The French word flâneur isn’t a word you hear much around here. It originally meant a 19th century male who loitered, strolled and wandered around Paris. Although born 100 years later, Henry Miller, who meandered all over Paris in the 1930s, was one. After he left France, he wrote, “There are scarcely any streets in […]
Louisa Rogers
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Swimming with Otters at Big Lagoon
Blue skies, eagles, osprey, otters — those are the attractions that compel Humboldt caterer Lauren Sarabia to drive up to Big Lagoon and swim three mornings a week. Although as a kid she played in pools in Los Angeles, she didn’t become an open water swimmer until five years ago, when a friend invited her […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Hiking in Place with the Ramblers
The North Coast, with its wealth of natural environments to explore, from mountains and marshes to river trails and redwood forests, is also rich in hiking groups. Recently I checked out one of the oldest: the Ramblers. We met promptly at 9 a.m. at the Ma-le’l Dunes south parking lot on a sunny Monday morning. […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Labyrinth Labor of Love
When I walk a labyrinth, my mind becomes almost still. So when I interviewed Susie Laraine and Rockie Head, two Eureka women who built a labyrinth, I expected them to be soft-spoken, even reverent. Instead our conversation was punctuated with raucous laughter as we sat apart on the grass next to the labyrinth in Head’s […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Alone in the Fog
I could feel bubbles of panic on the edges of my mind but I forced myself to concentrate on my breaststroke. Arms parting, arms parting. Focus. I knew if I started worrying about hypothermia, exhaustion or the cramping in my right leg, panic would cause me to shake or flail. Focus. Focus. Ten years ago, […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Of Course I Care
Of course I care But my kid’s ADHD And my mom has Alzheimer’s Of course I care I’m working 60 hours a week Where’s the time? Of course I care Look, my wife has cancer Give me a break Of course I care Don’t be silly I donated, remember? Of course I care But I […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Entertaining for the Hesitant Host
I was nervous the first time I gave a dinner party but it turned out to be a blast. Two friends from the Vancouver Unitarian Church annihilated the tuna fish casserole I served. An unlikely trio, we spent a merry evening in my studio apartment laughing, telling stories and looking out the bay window at […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Nuna’s Frozen Cheesecake
My maternal grandmother ‘Nuna,’ otherwise known as Elinor Walker Flinn, was born in the Tennessee mountains but lived her adult life in Columbia, South Carolina. An upright, dignified woman, she embodied a word we don’t use much anymore: lady. She was married to Pappy, my colorful grandfather, a binge drinker with a wooden leg — […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Inheriting an Obsession from My Mother
I came running into the house, my cheeks flushed from swinging. My mother was sitting at her favorite perch, the embroidered rocking chair. “Honey, I want to talk to you about something,” Mother said. “I think you should be like the big girls and go on a diet like them. Would you like that?” A […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Searching for Town Charming
One afternoon while visiting Ashland, Oregon, my husband, Barry, and I strolled through Lithia Park, admiring its dappled trees and winding paths. As we stood on a fairy-tale bridge arching over the creek, I turned to him and said, “Let’s move to Ashland.” I imagined jogging on the gentle trails and bicycling the leafy streets, turned […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Phoenix Approach
It’s a bummer: My body at 67 is not what it was at 20, 30 or even 40. I’ve had to give up five or six physical activities, and each time I let go, adapting to the new reality is bittersweet. For instance, I started jogging in college and ran consistently into my early 60s, […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Exploring the Historic Sinkyone Wilderness
The first thing I see upon waking is a female elk poking her head into our open van door, a few inches from my husband Barry’s face. I blink. Is this real? The elk wanders off and Barry starts to laugh. “What’s the protocol when a lady elk approaches you?” he asks. We have just […]