides a suitable case in point. While I did witness a convincing Cleveland Browns win at First Energy Stadium amidst bitter cold and blustery windy conditions, I could have more healthily enjoyed the Browns win at a local sports bar in Fort Lauderdale. As I likewise paid my dutiful respects to legendary bands inductees at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, strong lingering thoughts persist now of missing talented writers speak at this year’s Miami Book Fair. Or in frolicking outside like a kid amidst fallen autumn leaves and festive holiday displays, I might have equally conveyed the changing of seasons spirit in warmer conditions by putting up our living room Christmas tree. As I sit in bed now sniffing with a nagging cold, I thus wonder how the following nostalgic highlights from frigid Cleveland might represent some subtle hints that I will soon experience travel-less, lifestyle times.

While I braved the unaccustomed to cold weather outside, Ruth more sensibly spent time with cousin Jo warmly indoors.

Why does raking up dead leaf piles up north in winter seem so depressing? Wouldn’t I rather relaxingly lounge on my patio at home overlooking our green, tropical paradise?

Why do I see these eerie looking dolls staring at me so menacingly? Are they trying to tell me something?

I embraced the rebellious spirit of student activism as expressed in these concert posters during my “heyday” of “rock and roll” times. To what extent does this restless energy still motivate me these days to travel?

As I ponder the inner meaning of this blog’s wander-less theme, was I experiencing a travel less omen by these flightless seagulls along the Lake Erie shoreline?

Why do I need to travel to Cleveland to buy overpriced Cleveland Browns merchandise at the stadium? I can buy them more inexpensively at home online?

Given my cold weather intolerance, I could have at least been sitting on the sunny side of the field during the game.

I consider myself a “Diehard” Cleveland Browns fan on game day wherever I’m at. So what difference would it make for me to endure the Sunday irritations of this kind of chaotic mob scene to watch the game live?

If so many dedicated Browns fans can gather at Browns Stadium to feel the energy of hometown game fever, then why can’t I similarly be contented at my South Florida home?

Spotting this beautiful Christmas tree downtown with children underneath, I sensed that the “Yuletide” message of giving to others can be best experienced with a warm gathering of family/friends at home.

*In past blog entries, I’ve elaborated about why I experience vacations and trips differently. While vacations typically allow me to settle into more spontaneous enjoyment of a place over a longer period of time, trips normally relate to short term “getaways” of tightly structured, itinerary nature.

November 28, 2019 2

Perplexing Paradox Connections

“Let go of certainty. The opposite isn’t uncertainty. It’s openness, curiosity and a willingness to embrace paradox, rather than choose up sides. “(Tony Schwartz)”

Paradox – A person or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities.

In today’s deeply divided America, the idea of forming compromise manifests today as a seemingly insurmountable problem. It seems to me then that the idea of paradox provides a practical solution to overcome such “I’m Right You’re Wrong” thinking. Consider the following dilemmas.You are driving through a desert in torrid heat and spot a grassy oasis in the distance along the lonely road. It’s true that you’ve envisioned in your mind a potentially restful place to stop ahead. Yet you soon realize that your mind has simply played a “trick” on you in making real this comforting yet false mirage. Or imagine that storm clouds suddenly part to reveal a spectacular rainbow in the distant sky. Yet as you come nearer to this colorful orb, these pleasing visual images vanish into “thin air”.

In both of these paradoxical situations, notice how one’s perceptions of reality can dramatically alter from moment to moment. It follows that the appearance of such contradictory thoughts in the above examples clearly alters any prior assumptions about the presence of deserts/rainbows. Paradoxical discoveries then provide a worthwhile way to open our mind to consider alternate realities of human experience.

I similarly see the power of paradoxical thinking as a creative, decision-making tool with respect to my independent minded travel. For by applying the element of contradictory connections to a paradoxical event encountered , a variety of new lessons about conducting my when, where, and how trip wanderings pop up accordingly. So as I “dig deep” into my sensory capabilities, I thus present ten (10) perplexing paradoxes encountered from my recent journeys in the following photographic collection.

Watching Buddhists methodically build a sacred “Mandala” in San Luis Obispo, California with great skill and effort, I wonder why did they tear it down so soon after completion?

Lesson # 1: Travel with passion now while you can.

Sharp French cheese typically makes a tasty delicacy on our visits to Paris. So why does it have to smell so bad before I taste it?

Lesson #2 : Be mindful of deceptive Air B&B lodging advertising as you never know what you will be getting.

Creationism theories as depicted in this Kentucky Museum Diorama demonstrate that dinosaurs coexisted peacefully with humans in prehistoric times. So why do humans treat animals so inhumanly today?

Lesson #3: Be kind to strangers because you want to not because you feel morally compelled to.

This set of stairs in Jaipur, India might make a beautiful addition to this tower. But what functional sense does it make that its path takes one nowhere?

Lesson #4: Be willing to change your walking path to avoid encountering deceptively enticing dead ends.

Why aren’t these water buffalos fulfilling their basic survival functions as river dwellers in New Delhi, India? Instead they appear forced to walk on the the dusty roads.

Lesson #5: Respect the natural habitats of animals when approaching wildlife areas.

At the beginning of every Miami Dolphins football game at Hard Rock Stadium,a joyous celebration of fans welcomes their hometown team as they enter the field. Yet how many of these spectators are so distracted by such raucous party action that will lose focus on actually watching the game?

Lesson # 6: Don’t get “caught up”in the social agenda hype of guided tours.

American History textbook attribute the beginnings of our Democracy to the “Founding Fathers”. Thus, how many visitors who stare at this Art Museum painting in Cleveland, Ohio are oblivious to the prominent presence of Native American people proudly depicted here? Would they thus interpret our country’s origins from a strictly a “white man’s” point of view?

Lesson #7 : “Lie low”and avoid boasting about “America First” ideals in my overseas travels. Be mindful of the views of other cultures.

The entirety of Yellowstone National Park sits atop a massive underground layer of explosive geothermal activity. However, in walking dangerously along it’s volatile land surface dotted by free flowing geysers, wild running rivers, and deep crevassed snowfields, I often experience the unexpected feeling of inner peace and calm serenity.

Lesson #8: Face hazardous destinations in travel with a positive state of mind.

The lifeless desert expanse of Central Utah suddenly got unexpectedly exciting for me at Goblin State Park as I overlooked this strange field of rock formations resembling cartoonish conversations of dwarf like gnomes.

Lesson #9 : Be more observant of your natural surroundings for signs of personal growth.

It can be very challenging at times to make your way through the hectic crowds of a busy, American city. Yet I notice that this talking monument at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago provides a pleasing sense of human belonging to counter such impersonal urban madness beyond.

Lesson 10: Allow your visual sense to lead you along walking tours of an unfamiliar city to places of informal human gathering.

November 20, 2019 4

Visions Of A Humble Father

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” (Joseph Campbell)

Veterans Day reminds me to think of my brave military father. You might know then that he flew in the armed forces as a ball turret gunner on a B-17, Flying Fortress aircraft during World War II. In this exposed firing bubble position protruding from the bottom of the plane, he courageously survived multiple bombing missions over Germany from 1943-45. I remember as well how this unassuming man humbly decided to keep his distinguished military past to himself at all times during my formative years. I thus never viewed him as a war loving army man. Sadly, after enduring many years of crippling pain with Rheumatoid Arthritis, he passed away tragically in 1991.

Certainly, my positive memories of him as a father also add to his living legacy today. For I recall a man who taught me to be well organized in his meticulous placement of wallet, comb and other personal possessions neatly inside his desk drawer each day. I can also fondly recollect his stern dedication to self responsibility with my visualization of his bed in perfect tight fit each morning with daily clothes neatly folded. Retaining strong memories as well of his extraordinary eye/hand coordination required for wartime gunnery, I seem to have inherited from him this skill in learning to master the slide trombone, swing a “mean” baseball bat and handle driving a motor vehicle safely.

On a personal level then, Veterans Day in 2019 signifies a time for me to express the honor of being my father’s only son For in spite of a modest disposition, his well earned heroism in war and positive role model image as a father inspires me strongly to this day. I’m certain he would be happy to know that I keep in my home some surviving relics of his military past: assorted medals, flight gear, military casket flag, and photographs in army uniform. So I urge you to find your own hero on Veterans Day and don’t forget to look around and ask yourself truly why.

November 11, 2019 13

Journey From Mind To Soul

“Like a path frequently traveled becomes clear and well-marked in the forest, so too does the path to your soul become more clearly marked in your consciousness.” (Genevieve Gerard)

Have you ever been stuck in a rut of mindless, habit forming routine? Perhaps you might then undertake the following experiment to search for solutions solely within yourself. Choose a desired location you have already visited accompanied by a memorable photograph of that place. Using all of your senses, examine closely the details of that photo presented. Then close your eyes and visualize opening up physical sensations such as warmth/ coolness, tightness/ looseness, or shades of color throughout your body. Pay particular attention to this flow of energy emanating from the tip of your head down to your throat, chest, stomach, and pelvic region.

Thus encased in this relaxing cocoon of evolving self perceptions, you’re ready to make a critical mind/soul connection. What “gut feelings” or new understandings now come to mind about yourself or the ever changing world around you? Witness the following examples of such self-revelations inspired by the following photographic display from my recent travels.

1. Cultural Learning

In examining these two photographs from past European stays, I notice the following: (1) Ordering a simple hot dog can be a confusing ordeal at this German meat market, (2) How strange that young people go wild for oldies swing jazz in this Paris club. Hmm! It seems that my prior assumptions regarding what I am accustomed to expect in travel can be “blown away” by what seems real.

2. Historical Learning

As I observe these cobblestone walking paths/old town walls in Quebec City, I travel back in time and imagine these medieval structures inviting me to slow down to the “horse and buggy”pace of medievalism.”

3. Scientific Learning

Gazing with awe at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, I witness steep canyons slowly sculpted by wind, rain, and the Colorado River below. I thus feel humility that my opportunity to be alive on earth miraculously exists in this mere speck of geologic time.

4. Artistic Learning

How can I make better use of my “right brain” to pursue more imaginative enjoyments of travel? Perhaps an extraordinary array of clouds, flowers and rocks as depicted below might make wonderful settings for stimulating my wandering artistic imagination.

5. Interpersonal (Sociological) Learning

In revisiting this country store in the small town of Jeffersonville, New York, I sense that animals can often be your best companion when you travel.

6. Economic Learning

As this mini car attests in Paris, if I realize that less is better on the road, I might similarly find some wise strategies to “downsize” at home.

7.Psychological Learning

In the desolate, inland tundra of Iceland depicted below, I can appreciate the meditative potential of loneliness experienced in a quiet place.

8. Geographic Learning

Ruth and I often traverse the mountainous terrain of America’s National Parks in our road trip travels. Observing the arduous task of ascending to such high ground overlooking this unfolding panorama beyond, I can more easily see how we can conquer any fears of facing the unknown ahead in travel.

9. Religious Learning

As I humbly observe the inner serenity emanating from these beautiful floral surroundings in India, I imagine then that spiritual connections can be felt anywhere in travel.

10. Political Learning

From our recent cruise stop in Barcelona, Spain, angry political protests in favor of Basque political freedom again capture my attention. It seems I must make travel more of a grassroots, protest mission against human injustice. Making more visits to local museums/bookstores and street bars overseas might help me to undertake this activist mission.

November 6, 2019 13

Love Above Hate

“Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer, nothing is harder than to understand him” (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

I am deeply disturbed by the continuing presence of racism in our country today. In particular, I am concerned about the pervasive presence of white supremacist hate reaction to Donald Trump’s Presidency via right wing media, “hostile” Twitter rants and at raucous political rallies. Looking over my Kindle book collection last week, I thus discovered “ The Opposite Of Hate” by Sally Kohn as a captivating reading on this subject. With strong research provided in her book, she presents a stunning picture of America’s current political climate where white racial resentment runs rampant among Trump supporters.

Yet according to these findings, many “Trumpies” surprisingly either reject viewing themselves as explicitly biased about race matters in extreme, Ku Klux Klan fashion or are simply unaware of their own hate spewing ways. A logical conclusion surfaces then that as many Trump fanatics fail to “own up” to their own prejudicial views about race, they accordingly deny their responsibility to reject partisan, race-hate propaganda spewed by their President. Thus in response to America’s hate mongering problem concerning race today, I became motivated to write the following poem.

LOVE ABOVE HATE

Hate

How Much Do We See

Blinded In Fight

By Society’s Ils

When White Scorns Black

Only Paralysis Waits

You and I

To Taste Together

Where We Forgive

There I Am With You

Minds Cool As We Go

To Wander As One

Whether We’re Rich

Or Poor, We Are

Vanquishing Weary Walls

My Favorite Foe

When Will We Love Again?

You might also be interested then to find out more about how humans prejudge white/black race with bad/good sensations. If so, click on the Implicit Association Test and TED lecture link in capital letters below.

IMPLICIT ASSOCIATION TEST

“TED” LECTURE

Source:

Kohn, Sally. (2018). “The Opposite Of Hate”. Workman Publishing. Kindle Version

October 30, 2019 4

Clearwater: Timeless Mellow

“Don’t wait for the sunshine to brighten your day.” (Anthony T. Hindi’s)

Ruth and I certainly needed a relaxing break from lingering family crisis now. Yet I fully expected the rapid approach of Tropical Storm Nestor toward the west coast of Florida would complicate our pre- booked plans to enjoy the Clearwater Jazz Festival last weekend. I mean how could we even expect the open air concerts would even go on stage at Coachman Park in the presence of expected high winds and torrential rains stirring along the adjacent Gulf of Mexico shoreline? When Friday’s concert schedule would in fact be cancelled, we thus contemplated other strategies to “mellow out” in response to the increasingly likely idle time.

Under these unusual circumstances, I deeply reflected about past fun times experienced in the Tampa Bay region as a financially strapped college student at the University of South Florida. In particular, I reasoned how I might have best “chilled out” in the moment then to escape the pressures of academic performance off campus. Other Plan B alternatives to combat the storm would also surface as I “flashed back” to days of curious wandering during extended stays with my grandparents in Tampa in my teen years. I thus wondered how I would have acted on a rainy day then as an outdoor loving adolescent in the company of my most caring grandfather?

As it turned out, bad weather may have changed our plans, but it did not have to actually ruin our entire weekend. Life can often challenge us with unexpected scenarios like this, but our will to be resilient should be stronger than that. Enjoy the following photographs.

The four mile bridge extension, Sunshine State Skyway, towering over Tampa Bay watershed can be a perilous route to cross in times of inclement weather. However, spectacular panoramas at “stop off” points along the way on Friday afternoon invited many interesting photographic opportunities.

In spite of the the ominous overcast conditions overhead, it felt safe enough to wander around curiously during a brief stop at the northern end rest area of the bridge. With great interest, I spotted a lone plaque offering remembrance of a disastrous ship crossing nearby on May 8, 1980.

Stopping for a casual lunch that day at Pas- A – Grille Beach, we made a bold decision to take a relaxing walk along a deserted beach amidst these threatening skies.

At Capogna’s Dugout Sports Bar, on Saturday afternoon, we dodged the worst of the storm by gathering with other USF alumni in community spirit at a Bulls Football Watch Party.

With clearing skies luckily expected , we battened down with our rain ponchos to brave gusty winds/periodic showers to watch Blood Sweat and Tears and Chicago on Saturday evening provide powerful musical memories of their pop rock stardom.

Finally enjoying cool and dry weather on Sunday, we opted to spend a pleasant morning sunbathing along the silky smooth sands of nearby Clearwater Beach.

Finding the perfect seashell along Clearwater Beach provided an excellent cure for my “monkey mind” obsessions about missed opportunities this weekend.

We may not look as young as we used to, but in the spirit of this inviting poster, you might say we revived our ageless mellow in Clearwater.

October 24, 2019 4

My Mama’s Moxie

The following original poem expresses personal admiration for my ninety three year old mother’s courageous struggles to remain independent as she copes with serious physical/ emotional challenges these days. I am particularly impressed how my mother can occupy productively her “senior” spare time by crocheting unique dolls for family/friend distribution.

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” (Abraham Lincoln)

Bruised Scrape From Your Fall

Could Send Most To Tears

But You Always Stand Tall

Seeing Hope In Your Fears

With Each Step You Now Take

You Beat Time At It’s Game

So Unbattered By Ache

With New Wisdoms To Aim

Know No Dreads You Must Chase

For Each Breath Soothes Reborn

So Dance Off To Sleep’s Pace

You Will Always See Morn

As so many others I observe at her senior housing center face similar challenges, I urge those who have read this blog to engage in meaningful discussion of humane solutions to our aging crisis in this country.

October 15, 2019 9

Magical Mania Of Scoreboards

” If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?” (Vince Lombardi)

In this modern era of digital information overload, how do scoreboards capture my live sports attention during baseball/football season at home? Tradition holds that competitive game action for me should hold my interest firmly to the winning and losing end. Yet at major league baseball games, I now find myself impatiently overlooking each inning by inning compilation of player/team statistics on the big, Jumbotron scoreboard. Under these unusual circumstances, I instead long for a strong personal connection unrelated to the game experience. Likewise, I find myself consistently ignoring the unfolding drama of gridiron battle on the field now at an NFL football game in favor of the dazzling sensory blast of pure entertainment energy emanating from the giant video screen above.

I realize, however, that the expanded functions of today’s scoreboards have resonated deep seated meanings in our road trip travels. Picture for example, the end of our long and tedious driving days on our road trips. In the relaxed setting of a small town baseball park, curious glances at the scoreboard have revealed to me a vital community connection of where I am and why am I are visiting there.

In visits to college campuses, you might also imagine my thrill at re-experiencing youthful enthusiasm as I join in with the lively masses of at a college football game in a scoreboard barrage of “rah rah” energy. Or on those more sedentary occasions when the weather turns bad or I do not feel up to driving, the multifaceted features of the IPhone/I Pad becomes my main ticket to experiencing new scoreboard mania.

So imagine it’s game day again and settle into the following photographs of scoreboard impressions from our recent travels.

I long for the days when you would leisurely watch a live Major League game with strict focus on inning progress with a paper scorecard in hand and an occasional glance at a simple scoreboard.

Sadly, however, only Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago remains as authentic reminders of the old days of manually operated scoreboards that strictly focused on key game statistics in Major League Baseball games.

So I often lose concentration on the game these days as I stare constantly at the ever changing collage of information offered by the Jumbotron scoreboard. Notice how many people in the photo below are not actually watching the game action on the field.

Such non-game communication with game spectators on digital scoreboards at times breeds narcissistic silliness. Why not watch the game instead?

Judging by the woman depicted on the screen, I could also fulfill my own sports fantasies in digital magic. Where have you gone, Eric Stamets?

Would you oppose as I would this historic backdrop along this centerfield wall becoming torn down for another Jumbotron scoreboard?

In similar fashion, would you prefer as I do an unobstructed view of gorgeous San Francisco Bay or a new, information cluttered Jumbotron?

Maybe a better use of big board” scoreboards would be to disdain selfie hedonism and offer greater hope to unify our much divided country.

Perhaps the future of scoreboards will evolve into more artistic forms of creative expression. Would you recognize this recently discarded sculpture as post- home run fireworks gadgetry at Marlins Park.

So in spite of my reticence to change scoreboard tradition, I too have become “hooked” on the much needed, positive energy of “big board”digital glitz.

Perhaps then the magic mania of scoreboards will help the Miami Dolphins to finally win one this Sunday.

October 11, 2019 7

Coming Home To College Reflections

“Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts” (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

I’ve always embraced the stimulating “buzz” of community ideals existing in the college experience. For this reason, I have often considered such youth vibrant institutions as a “second home” option for extended stay visits. I can reminisce then with great satisfaction about my early adulthood years as a Masters Degree student, dutifully walking to and from the campus library every day to join so many others in diligent pursuit of academic excellence. I also recall how good it felt to be part of a university community as a tenured professor where students/faculty cared deeply about academic learning.

In a similar fashion, I realize that my early retirement from teaching frees up my time to find new ways of exploring the magnetic attractions of the college collegial experience. Witness my spirited discussions with fellow alumni from the University of South Florida Alumni Club each fall as we recapture the campus energy of cheering on our hometown team during college football live broadcasts. Or picture a lazy summer Sunday in Fort Lauderdale when I often feverishly scan the local newspapers for university offerings of cultural/musical interest for the week ahead.

From a traveling perspective, such nostalgic college memories provide similar homebound longings during our long, road trip separations from family/friends each spring. Consider a centralized open space on campus, for instance, as an ideal spot for this traveler’s peaceful solitude with my wife, Ruth from the daily rigors of the road. Or embrace the familiar “air” of youthful intellectual energy from those nostalgic walks around campus amidst stately centers of learning proudly standing from the historic past. You might reason as well how a student union facility on campus functions as an ideal place for us to settle into a college community presence so far from home. With such feelings of finding the spirit of home in academia firmly in mind , I present a photographic display of favorite college images from our recent travels.

The picturesque “green” of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi provided a restful picnic stop to enjoy informal family moments typically shared at home.

Surveying several Confederate Soldier era monuments from the Civil War along the main campus “green”, I realized that these legendary heroes of the defeated Rebel forces had found an honorable home in this ” Old South” setting at the “Ole Miss” campus.

The distinguished statue presence of Civil Rights hero James Meredith at “0le Miss.”also reminded me that a university provides a home for those who foster equal opportunity for bettering oneself for all races, creeds, and colors.

The modern campus of California Polytechnic University inconspicuously lies along the remote coastal ridge near San Luis Obispo, California. Yet a series of Buddhistic offerings at the bustling Student Center provided a much needed home for student gatherings to experience “spiritual enlightenment” on campus.

The Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library at the University of Texas main campus in Austin functions as an impressive landmark documenting the extraordinary political legacy of LBJ. In my tour of this museum, I felt a warm human presence of being welcomed behind the scenes into his Presidential world and Texas home.

A strong tradition of home field, winning college football unites Vols fans at Neyland Stadium on the main campus of the University Of Tennessee in Knoxville. I similarly felt this show of “Vols Fever” in my brief tour of this campus.

Being linked efficiently with convenient pedestrian bridges to the center of downtown Knoxville, the Univ. Of Tenn. also serves as an accessible home of academic learning offerings for the surrounding Knoxville community .

After our long trek across the vast Great Plains prairie on our last road trip, a short visit to Colorado State University in Fort Collins provided a first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains. We now realized that a much needed oasis for us resided nearby in a cool and quiet home stay for mountainous inner reflection.

In a brief tour of the University of Illinois in college town Champaign, historic murals at the student union provided vivid evidence that this building served as as a popular home hub of unified student gatherings for both fun and serious academic study.

As we traversed the main campus of the University of Washington, in Seattle on foot , we witnessed the blossoming freshness of a new spring arrival. It seemed then that each plant “screamed” to us of the critical need to preserve the surrounding natural beauty of our “Mother Earth” home.

Returning to my undergraduate roots of academic success at the University of South Florida in Tampa, I fondly recalled the freedom of living on campus away from my home for the first time.By fostering a strong self sufficient outlook on my own then, I had learned to make future use of this quality later in life to strongly pursue independent strategies for travel.

October 5, 2019 10