Rising from Travel Trauma

Last spring when my friend Caroline offered me her holiday home as my private writing retreat, I was thrilled. Though we’d never met in person, we’d been in contact since 2016 just before I left Morocco. After I moved to the Dominican Republic, she bought the house and sent me photos of each phase of…

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7 Cool Things to Do in Nashville Before Summer Ends

From summer garden cocktail parties to getting a jumpstart for fall picnics and fashion, the remaining days of August in Nashville have a lot to offer… 1. Cocktail Crawl at Cheekwood August 16, 5 PM-10 PM At Cheekwood Tonight is the last chance to enjoy this new-to-Cheekwood event. Stroll the summer gardens; tickets include drink…

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Summer Travel: Courses That Will Transport You

Summer travel season is here–my favorite time of the year! PLEASE JOIN ME FOR A WAY TO SAVOR TRAVEL EXPERIENCES AT HOME in a course I’m teaching in July at The Porch, Nashville’s Independent Writing Center. GO HERE FOR DETAILS:  Travel Tales: Writing Our Journeys Near and Far  is for anyone wanting to join a community of explorers…

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Five Reasons for a Southern Girl Getaway in Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville, North Carolina makes a great girl getaway destination–not only because of the beautiful Biltmore mansion (which housed the Glamour On Board: Fashion from Titanic The Movie exhibit I LOVED) but also because of five other fabulous finds. Reason 1: The Downtown Restaurants Reason 2: The Shopping Reason 3: Biltmore Gardens and Grounds Wonder beckons…

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Cindy McCain – Lost in Morocco

Originally posted on Tenx9 Nashville Storytelling:
I’ve been lost since 2014 when I left a teaching job of 27 years at a school my kidsattended K-12 three streets from our house. I moved to another continent 4,400 miles away. Solo. Sight unseen. As sure as Santiago in Coelho’s (Quelho’s) The Alchemist, I knew it was…

Glamour on Board: Titanic Fashion at Biltmore Estate

Climb aboard The Biltmore! You have until May 13, 2018 to experience Glamour on Board: Fashion from  Titanic the Movie , the maiden voyage of the first large-scale costume exhibit from the iconic film that won 11 Oscars including Best Costume Design.  No location could be more fitting for simulating a first-class passage on luxury liners, “Floating…

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Woods in Winter

Today was the first time in almost three years I’ve crunched through snow. I didn’t laugh like I did  sledding in the Atlas Mountains,  but sliding along with Ella in our quiet Walden Woods was happiness. Peace. A snow day–time no longer spoken for– is a gift that feeds the soul. Frozen flakes falling like manna from heaven….

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Taking a Timeout in a Tennessee Version of Walden Woods

Yesterday at Dickens of a Christmas in Franklin  with my sister and brother-in-law, I ran into Edy, our wonderful Airbnb hostess last summer. She asked why I haven’t been posting on the blog.  To her and other readers, I apologize. Reentry into the US over the last six months after three years abroad has been an…

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