Travel Log

Travel Log

1963- NYC- The World’s Fair

1964- NYC- Radio City Music Hall

1965- NYC- Radio City Music Hall

1966- WV- Black Water’s Falls; NY (Margaret’s cottage on the lake)

1967- Montreal, Canada- The World’s Fair

1968- VA- Williamsburg

1969

1970

1971- Beach Haven- 28^th street

1972- Beach Haven- 24^th street

1973- Italy- Milan, Rome, Florence, Assisi, Pisa, Venice; Rhode Island

1974- South Bend, IN- Notre Dame with Kathy; WV – Greenbrier Hotel

1975

1976- New Orleans- Mari Grad- Spring Break

1977- Florida (Key West- Spring Break), Massachusetts (Boston)

1978- Germany, France, Belgium, Holland with Barbara Matthews, NYC (New Year’s Eve, Time Square)

1979- Arizona, Mexico

1980- Michigan (Women’s Music Festival)

1981- Canada (Montreal)

1982- England and Scotland- London, Bath, Castle Combe, Durham- PSU program

1983- CA- with Sam- winter break

1984- CA

1985

1986- Arizona (Thanksgiving)

1987- England with Deb Green (winter break)

1988

1989- CA, CO (Science Olympiad contest), LA (New Orleans-school conference)

1990- Italy, CA, Missouri (Science Olympiad)

1991

1992- Thailand, Texas (school trip)

1993- Florida (conference), Ohio (PSU game)

1994- CA (Sorensens), Mexico, Semester at Sea Program- Bahamas, Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, Kenya, India, Malaysia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, CO (Colorado Springs with Sally Stark

1995- CA (Rose Bowl); NY- Sarasota (Ed Leadership conference)

1996- IL (Chicago)

1997- Spain, Chicago (St Patrick’s Day), TN (Nashville, Graceland), France (Paris), Alabama

1998- LA (New Orleans- school trip), Spain, Portugal, England, Missouri, Costa Rico with the Sorresens, sailing the Chesapeake Bay

1999- Tibet and Nepal, NC, CA, Canada (school trip)

2000- Ireland, CA, Boston (school trip), NC, British Virgin Islands-winter break

2001- Southern Africa-(South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe),  New Mexico- spring break, NC, CA- (winter break; Christmas Bird Count)

2002- Italy, Peru (The Amazon River), Maine (Windjammer Cruise), Oregon- spring break, Ecuador (Galapagos Islands- winter break)

2003- India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Germany, SC-spring break, Belize-winter break

2004- Washington- spring break, Canada (Inner Passage), Panama- winter break

2005- Viet Nam and Cambodia, Wyoming- spring break, CO (Steamboat Resort- 50^th bday celebration), Turks and Cacaos- Thanksgiving, Iceland, Panama- winter break, England (London for a four day weekend)

2006- Mongolia, Georgia, NC, Canada-spring break, Chicago (Sharon’s 50^th bday), Aruba- winter break; NJ, NY, PA, DE

2007- Canada (St. James Bay), Antarctic, Argentina, Utah, Alaska, Poland, Czech Republic,

2008- South Korea, Morocco, Greece, Canada, VT, NH, GA

2009 Bermuda- Christmas Bird Count; CO, NE

2010- Egypt, FL (Key West and Everglades National Park), CO, Road Trip with Jameson (OK, TN, AR, NM, TX), Nebraska- spring break

2011- Central America (SAS- Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, Costa Rico, Panama, Guatemala) CO (Telluride Music Festival)

2012- Germany, Austria, China, SD, CO, VT, NH, ME, Canada (Nova Scotia), Spain

2013- Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Latvia, Germany, England, Haiti

2014- Nevada, California, Haiti, New Jersey, New York, Williamsburg (VA), Jamaica

2015- Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, India, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey, China, Canada

2016- Tanzania, Germany, FL, AZ,CO, OR, WY, NJ, VT, NY, UT, GA, ID, DC, MT, Puerto Rico

2017- Nepal, Bhutan, AK, GA, VA, WA, NJ, CA, DC, NY, CT, CO, DE

2018- Nepal, DC, MD, FL, NJ, DE, PA, VA, IO, WI, MN, AZ, CO, TN, KY, WV, Douglasville (PA), Wales, Jersey (UK), Canada (Arctic Tundra)

2019- Israel, Jordan, Palestine Territories, Haiti, FL, PA, DE, MD

USA Visits

AL- 1997

AK- 2010, 2017

AZ- 1978, 2012, 2016, 2018

AR- 2010- Central High School

CA- LA, San Diego, SF, San Jose

CO- 1994, 1992, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

CT- 2017

 DC- Washington Monument, Lincoln Monument, the Viet Nam Memorial, African American Museum. Women's March

DE- Dog Fish Brewery

FL- 1977, 1991, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019- Key West, Tampa, Cape Coral

 GA- 2006- St Simon Island; met Jimmy Carter

IO- 2018

IL- 1974, 1996, 2006- Chicago

IN- South Bend- 1974, 2006



ID- 2016- Craters of the Moon National Park



Hawaii- to be seen

Kentucky- 2018- Lincoln's Birthplace

LA- 1976, 1992, 1998- New Orleans

ME- Windjammer Cruise

MA- Boston, Sam Adams Brewery, Freedom Trail

MD- I owned a home here for 12 years

MI- 1980- Women’s Music Festival

MN- 2018

MS- 1998-Branson



MT- 2016- Big Sky

NC- Outer Banks

NE- 2009

NH- 2008, 2012

NJ- Long Beach Island

NM- Santa Fe, Taos, Roswell

NY- NYC, Albany, Ellenville,

OH- Ohio State University- 1996

OK- 2010- Oklahoma City

OR- 2004

PA- born and raised here

RI- 1973- The Gatsby Mansion

SC- 2003-Myrtle Beach

SD- 2012- Mt Rushmore, Badlands, Custer National Park

TN- 1995, 1997, 2010, 2018- Grand Old Opry, Dolly Parton Stampede, Country Music Hall of Fame, Graceland, Civil Rights Museum, Nashville, Memphis, Gatlinburg

TX- 1998, 2010-The Alamo, San Antonio, Rice University

UT- Moab

VA- Williamsburg, Monticello, the Kellys

VT- Long Trail Brewery

WA- 2007, 2017- Olympia National Park, Seattle, San Juan Islands

WI- 2018

WV- 1964, 2018 -Black Water Falls, Berkley Springs State Park

WY- 2005- dog sledding

Countries visited

1.      Antarctica – 2007
2.      Argentina- 2007
3.      Aruba- 2006
4.      Austria- 2012
5.      Australia- 2015
6.      Bahamas- 1994
7.      Bhutan- 2017
8.      Belgium- 1978
9.      Belize- 2004
10.      Bermuda- 2009
11.      Botswana- 2001
12.      Brazil- 1994
13.      British Virgin Islands- 2000
14.      Cambodia- 2005
15.      Canada- 1967, 1981, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018
16.      China- 1994, 2006, 2012, 2015
17.      Costa Rico- 1998, 2011
18.          Czech Republic- 2007
19.          Ecuador- 2003
20.      Egypt-  2010
21.      England- 1982, 1987, 1990, 1998, 2005, 2013, 2018
22.      Fiji- 2015
23.      France- 1978, 1997
24.      Germany- 1978, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2016
25.      Greece- 2008
26.      Guatemala- 2011
27.      Haiti- 2013, 2014, 2019
28.      Holland- 1978
29.      Honduras- 2011
30.      Hong Kong- 1994, 2005
31.         Iceland- 2005
32.         India- 1994, 2003, 2015
33.      Indonesia- 1994
34.         Ireland- 2000
35.      Israel- 2019
36.          Italy- 1973, 1990, 2002
37.      Jamaica- 2014
38.      Jersey (UK) - 2018
39.      Japan- 1994
40.      Jordan- 2019
41.      Kenya- 1994
42.      Malaysia- 1994
43.      Maldives Islands- 2003
44.      Mexico- 1978, 1994, 2011, 2014
45.      Mongolia- 2006
46.      Morocco- 2008
47.      Namibia- 2001
48.      Nepal- 1999, 2017
49.      New Zealand- 2015
50.      Nicaragua- 2011
51.      Palestine Territories
52.      Panama- 2005, 2011
53.      Peru- 2002
54.      Poland- 2007
55.      Portugal- 1998
56.      Scotland- 1982
57.      Singapore- 1994
58.      South Africa- 1994, 2001
59.      South Korea- 2008
60.      Spain, 1997, 1998, 2012
61.      Sri Lanka- 2003
62.      Tanzania- 2016
63.      Thailand- 1992
64.      Tibet- 1999
65.      Turks &  Cacos- 2005
66.      Puerto Rico- 2017
67.      Vatican City- 1973, 2002 
68.       USA
69.      Wales- 2018
70.      Zimbabwe- 2000

Travel Log

1963- NYC- World’s Fair

1964- NYC- Radio City Music Hall

1965- NYC- Radio City Music Hall

1966- WV- Black Water’s Falls; NY (Margaret’s cottage on the lake

1967- Quebec, Canada- World’s Fair

1968- VA- Williamsburg

1969

1970

1971- Beach Haven- 28^th street

1972- Beach Haven- 24^th street

1973- Italy- Milan, Rome, Florence, Assisi, Pisa, Venice; Rhode Island

1974- South Bend, IN- Notre Dame with Kathy; WV – Greenbrier Hotel

1975

1976- New Orleans- Mari Grad- Spring Break

1977- Florida (Key West- Spring Break), Massachusetts (Boston)

1978- Germany, France, Belgium, Holland with Barbara Matthews, NYC (New Year’s Eve, Time Square)

1979- Arizona

1980- Michigan (Women’s Music Festival)

1981- Canada (Montreal)

1982- England and Scotland- London, Bath, Castle Combe, Durham- PSU program

1983- CA- with Sam- winter break

1984

1985

1986- Arizona (Thanksgiving)

1987- England with Deb Green (winter break)

1988

1989- CA, CO (science Olympiad contest), LA (New Orleans-school conference)

1990- Italy, CA, Missouri (Science Olympiad)

1991

1992- Thailand, Texas (school trip)

1993- Florida (conference), Ohio (PSU game0

1994- CA (Sorensens), Semester at Sea Program- Bahamas, Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, Kenya, India, Malaysia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, CO (Colorado Springs with Sally Stark_

1995- CA (Rose Bowl); NY- Sarasota (Ed Leadership conference)

1996- IL (Chicago)

1997- Spain, Chicago (St Patrick’s Day), TN (Nashville, Graceland), France (Paris), Alabama

1998- LA (New Orleans- school trip), Spain, Portugal, England, Missouri, Costa Rico with the Sorresens, sailing the Chesapeake Bay

1999- Tibet and Nepal, NC, CA, Canada (school trip)

2000- Ireland, CA, Boston (school trip), NC, British Virgin Islands-winter break

2001- Southern Africa-(South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe), New Mexico- spring break, NC, CA- (winter break; Christmas Bird Count)

2002- Italy, Peru (The Amazon River), Maine (Windjammer Cruise), Oregon- spring break, Ecuador (Galapagos Islands- winter break)

2003- India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Germany, SC-spring break, Belize-winter break

2004- Washington- spring break, Canada (Inner Passage), Panama- winter break

2005- Viet Nam and Cambodia, Wyoming- spring break, CO (Steamboat Resort- 50^th bday celebration), Turks and Cacaos- Thanksgiving, Iceland, Panama- winter break, England (London for a four day weekend)

2006- Mongolia, Georgia, NC, Canada-spring break, Chicago (Sharon’s 50^th bday), Aruba- winter break

2007- Canada (St. James Bay), Antarctic, Argentina, Utah, Alaska, Poland, Czech Republic,

2008- South Korea, Morocco, Greece, Canada, VT, NH, GA

2009 Bermuda- Christmas Bird Count, CO

2010- Egypt, FL (Key West and Everglades National Park), CO, Road Trip with Jameson (OK, TN, AR, NM, TX), Nebraska- spring break

2011- Central America (SAS- Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, Costa Rico, Panama, Guatemala) CO (Telluride Music Festival)

2012- Germany, Austria, China, South Dakota, CO, VT, NH, ME, Canada (Nova Scotia), Spain

2013- Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Latvia, Germany, England, Haiti

2014- Nevada, California, Haiti, New Jersey, New York, Williamsburg (VA)

2015- Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, India, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey

2016- AZ, Tanzania, VT, NY, NJ, CO, UT, DC, WY, ID, MT, GA, Germany, Puerto Rico

2017- Bhutan, Nepal, NY, DE, MD, PA, CT, GA, VA, AK, WA, DC

2018- Nepal, Wales, England, Jersey (UK); IO, WI, MN, AZ, VA, CO, DC

2019- Jordan Israel, Palestine Territory, Haiti, FL, DE, 

USA Visits

AL- 1997
AK- 2010
AZ- 1978, 2012, 2018- Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Painted Desert- Petrified Forest
AR- 2010- Central High School
CA- LA, San Diego, SF
 CO- 1994, 1992, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
CT- 2002, 2017
DC- Washington Monument, Lincoln Monument, the Viet Nam Memorial, African American Museum, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 
DE- Dog Fish Brewery
FL- Key West- 1976, 2010, 2013; Cape Coral 2018, 2019
GA- 2005- St Simon Island
IO- 2018
ID- Craters of the Moon-2016
IL- Chicago-1995, 2006- Penn State football game vs. Notre Dame
IN- South Bend-1974
KY- Lincoln's birthplace- 2018
 LA- New Orleans- 1975
MA- Windjammer Cruise
MA- Boston, Sam Adams Brewery, Freedom Trail
MD- Chesapeake Bay
MI- Women’s Music Festival
MN- 2018
MT- Big Sky- 2016
MO- Branson- 1998
NC- 1999
NE- 2009
NH- 2008, 2012
NJ- Long Beach Island
NM- Santa Fe, Taos, Roswell
NY- NYC, Albany, Ellenville,
OH- Ohio State University- 1976
OK- 2010
OR- Seattle, San Juan Islands
PA- Philadelphia
RI- 1973
SC- 2003-Myrtle Beach-
SD- 2012- Mt Rushmore, Badlands, Custer National Park
TN- Grand Old Opry
TX- The Alamo, San Antonio, Rice University
 UT- Moab
VA- Williamsburg, Monticello, the Kellys
VT- Long Trail Brewery
WA- Olympia National Park
WI- 2018

WV- Black Water Falls

WY- 2005- dog sledding

• Continents visited

·         Africa- 1994

·         Antarctica- 2007

·         Asia- 1992

·         Europe- 1973

·         North America-1955

·         South America- 1994

·         Australia- 2015

Bodies of Water

•      Atlantic Ocean
•      Pacific Ocean
•      North Sea
•      Baltic Sea
•      Waddle Sea
•      Drakes Passage
•      English Channel
•      Potomac River
•      Rhine River
•      Thames River
•      Nile River
•      North East River
•      Chesapeake Bay
•      Amazon River
•      Caribbean Sea
•      Siene River
•     Indian Ocean
•      Dead Sea
•     Delaware River
•     C & D Canal
•      Panama Canal
•     Mekong River
•     Colorado River
•     Shenandoah River
• 
  

• 
  

Voting For The First Time

Voting For The First Time

Elkton, MD
June 2014


I am holding a voters' registration drive  and an old man stopped in to the Cecil County Democrats Headquarters and asked if he could register to vote. He told me he was 70 and had never voted before. 

“But I’m going to need some help because I can't hardly read that good”, he tells me a bit ashamed of himself.

I filled out the form for him and I asked him how he wanted to register: Democrat, Green, Republican or Independent.

“I ain’t never voted before. Nope, never did. I don’t know whats I am but I think it’s time I started voting, on account a my son. I lost him in Iraq. I’m voting for him now.”

To read more stories, check out: bkmemoirs.blogspot.com
or bkmemoirs.wordpress.com

The Anarctic Peace Treaty

The ANTARCTIC PEACE TREATY 
A Discussion Aboard the SS Explorer

Weddell Sea

Antarctica

December 2007

I was on a ship, making its way around the northern tip of Antarctica. Victoria, one of our guides, gave a lecture one day on the Peace Treaty.  It was signed in 1974 by 12 countries and it continues to be the agreement of the day.  In essence, the continent of Antarctica is only to be used for purposes of peace and science.  There may not be any military presence on the continent.  No country may lay claim to it and no individual may own any land.  All decisions are made by this pact of nations.  The UN has no say.  And there is no involvement of any NGO’S (non government organizations).  Victoria expressed her concerns about this lack of involvement.

A day later this lecture, a team of scientist came on board and spoke to us about their research at the US Palmer Research Center.  This was an introduction to what we were going to see at our landing later in the day.  They gave us an overview of some of their research projects.

But then they went on to show us a slideshow of some of their research projects.  They had a slide of a seal that had a wooden box glued to its head.  The scientists laughed and assured us that the box was only temporary.  It would fall off as the seal shed its skin.  And the box did not interfere with the quality of the seal’s life.

Their explanation annoyed me.  Who are we to decide that this wooden box does not affect the quality of the seal’s life?  Who are we to think that our desire to know about the life of a seal is greater that the needs of the seal.

So I asked Victoria what checks and balances the treaty had to determine what should and should not be researched.  How is it determined that a project may really only be  our want to know versus our need to know.  My question stumped her a little bit so she ran off to get Fiona, our resident biologist.

I relayed my concerns to Fiona as she had missed the presentation.  Her immediately response was similar to mine.  She did assure me that all research goes through an ethics review.  But she thought the box on the head of a seal seemed a bit excessive.  When Victoria confirmed my perceptions of the smugness of the scientist, we then moved into a discussion of having NGO groups which advocate for the animals.  We all agreed that we would write to someone when we got home.  I wonder if any of us will follow through with our plan.

NOTE: It's 8 years later and I never followed up.

All Organic, All Union

"We are the only farm in California that is all organic and all union.  It can be done and we are pretty darn proud of that." he tells me as he sweeps the floor.


Santa Cruz, CA
April 28, 2015

Getting Ready for Landing- Antarctic

GETTING READY FOR LANDING

Antarctica

Weddell Sea

December 2007

I am on a ship sailing through the Weddell Sea, exploring the northern tip of Antarctic.  We live on the ship but we stop twice a day and get off the boat and explore the area.  The process to disembark the ship is very orderly. We are divided into groups: Shackleton (my group), Scott, Amendson and Munsen.  Each group is given an announcement to prepare for landing.  And at the appropriate time we all scurry back to our cabins and get ready.  First, we go to the bathroom and make a huge effort to drain our bladders of any fluids as we are going to places with no facilities and we are forbidden to relieve ourselves and contaminate the snow.

Then we start putting on the clothing.  I start with neoprene socks.  Then I move on to heavy woolen socks.  Then I have neoprene leggings (which are not flattering) and then I put on my $150 Gore Tex pants.  Then the big, stiff, heavy rubber Wellington boats go on.

Then I put a neoprene shirt on.  Then a layer of fleece and then my kayaking, dry suit jacket goes on.  Then I put on one of two neck gaiters.  The first one just covers my neck and ears.  The second one also extends into a hood and covers just about every area from my neck to the top of my head.  Then I have my woolen hat from Iceland.  Then I put on one of two coats: my blue rubber coat or my black coat.  And sometimes I wear them both.  Then I put on my big, encumbering ski gloves.  Then I get my backpack which is already packed with two extra pairs of gloves, another fleece hat, glove mittens, a neck gaiter, and my camera equipment. 

I just don’t know how the earlier explorers made it through the cold for months.  I am so bogged down with the panic of being cold.  And I can come back to a warm ship each day.  I would have never made it as an early explorer.  This degree of exploration is wearing me out.

One Meal A Day

ONE MEAL A DAY

Jacmel, Haiti

Summer 2013

Haitian only eats one meal a day. When I asked my friend,  Jeams, What time of the day does your  family eats their meal?" He seemed puzzled.  "When the food comes", he told me. "When we find the food we eat. We don’t find the food, no.  No food that day."

Independence Day 1997

INDEPENDENCE DAY 1997

My parents’ summer home

Long Beach Island, NJ

July 4, 1997

As we approached the long holiday weekend, something was nagging at me.  I felt a need to make this Independent weekend a big event for my mother. The doctors had found yet another spot of cancer but I was confident that this time, they would get it. So maybe I thought my mother could use a little cheering up, something to keep her spirits high and optimistic.  So I took it upon myself to invite my siblings to my parents’ house for the long weekend.

I told my mother and she was thrilled. I assured her that I have beds for most of us, or at least the adults. So when my sister Kathy called on Saturday morning and told my father that she and her husband and five boys would arrive around lunch time, my father stammered a little bit, “OK, that’s great but we have a slight problem”, he tells her, “its not that we wouldn’t love to see you but we don’t have room for you.  You see, Jimmy and his gang are on their way down as we speak.”  With that, my mother calls to him from the other room.

“No, tell her to come.  We have room. Bridget is figuring that all out. Tell her to come”.

“Hold on a second,” he continues, “Mom just yelled out that you should come.  She said we have room.  I don’t know. I think it is going to be crowded. I hope I have a bed tonight”. He laughs at his joke.

So they do come and so do Sharon and her family and Jimmy and his kids and Patricia and her family. Some are only staying for the day but most will be here for the weekend.

After lunch, we head to the beach and spend the afternoon in each other’s good company. As the afternoon comes to an end, most of the beach crowd heads home.  But we linger until long after the lifeguards have finished their work for the day.

It’s just us on the beach now. And we take lots of photos. For some we pose and others are moments captured as we run to escape the waves and jellyfish.  We bury each other in the sand. We build castles and tell stories and pass around the san screen. None of us are in any hurry to leave this gorgeous beach.

My mother turns to me, full of delight with this moment in time and tells me, “Can you believe it, I am having 17 people for dinner and I don’t give a shit.  Isn’t it great.”

Yup, that moment was great.  It was our last 4^th of July together.  The cancer did get my mother. She died the following Mother’s Day weekend. I am so glad we had this weekend of freedom from the fear of this dreadful disease.