Last weekend, the Belmont community planted a mini-forest on the high school grounds, using the Miyawaki method.   Akira Miyawaki was a botanist who developed this method in the 1970s. The primeval forests, which feature a diverse range of species growing around Japanese shrines and temples and have been left to grow for centuries, inspired him to create a self-sufficient, multi-layered forest ecosystem— a mini-forest- by planting native trees and shrubs densely in degraded a

Peyto Lake I went camping in the Canadian Rockies during the second week of August. Andriann was our guide for a group of seven; at...

Iceland has been on my list of countries to visit. I gifted my son and his wife a honeymoon in Iceland, but somehow, I never got to it...

The Royal Bengal Tiger Valmik Thager, the "Tiger Man", conservationist, died yesterday. India is home to two-thirds of the world's...

Gupta Ghat I took the morning train from Sawai Madhopur Station to New Delhi and then flew to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.   At the Gupta...

In February and March, I spent 25 days traveling in northern India, visiting several cities, starting in New Delhi. I was in India for...

Aurora Borealis in Fairbanks, Alaska There are so many wars in this world and it is disheartening that we as human beings are still not...

The autumnal equinox marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.   During the pandemic, our lives were filled with uncertainties...

In March, I was in Japan doing a 13-day tour starting in Tokyo down to Matsuyama and back up to Tokyo passing Kyoto twice, Hanami was not...

I just returned from Jordan volunteering with the Syrian refugees under @IMANA. The days were long but rewarding. All in all, we saw...

2023 is fast coming to an end. It is always sad and nostalgic to say goodbye to an old year, feeling that time has slipped by....

On the last day of the Belmont Public Library, I felt nostalgic about our little old library. It has served us well, at least for my...

Map showing the route taken by the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry In July, I flew to Dutch Harbor or Unalaska of the Aleutian Islands where...

At the Everest Base Camp On April 27, 2023, I trekked to Everest Base Camp, after 8 days of trekking, from Lukla where all trekkers to...

The COVID pandemic still lingers and refuses to leave us in peace. Travel restrictions are waxing and waning, but life goes on. This...

Have you ever heard of the Mount Marathon Race in Seward, Alaska? I had not until early this year when I was planning my trip to Seward....

Last summer I was in Fairbanks awaiting the birth of my first grand twins, Lucas and Sam. The Midsummer Sun Run was a virtual one because...

My sister Eng texted me, “Mom is very sick.” The previous evening, I had just said goodbye to her, my brother, Boon, and his wife, Janet,...

The COVID Pandemic continues to rule. Omicron dethrones delta and is now the reigning monarch. While our country continues to grapple...

“How’re you doing, Mrs. Begay?” While volunteering during the second wave of the COVID pandemic at the Navajo Nation, I made my first...