For the five years when our two kids were between the ages of 8 and 17, our family had one sacred summer ritual: climbing Half Dome in California’s Yosemite National Park. The George Family Summer Half Dome Hike became one of those cherished family rites that will bind us throughout our lives. But the beginning […]

When I was nineteen, a backpacker, and in Paris, many years ago, I looked out a train window and saw the Eiffel Tower. I’d forgotten about the tower’s existence so it was as if I had not only personally discovered it, but was the first to understand its stark, industrial beauty. This is one of […]

“Here, take a look,” whispered Ricardo. Peeking through the lens, I was six years old again. There was the bird I had been yearning to see, a quetzal as resplendent as I had read about—a vivid dream from my distant past. He sat on a tree branch, preening his feathers, cocking his head and looking […]