I reviewed This Little Bunny Can Bake by Jan Stein, for LA Parent Magazine. Check it out.

Yesterday my family stumbled upon one of the quaintest small Southern towns in the USA. Established in 1825, Bluffton, SC is situated just west of Hilton Head and half way between Savannah, GA and Beaufort, SC. During the 1850’s, visitors could stopover in Bluffton by way of steamboat. Following the capture of Fort Sumter, many SC island residents fled here, and the town soon became the headquarters for the Confederates. In 1863 Union forces destroyed much of the small town, leaving just a few buildings standing. It wasn’t until the late 1880s when the town started to rebuild.

Recently, the town of Bluffton has expanded and plans the development of more than 32,000 acres acquired through annexation. But the historic downtown remains and is a haven for artists. There are art galleries and antique shops, and during the summer months there is an excellent produce market in the street.

The shops have unique, high quality art, jewelry, wood pieces, antiques and more. And better yet, the people are so friendly, we found ourselves “getting stuck” inside their businesses for long periods of time while chatting. We ate lunch at the Calhoun Street Café, housed in a rickety old building. The food was fresh and delicious. Everywhere we went, we were stopped by dog-lovers. Our standard poodle, Gigi is hard to resist.

If you find yourself in coastal SC, don’t miss a visit to Bluffton! Click here for the website.

I have come to realize the reality of relaxation. Until you take a truly relaxing vacation, you don’t really know what it means to unwind. I’m not talking about a major sightseeing trip where you race around all day long to see museums and monuments. Or a visit with family or friends. While those are fine vacations, they do not provide you with true relaxation.

I am in Beaufort, SC in a cottage with my husband, daughter and dog on a long, winding creek. We have no plans to see anyone. We have no place we need to be for 9 days. By day 3, I realized that I am truly relaxed.

• I have done a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle
• I have floated down a winding creek in an inflatable boat
• I sat for an hour and half in a coffee shop and people watched
• My family and I stayed up late and laughed about stories from my husband’s childhod
• I photographed the exoskeleton of a cicada
• I’ve gotten close-up looks at Spanish moss
• I took a nap with my dog
• I bought produce from an old rickety farm stand
• I baked a peach crisp
• I went in every indie bookstore I’ve seen everywhere I’ve been
• I’ve chatted with locals about life in their towns

The yard and creek at our cottage, Beaufort, SC

My daughter and her flying curls, downtown Beaufort, SC

The exoskeleton of a cicada

Next on my list? A stack of books I’ve been meaning to read, but didnt have the time.

What’ll you do to get away?

Click here to read Part 1 of this interview . . .

Many Americans never really get to experience, firsthand, what foreigners think about our culture. But you have many times. Have you encountered any misconceptions others have about us?

Many. The reality of life on Earth is we have a lot of different cultures, and we don’t always get each other. When I lived in England as a child, many of my classmates thought Americans all drove cars as big as Delaware and had high-speed police chases through our communities every night. It was 1977, and “Starsky and Hutch” was one of the most popular TV shows there.

As a teenager in Norway, I encountered other stereotypes – that America was a dangerous place, and that we were all either very rich or very poor. Again, the reason for these misconceptions, I think, is that television shows extreme sides of our culture. These shows may be entertaining for us, but different cultures might take them too literally.

I’ve also encountered political stereotypes, which have shifted in the last decade. I was at a punk rock concert in Bergen, Norway, a few years back. Between songs, the lead singer started ranting about how stupid Americans were for voting for George W. Bush, “not once but twice.” I don’t think she was expecting a Norwegian-speaking liberal American in the audience, and she was a bit bewildered when I yelled from the audience that that we didn’t all vote for him. (But hey, at a punk show, it is culturally appropriate to yell at the band.) I went up to her later and apologized for interrupting, and she apologized to me for stereotyping an entire nation based on its elected officials.

Have there been times when you realized you had improperly stereotyped other cultures as well?

Absolutely. It’s something we all do, and on some level, I would argue that is natural and okay, as long as you also challenge your beliefs and really get to know people. If we travel in foreign places, we’re going to have knee-jerk reactions to things we don’t understand. The trick is allowing time to question our initial negative reactions.

In Globejotting, my book about how to write more meaningful and exciting travel diaries, I talk about how journaling about your expectations before you leave on a trip makes for interesting contrasts once you arrive.

When I teach this idea, people sometimes suggest it’s wrong to travel with preconceptions. But, come on! We travel to places because we have a sense of what they will be like. If we didn’t have some sense of what a place was like, why would we go there in the first place? But usually, there’s at least a subtle difference when we arrive between our expectations and reality.

Do you keep in touch with people you’ve met in other countries?

It’s tricky, but I try. I have a lot of friends in a lot of places. Keeping in touch with all of them on a steady basis just isn’t practical. It could be my full-time job if I were independently wealthy. But the flip side to that is that I have people in many parts of the world who I consider close friends, even if I might only see them once every few years, and when we do get together, it feels as if little time has passed.

How many languages do you speak (or sort of speak)?

Hmmm… well, for starters, I sort of speak English. It’s my native language. I am also fluent in Norwegian, which is very similar to Swedish and Danish, so I understand those as well.

I speak functional, albeit broken, French; enough German and Italian to fool people into thinking I understand them, and a few phrases in a lot of other tongues. Basically, I’m a language nerd, and I try to pick up some of the language wherever I go. But none of this is as impressive as some people make it out to be. Once you’ve got one or two foreign languages down, something clicks in your brain that makes it easier to learn additional languages.

Wow, Dave I am impressed! Most Americans do not speak numerous languages like that. Why do you suppose that is?

I wish we would embrace the concept of teaching foreign languages in elementary schools more than we do. I don’t care whether we teach Spanish or Japanese, Icelandic or Xhosa. Once you go through the process of learning a second language, you understand the thought process involved in communicating in a foreign tongue. So when you then meet people who are struggling to communicate in English, you understand what they need from you – slower speech, clear enunciation, simpler words, etc. You become more effective at communicating in English with non-native speakers.

Americans tend to be perfectionists. That makes some people afraid to attempt other languages because we’re afraid we might say something “wrong.” But you know what? People in other countries don’t think poorly of us if we speak their language badly. They think poorly of us if we don’t try, and always expect them to communicate on our terms.

Thanks, Dave! We’re looking forwrd to Part 3!

Stay tuned for Part 3 of this interview!

Visit Dave Fox here.

Looking for a fantastic old fashioned bookstore? Visit E Shaver Books in Savannah. 326 Bull St, Savannah, GA This place is beautiful, with its Greek Revival architecture and squeaky old wood floors. Genres are housed in different rooms. There is  fantastic children’s section too.

Photos of the Day

Gigi – An excellent traveling poodle

The rivers of Southern GA

Steep stairs and an awesome oak tree long the Riverfront

Old Cobbled streets and a way cool door

Free Original Clipart at Designed to a T

I Need a Vacation

(from Getting Ready for My Vacation)

I organized and packed

and cleaned all day

And loaded up the car

I have to say

I’m so exhausted from

Getting ready

I’m starting to

Feel unsteady

I need a vacation

From all these chores

Lay on a beach

Along the shores

Should I just stay at home

And lie in bed

And try to get over

This work instead?

Cuz planning a jaunt

Is not a breeze

There is no such a thing

As a trip with ease!

We’re getting ready for our family’s vacation (Beaufort, SC), and I really want to make this one extra special. There’s been so much activity and chaos between work, school, extended family events, home repairs and more. We are looking forward to pure relaxation, with no obligations! Sound familiar?

I’ve come up with a few planning tips for making your vacation the BEST ever:

1. Rent a house or cottage, rather than a hotel room. Then you’ll feel like you are more “at home, away from home.” The value is often better this way as well. There’s more space and privacy. And you never have to leave because the maid is coming in. Another benefit – many house rentals allow pets. You cannot leave a pet alone in a hotel room.
2. Check in advance to see if there are grocery stores and restaurants convenient to the place you’d be renting.
3. Bring a few of your favorite kitchen items if you will be cooking. I always bring a good knife and  few staples from my pantry when renting a house., so I don’t have to buy a lot of basics when I get there.
4. Take your car in for servicing. You may need an oil change, tire check and you want to make sure it’s in good shape for a long drive. I just took my car in for this reason and discovered my rear brake pads were totally worn. Glad I took the car in!
5. Make a checklist on the computer of all the things you need to do before leaving. You can use that same list every time you travel. (i.e. items to pack, lock doors, close window treatments, set timers, give neighbor a key, set alarm, unplug computer, etc) This saves time and give you peace of mind.
6. If traveling with a pet, bring proof of vaccination. Various parks and other recreational areas may require this.
7. Check out books on tape at the library before leaving. This will keep the entire family entertained during the long car trip.
8. Leave your contact info with a neighbor or family member who has they key.
9. Pack a box of activities for kids to keep busy in the car.
10. If you MUST bring a computer on your trip, make sure the place where you are staying has wireless access and offers free wi-fi.
11. Make sure your camera is in good working condition. And be sure to pack all chargers, batteries, etc.
12. Don’t let bad weather get you down. If it rains a lot while on your trip, take that down time to enjoy the family. Play games (that you were smart enough to pack), watch movies, visit indoor places. Decide that you are going to enjoy your trip no matter what!

Last summer I wrote an article about packing the car for a trip. Read it here.

My daughter’s friend is in Belize at the moment. and he emailed me this photo of a toucan bird. How cute is this?

Thank you, Ben!

It’s hard to believe that today marks 1 year since my Mom passed away. I vow not to be sad; rather I will celebrate the good things she taught me.

Mom hard at work in the 1970s

I am reminded that while one family is grieving, another is celebrating. The day my Mom passed away, my neighbor’s daughter was getting married. This is a fitting irony to recall, because all people will experience the extremes of joy and pain more than once in their lifetimes. My Mom was one of the best “celebraters” ever. She said, “Go to the parties and not wait for the funerals.”

Other great philosophies she left behind:

• Be responsible – If you say you are going to do something, do it! NO excuses.
• Work hard -  Mom never missed a day of work. She put all her energy into her work while there, and she got  lot of fulfillment out of it.
• Take care of what you own – Mom’s house, all that was in it, her car and everything else she owned were immaculate. When we sold her house, the new buyers could not believe the kitchen was 31 years old. Not a mark, scratch or speck of dirt to be found.
• Never buy more that you can afford – Mom was not a big shopper. She was a widow at age 36 with 3 kids and knew how to live a fruitful life without going into debt.
• Document special events - Mom took photo albums to the extreme, but she got a great deal of pleasure out of looking back at special times.

Mom with her babushka and her shift dress in the 1960s

• Stay organized – Mom’s files, bills and financial affairs were in impeccable order. Unless you have ever had to close out a loved ones accounts, like my sister and I have, you cannot imagine how important this is!
• Be a friend – Mom was loyal to her friends and was always there to lend a hand.
• Keep your freezer full - You never know when a visitor will show up at the door.
• Welcome all visitors – There’s always room for a visitor to spend the night or share a home cooked meal with you.
• See the world – If there’s an opportunity for a trip, by all means take it.

Mom crocheting in the 1960s

Thanks Mom. I’m off to work hard, just like you taught me . . .