We had not prepared a Thanksgiving dinner here, at my childhood home in Hamilton, for over twenty years. The turkey came out well, all the same—I did not dry out the white meat. My sister and her husband Mark (the vegetarians) stuffed and subsequently baked a pumpkin that was not nearly as large as Nicole's [...]
I write now from It's A Grind, in San Francisco. Claire, Whit and I arrived yesterday afternoon, after a surprisingly painless 10-hour drive from Portland. This is what I look like RIGHT NOW. We stayed in Portland at Claire's parents house; George and Hansine were most gracious hosts, as always. Our time was spent seeing [...]
Orange roofs and white walls were enough. A week was not enough. Sucre was gorgeous and peaceful and just right. I stayed in a little hotel called Hostal de Su Merced and drank fresh orange and carrot juice every morning at breakfast. I worked from my hotel room and from cafes. I wandered the lovely [...]
I am pictured above on the morning of my departure from the United States, on January 4th, 2010. My mother took this photograph in our house in Hamilton, Massachusetts. I appear to have many possessions with me—two bags-full, in fact—and such is true. I had to choose those items such as socks, shirts, books, electronics, [...]
Go to the Auto Mercado with Arnie. Buy all of their tilapia as well as many other delicious ingredients. Return home in a taxi. Turn on Paul Simon's "Graceland." Drink some mango juice. Chop up a whole load of garlic and ginger. Mix in a bowl with a half a cup or so each of [...]
I am home or, that is to say, I am in Hamilton. My physical home in Seattle exists no longer in our leasing, the keys having been returned and the floors having been swept (probably), but I still hear about me the echoes, and feel the tugs, of that emotional space. My heart... my heart [...]
One of the finest meals I have ever eaten was in Tamarindo, Costa Rica on the group's final night before returning home. We went to the finest restaurant in Tamarindo, Carolinas. Trusting the house, and our inimitable host and the owner of the restaurant, we delighted through an incredible tasting menu. The notes I have [...]
