Washington State
Realms Of Gold
Bomb Cyclone
“It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.” –Frederick Douglass
Through the Realms: Walking Across America with Andrew Forsthoefel, author of “Walking to Listen”
We’re thrilled, and truly honored, to continue traveling “Through the Realms” with Andrew Forsthoefel, speaker, peace activist and author of Walking to Listen: 4,000 Miles Across America, One Story at a Time (March 2017).
After graduating from Middlebury College in 2011, at the age of 23, Andrew walked out the back door of his mother’s home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania with a backpack, mandolin, audio recorder, copies of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, and a sign that read “Walking to Listen.” He spent the next 11 months walking across the United States, listening to the stories of strangers and seeking tidbits of wisdom that would usher him into adulthood and help guide him on life’s journey.
“I wanted to learn what it actually meant to come of age, to transform into the adult who would carry me through the rest of my life,” he writes. “I wanted to meet that man. Who was he? What did he know? How would he finally become himself, and where did he belong?” Read more
Through the Realms: Tales from Isle of Skye
It’s been a busy summer, but we’re excited to be back and grateful for all your support and emails as ATG continues to evolve!
“To visit Skye is to make a progress into the dark backward and abysm of time. You turn your back on the present, and walk into antiquity. You see everything in the light of ossian, as in the light of a mournful sunset.” –Alexander Smith, A Summer in Skye (1865)
A summer trip to Skye does wonders for the soul, drawing one into a state of meditative awe at the vast expanse of uninhabited land and transporting one into a strangely fascinating, other-worldly realm that seems to exist outside of time.
Siloed from the world by limited technology, you become unaware of – and uninterested in – anything but the magnificent display of nature’s grandeur unfolding before you: sheep-dotted hills, jagged peaks, “velvet moors, sparkling lochs and towering sea cliffs” cast their spell, suspending you in a timeless wonder. Read more
Through the Realms: Tales from Dubrovnik, Croatia
“Those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik.” –George Bernard Shaw (Irish playwright, 1856-1950)
We’re excited to continue traveling “Through the Realms” with Becky Sparagowski, another world traveler who has lived abroad for the past three years in Poland, Sicily, and is currently residing in Edinburgh. In fact, Becky and I first met each other while studying abroad in Rome in 2012, where we shared our love of food and travel, and enjoyed exploring bellissima Italia together (also with Katie Christensen, who recently told us about Cuba). Little did we know that our love of travel would reunite us over four years later…at the University of Edinburgh, where we unexpectedly ran into each other!
While Becky has spent most of her time traveling in the places she’s lived during the past three years, she’s also visited Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, and earlier this month, went on a weekend excursion to Dubrovnik, Croatia (a city located in the southern part of the country, famously dubbed “the Pearl of the Adriatic” and known for its Old Town, which is encircled with massive stone walls completed in the 16th century).
Becky’s documented a lot of her adventures on her travel blog, Aspar Adventures, where her motto is to “Read, Eat, Travel” – everything we love to do!
We asked her to share a bit of her experience from Croatia with us, and here’s what she had to say: Read more
Through the Realms: Tales from Cuba
“Much have I traveled in the realms of gold, and many goodly states and kingdoms seen.” –John Keats (English poet, 1795-1821)
Here at All Things Good, our love of traveling, exploring and embarking on adventures is grounded in our belief that a curious mind can not only stimulate the senses, but transform our sense of self in relation to the world at large. In fact, it was ultimately our love of seeking and exploring the world around us that led us to launch this blog.
Since then, we’ve had some fun adventures, including to the land of Hula Honeys, the birthplace of Harry Potter, the traditional music capital of Ireland, the oldest teashop in Europe, and a sailing adventure in the Florida Keys (to name just a few!).
We’d now like to turn to the adventures of others – you! – to hear your own stories as you travel “Through the Realms.” We love all the beautiful photos of exotic destinations and spirited excursions you can find on the social media landscape, but want to hear what you learned, who you met, and what you’ll remember about the realms you travel, too! Read more
“The Soul of a Journey”
“The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases.” –William Hazlett, English writer (1778-1830)
A Time for Everything: “Spring, A Cookbook”
There is a time for everything, including a time for asparagus and artichokes and cookbooks that are all about spring cuisine! Adding to the growing collection of beautiful cookbooks from the culinary world which are dedicated to seasonal cooking is one of London’s “most respected and acclaimed chefs” Skye Gyngell’s new cookbook Spring.
Ms. Gyngell, who also has published three other cookbooks*, is known “for her distinctively seasonal, elegant cooking, creating dishes inspired by what she saw growing and blossoming around her.” She also has a new restaurant by the same name “Spring” in the heart of London’s arts and culture district.
It is worth checking out her website, where you can find one of her shared recipes of the month (see below). Read more
Happy National Tartan Day!
On April 4, 2008, President George W. Bush signed a Presidential Proclamation designating April 6th as “National Tartan Day.”*
“Americans of Scottish descent have made enduring contributions to our Nation with their hard work, faith, and values,” the Proclamation reads. “On National Tartan Day, we celebrate the spirit and character of Scottish Americans and recognize their many contributions to our culture and our way of life.” Read more
Beauty and the Beast: Bringing a Tale as Old as Time to Life
“Winter turns to Spring, famine turns to feast, nature points the way, nothing left to say, Beauty and the Beast.” –Mrs. Potts
Disney could have hardly chosen a better time to make and release a live-action adaption of the beloved Beauty and the Beast 1991 animated classic.*
Winter’s cold, snowy and lethargic presence has been exacerbated by a long, polarizing and turbulent political season, leaving many of us desperately longing for a ray of spring sunshine and a rebirth of our depleted spirit.
While I suspect the film would have been a record-breaker** regardless of its release date, Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast was all the more enjoyable and uplifting for the contrast it provides to the current mood and political climate permeating our country. Read more