In the beginning, there was music. If there is a thread that connects the entire length of our marriage, as well as the couple of years we were together before we were married, it is music. Making it and listening to it. Just a few months before we met, Dave did his first public performance at his high school (Brooklyn Tech) after abandoning the plan to become a professional football player (his not-quite 5'7" stature had something to do with this abandonment) and setting his sights on a … [Read more...] about 40 Day Love Fest: Music Brought Us Together – The Van Manens are born
retreat
A Redrock Wilderness Retreat, Part 2
DAY TWO I slept cold and poorly last night. The slow leak in the air mattress, which eventually eliminated the insulating layer of air between me and the cold rock underneath, might have had something to do with it. I was happy to see the light of the new day through the walls of the tent. Tonight I think I’ll do a middle-of-the-night refill and see if that helps. I decide to warm my slowly waking body by exploring around the camp. Surrounded by slabs of slickrock poised at every angle, … [Read more...] about A Redrock Wilderness Retreat, Part 2
A Redrock Wilderness Retreat, Part 1
DAY ONE The clock in the car reads 6:21 as I pull out of my morning driveway and head down the dirt road. Destination: Elephant Canyon, Utah! I listen to NPR as I work my way south towards I-25, and then west on US160. Presidential candidates Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Marco Rubio, Hillary Clinton, and Ted Cruz seem to monopolize the news stories. Especially Donald Trump. I climb La Veta Pass and am happy to lose reception. Enough of Donald. I leave Cortez on Hwy 491 and immediately see … [Read more...] about A Redrock Wilderness Retreat, Part 1
Looking Back at Turning 50 on a Wilderness Retreat
I turn 60 next month. I will turn 60 only once, and so I've been thinking about what I might do to acknowledge this milestone (and try to understand how I could already be 60!). This led me to dig up a little essay, which I called Living in Awe, that I wrote when I turned 50. I can now say without hesitation that I am so glad I carved out a few days to step away from my busy life ten years ago to acknowledge that milestone. A decade later, I can still remember lots of details from retreating … [Read more...] about Looking Back at Turning 50 on a Wilderness Retreat
