2023
February, 2023: Naples, Matera and Puglia
All posts available through this link.
Day 1: Trying to stay up, getting oriented
Day 2: San ‘Domenico, Santa Chiara, pizza (Instagram post)
Day 3: Art Day (Instagram post)
Day 4: Herculaneum and Oplontis and Maradona (Instagram) (Instagram Reel)
Day 5: Vomero neighborhood and the St. Gennaro catacombs (Instagram)
Day 8: Sorrento and its feast (Instagram here and here)
Day 9: Revisiting the Archaeology museum, a haircut and a catacomb (Instagram)
Day 10: On the road from Naples to Matera (Instagram)
Day 11: A day in Matera (Instagram)
Day 12: Alberobello, Locorotondo and Putignano (Instagram)
Day 13/14 : Putignano Carnevale (Instagram)
Day 14: Putignano Carnevale (Instagram)
Day 17: Last Day in Naples (Instagram)
You can also get to them all through this link
2022: Short trips
February 2022
St. Stephen’s Mission, Wind River Reservation, Wyoming
July 2022
The Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Georgia and the Columbia, SC, riverwalk.
August 2022
September 2022
October 2022
November 2022
Guanajuato, Mexico – October 2022
Climbing La Bufa outside of Guanajuato
New Mexico – August 2022
Oxford and Clarksdale, MS; Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas
Clear Creek Monastery, Woodie Guthrie and on to New Mexico
Santa Rosa, NM, a bubbly tire at Pecos, new tires in Santa Fe and finally, Abiqui.
Back and forth to Taos again, several missions, the Rio Grande Gorge,
Mass at an historic mission, a feastday festival, Georgia O’Keefe’s home and the Santa Fe Opera
A morning in Santa Fe, Las Vegas, NM, Peco National Monument.
Home via a couple of Texas canyons.
England – June 2022
Eucharistic Procession in Oxford
Traveling on a rail strike day
Edinburgh – the Royal Highland Show
Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, October 2021
October 15: Travel day, Salt Lake City
October 16: Capitol Reef National Park
October 17: Leprechaun Canyon, Blarney Canyon, Goblin Valley State Park, Moab
October 19: Fiery Furnace hike, Arches National Park, travel to Needles section of Canyonlands
October 20: Chelser Park Overlook hike, Canyonlands, Delicate Arch trail hike, Arches
More photos and videos at Instagram, both in posts and in “highlights.”
Big South Fork, Tennessee, August 2021
Rugby, Alvin C. York site, Charit Creek Lodge
Slave Falls and Twin Arches hike in Big South Fork
Brush Mountain State Penitentiary and Oak Ridge
Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest: February 2021
Hiking in the Grand Canyon and a drive to Winslow
Yellowstone and Grand Teton: August 2020
How, why are where: a summary post
August 19: Travel day, first bison sighting. Arrival in Colter Bay.
August 20: Hermitage Trail at Colter Bay in GTNP, canoeing on Lake Jackson, dinner in Jackson, initial exploration of Jenny Lake.
August 21: Hike to Inspiration Point at Jenny Lake, then a chunk of the Cascade Canyon Trail, Signal Mountain overlook.
August 22: Leave Colter Bay, go on to Yellowstone. West Thumb area, Kepler Cascades, two Old Faithful eruptions, one from ground level, the other from a viewpoint on a nearby hillside; Black Sand geyser area; Grand Prismatic Spring from ground level.
August 23: Biking in Yellowstone; Drive to Firehouse River; Paintpots: Hike to Grand Prismatic Spring overlook.
August 24: Check out of Old Faithful Snow Lodge, on the way north. Norris Geyser area. Stop in Canyon Village, then most viewpoints of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and then a few thermal features to the south. Back north, arrive in Gardiner, MT, check into Hillcrest Cottages
August 25: Mammoth Hot Springs, various trails in the area.
August 26: Day of driving towards the northeast entrance to the park, through the Lamar Valley. Many bison, riverside picnic lunch, fairly strenuous hike on part of the Hellroaring trail, to the suspension bridge.
August 27: Check out of cottage, drive to Jackson through West Yellowstone because of road closures. Check into Jackson hotel, then back up to Jenny Lake for a hike partway around the lake, then to Moose Ponds and Hidden Falls. Seen: deer, moose, bear.
August 28: Fly back to BHM!
South Florida: January 2020
Biking in Everglades National Park and much Cuban food.
Kayaking in Indian Key, a night ranger program in the Glades and more Cuban food.
Biscayne Bay: a naturalization ceremony and manatees
Honduras: November 2019
What was Honduras like? A reflection
Where we stayed in Copan and Gracias, Honduras
Friday 11/8-Saturday 11/9: The journey from Birmingham to Copan Ruinas, Honduras.
Sunday 11/10: Mass and a wedding. Touring the Copan ruins with archaeologist David Sedat
Monday 11/11: Spanish school and Macaw Mountain
Tuesday 11/12: Return visit to the ruins
Wednesday 11/13: Las Sepulturas and El Rastrojon ruins near Copan
Thursday 11/14: Hacienda San Lucas and Los Sapos
Sunday 11/17: Traveling from Copan to Gracias, Honduras. Mass. Settling in.
Monday 11/18: Ziplining the canopy and more hot springs
Tuesday 11/19: Hiking the El Gallo trail in Celaque National Park
Wednesday 11/20: Fuerte el Cristobal; relaxing, preparing to return
Spain: June-July 2019
June 11-July 2
Museo de Belas Artes in Seville
Corpus Christi in Seville and Caceres
Donde esta la biblioteca, anyway?
Japan 2018
Day 1 of travel – in which we ended up spending the night in Dallas.
Tokyo Weekend: Mass, the Odaiba area, Shibuyu
Monday in Tokyo – going up high, then to the Shinjuku area, Sunshine City & sushi.
Views from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Nara Deer and then back to Kyoto for the Fushimi Irani Shrine.
Mexico 2018:
I went to Mexico and didn’t die! – A summary post.
Background – why we went to Mexico during Holy Week.
Sunday 3/25 – the trip down and the first evening in Mexico City.
Monday 3/26 – Teotihuacan and going to the movies in Mexico City.
Tuesday 3/27 – The National Museum of Anthropology, other parts of Chapultepec Park, and Lucha Libre
Wednesday 3/28 – The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Thursday 3/29 – Bus from Mexico City to Puebla; Holy Thursday in Puebla
Friday 3/30 – Good Friday in Puebla
Saturday 3/31 – Holy Saturday I – Cholula Pyramids and astonishing churches
Saturday 3/31 – Holy Saturday 2 – Vigil-hopping and street food
London 2017
Day 1 – arrival, wandering and learning the city
Day 2 – Tower of London and the British Museum
Day 3 – Churchill War Rooms and more British Museum
Day 4 – National Gallery, the Globe, Lego-ish things, Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market
Day 5 – Greenwich, St. Paul’s and Harrods
Day 6- Wandering the city and then the Warner Brothers/Harry Potter Studio Tour
Day 7 – Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, London Oratory, Tyburn Convent
Where we stayed and what we ate.
Belize and Guatemala 2017
Tips on Tikal: How to get there, where to stay, how to see it, what to eat!
Comamus – the great food we had in Belize and Guatemala
Italy 2016
(3 weeks, beginning in Bologna, ending in Pisa.)
Bologna: St. Catherine of Bologna and St. Dominic
We went to Ferrara for the Palio, but it was rained out.
Dome of St. Peter’s and the Appian Way
Wild West 2015
(Hoover Dam, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Grand Canyon, Death Valley and (yuk) Vegas)
Over all plan described here (For all posts related to this trip, click here.)
Left Birmingham on 5/19, flew to Vegas.
5/20 – Hoover Dam and then on to Saint George, Utah.
5/21 – Snow Canyon and then on to Bryce Canyon
5/22-23 – Bryce Canyon (here and here)
5/23 – drive down to Kanab, Utah – Red Rock Canyon and Coral Pink Sand Dunes on the way.
5/24-26 Grand Canyon North Rim (Here and here)
Germany 2014
Mexico 2014
Day 1- Pemex Edition. In which we basically run out of gas.
A living history hacienda and a swim in a cenote
March 2011- Milan
Duomo crypt – where Ambrose baptized Augustine
More from the top of the Duomo
Parco della Villa Pallavicino, Stresa, Lago Maggiore
Mexico 2010
We went with a parish mission group to General Cepeda, Mexico.
Rome 2008 (solo)
No photos on the posts. They can be found here, in a batch.
Son #2 was teaching in English in Rome. He left his jacket at home. I took it to him at Thanksgiving.
Fourth in the Pub Quiz and other matters
Charlotte was Both 