It’s only 47 degrees F at the moment but I am hopeful. Warmth is on its way.

My TCK/Expat Films and Books page lists Memoirs by TCK and Expats, Films by and about TCKs, Resources for TCKs, and Fiction by or about TCKs. I recently updated and re-organized it.

I started reading TCK/Expat memoirs about 15 years. ago. As I read them, I put them on my website. Some I reviewed, some I didn’t. A lot of it was research for my book but also it was interesting. I learned a lot about Third Culture Kids (people who grew up outside their passport country because of their parent’s work). I recently came across a Ted Talk presented by a woman who is trying her best to educate people about TCK’s. It was such an important moment when she discovered her “tribe”, she wants spread the word. She founded TCK.Global where you can read TCK stories or share your own.

Other books I have read recently are The Rarest Fruit by Gaelle Belem and The Correspondent by Virginia Evans.

The Rarest Fruit is about a young slave boy who lives on the island of La Reunion near Madagascar. At twelve years old this boy figures out how to manually cross pollinate the orchid that produces the vanilla bean. This changed the whole industry and the economy of the island and in turn many other places as well. The story is kind of bitter sweet. It is a true story and reflects the times. I learned a lot.

The Correspondent is about an older woman who has written letters her whole life. She writes to authors she likes, to her children, to her friends, her ex-husband, her lover, her neighbor. We learn about her long life and her daily life through her letters. It is an easy read and very enjoyable.

I also read Murder on Lake Garda. A murder mystery that was kind of wordy and not really my favorite. I’m currently reading a Bridgerton novel by Julia Quinn. I’m trying to write a spy/romance novel so need to start researching. Not that Bridgerton has anything to do with spies, but she does a good job with the romance. Next up are Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd, Magical Disinformation by Lachlan Page, and Black Ice by Anne Stuart. Wish me luck.

Toubab Tales: the Joys and Trials of Expat Life in Africa
By Rob Baker (2020)

I really enjoyed this book. The Baker family lived in Benin and Ivory Coast before moving to Bamako, Mali. Mrs. Baker is there to teach international children at a small mission school. Rob is an ethnomusicologist, studying Mali’s musical traditions. 

Rob tells the story of life in Bamako and his travels to remote places to study music and musical instruments. He attends a music festival in Timbuktu, travels by motorbike to remote villages. In one village his colleague is bit by a very poisonous snake and it is a mad dash to get him to anti venom serum before he dies. Rob has many adventures in the far reaches of the country.

It all culminates with a military coup, street fighting, martial law, and a rather hurried escape.

It is too bad. Now it is not possible to visit Mali due to the political instability and civil unrest. It sounds like a fascinating place.

Crimson skies over Shovel Point and Lake Superior
Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota

This is a postcard, I believe from the 1950’s or thereabouts.

This channel connects the upper and lower lakes of Minnetonka. Lake Minnetonka located about 15 miles west of Minneapolis has over 300 miles of shore-line. It is noted for its scenic beauty, fishing, sailing and a summer playground. A large amusement part is on the water’s edge at Excelsior, Minnesota.

Apparently the amusement park was there from1925 to 1973.

Ely, Minnesota 1978

Minnehaha Falls

Visit The First City on the Mississippi. Bemidji, home of the legendary Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox!

Happy Women’s Day!

The United Nations global theme for 2026 International Women’s Day is:

“Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”

This theme focuses on strengthening access to justice for all women and girls. It calls for dismantling discriminatory laws, strengthening legal protections, addressing structural barriers, and ensuring that justice systems work for women and girls in practice.

Wouldn’t that be nice?

The first Women’s Day was held in 1911 and in 1914 March 8^th became the official International Women’s Day.  In 1917 the women of Russia staged a protest for “Bread and Peace” in response to the death of over 2 million Russian soldiers. They protested for four days until the Czar abdicated and the provisional government granted them the right to vote. Their protest started on March 8^th. Women in the 1970’s again rose and fought for women’s rights and equality. In the West much was accomplished and women entered the workforce and gained more equality and legislative rights.

Over the years the movement grew and today about 27 countries around the world celebrate March 8^thas an official holiday, and many more as an unofficial holiday. 

However, there is still considerable inequality. Women do not have equal rights or equal pay. Many women around the world are still dealing with forced marriages, slavery and horrible working conditions. In the USA rights are being taken away, not added. 

Celebrate who we are and what we have. But don’t settle.

“Countries with more gender equality have better economic growth. Companies with more women leaders perform better. Peace agreements that include women are more durable. Parliaments with more women enact more legislation on key social issues such as health, education, anti-discrimination and child support. The evidence is clear: equality for women means progress for all.” — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (2014)

La Sainte-Chapelle (Paris)
Commissioned by King Louis IX, and consecrated April, 1248. Gothic Architecture.

Place de la Concorde, Paris

Paris et ses Merveilles – Les parterres et le palais du Louvre (1973)

L’eglise de la Madelaine (1806) a droite, les grands boulevards.

Montmartre

Notre Dame