Author Archives: ajtanek

Black Sand Eden, Lunch With a Gecko, and the Copper-Eyed Cat

April 2, 2016 Sunday morning drew forth gentler than the day before. “No beach shoes, just hiking today,” B said. The family started out on a scenic drive through ever greener and steeper landscape, past ranches and stables hidden behind huge dark trees and tropical hedges, tracing winding roads and passing through tiny villages toContinue reading “Black Sand Eden, Lunch With a Gecko, and the Copper-Eyed Cat”

Ponder the Path of Your Feet

April 1, 2016   The morning came slowly to the Eastern Standard Time Zone family as they soaked up sleep confusedly to wake at 6 AM Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time. Showers, breakfast, and imperfect preparations filled the hours before their first Hawaii beach experience. AJ collected water bottles, Agenda, maps and sunblock and stuffed them in herContinue reading “Ponder the Path of Your Feet”

Reviving Wonder

March 30, 2016 Four steps to Hawaii Island from Michigan: 1. Drive to Chicago, stay one night in a hotel.  2. Park car, take shuttle to the airport, get on an early morning flight to Honolulu.  3. From Honolulu get on a plane to Hilo, Hawaii Island.  4. Get rental car, drive to rented houseContinue reading “Reviving Wonder”

A Disney End

Day 9  Just a few steps into Disneyland a humbling realization overcame AJ’s cool attitude toward the amusement parks: Disney loved story. Disney had been “bringing the story to life” all around her in California Adventure the day before, but she was too busy trying to ‘get fun’ and adjust her overloaded senses to payContinue reading “A Disney End”

California Adventure: The Disney Version

Day 8 “I don’t hate Disneyland … for long. It takes me an hour or two to get used to it,” AJ said to B as they were waiting in the first line of the day at the gates of California Adventure along with thousands of other fun-seekers. Coming from the relative peace and subduedContinue reading “California Adventure: The Disney Version”

Appendix T for Trees

Appendix T for Trees AJ’s horticultural background would not allow her to go through the world without putting names to and classifying the plants around her. However far from home she went, foreign lands never seemed too strange or frightening if she could name a few plants on the trail or roadside. On the tripContinue reading “Appendix T for Trees”

Long Trails and Tall Trees

Day 7 The family started day seven of their Sierra Nevada travels by eating breakfast outside in the gentle morning sunlight, shooing bees away from their food as they watched a flock of wild turkeys strut by. They were at We Three Bakery, a sweet little restaurant along the road leading into Sequoia National Park.Continue reading “Long Trails and Tall Trees”

Defeat at Vernal Falls and Goodbye for Now

Day 6 After breakfasting at the lodge food court, the family packed up their belongings and checked out of their woodsy room at 3434 Hemlock Building, Yosemite Lodge, Yosemite National Park. They drove to the same parking lot they had discovered the day before, then waited patiently at a shuttle stop for a ride to theContinue reading “Defeat at Vernal Falls and Goodbye for Now”

Violent Heights, Fed by Ravens and Lucky Stars

Day 5.2 A Gentle Hike to Violent Heights:Taft Point  Next on the agenda was a peaceful hike through landscape that looked like it was recovering from prescribed fires. The tall, sparsely limbed pines were sprinkled with bright green moss. Grey-white boulders lay scattered about like pebbles spilled on the forest floor. “What movie setting doesContinue reading “Violent Heights, Fed by Ravens and Lucky Stars”