I found some remaining pictures from my recent visit to the Sonoran desert of Arizona. Every night, the sunsets are magical and unique. It is my most favorite time of day and so insanely peaceful that all my worries seem to fade away with each brilliant ray of light and color splashed across the sky.
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science”. – Albert Einstein
“When you focus on the goodness in your lives, you create more of it.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Don’t wait for the last judgment – it takes place every day.” – Albert Camus
And finally the last drops of light disappear beyond the horizon…
Last week, we were in Virginia visiting family and decided to take a day trip to see the Luray Caverns near the Shenandoah National Park. I have always wanted to see a cavern and Lurary Caverns is known for its beauty and grandeur being the fourth largest cavern in the United States.
Labeled parts of a cavern. Photo source: Wikipedia Free Commons. A stalactite (meaning “to drop” is a type of formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves whereas a stalagmite (meaning “dropping, trickling”) is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Source: Wikipedia.
Discovered in 1878 by a tinsmith and local photographer who happened to stumble upon a large sinkhole and started to dig, the Luray Caverns has been one of the most visited and popular caverns on the East Coast and is a U.S. Natural Landmark. Formed over the course of 450 million years and still changing, the caverns are simply spectacular. Visitors can take an hour-long tour through the maze of cathedral-sized rooms taking in the breathtaking formations of the stalactites and stalagmites that are each an amazing work of art. Continue reading →
Today is a glorious picture perfect day in Minneapolis. A day that makes me feel incredibly happy to be alive, breathing in the fresh crisp fall air and marveling at the gorgeous display of Mother Nature’s brilliant fall beauty.
I took a run around my lovely urban Lake Harriet, reflecting on what is on my agenda for the week. I couldn’t stop taking pictures along the way. It was so heartwarmingly beautiful that all my worries and concerns drifted away. That is what nature is supposed to do. To refresh, revitalize and invigorate you. My dad has passed on his love for nature and being outside to me. In honor of his birthday, here is a collection of photos taken today on my run. October 7th always marks the peak of our fall colors in Minneapolis. I can’t think of a better birthday gift than the beauty of nature.
“Happiness is largely an attitude of mind, of viewing life from the right angle” – Dale Carnegie
12/2025 Minnesota has one of the largest populations of Somalis (over 80,000 and most are either legal residents or U.S. citizens) in the United States, and our Somali population has been represented wide and far in our local, city, state and National governments, in business, in education and more. Somalis are a vibrant part of our culture here in Minnesota and I stand behind our local government, our Mayor and our Governor, in standing up against ICE. As Jamal Osman, our Minneapolis City Council member says: “Many Somalis that live in this community are working at your groceries, working at your hospitals, delivering your babies. They are very successful individuals. ” Osman, a Minneapolis City Council member, came to the United States from Somalia.
It is hard to fathom what is happening in the US as quite frankly we are ALL immigrants except the Native Americans who land we stole, whose culture we decimated and whose lives we have ravaged. It is the beauty of all our cultures that makes us great, not the hate.
NM
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Last Tuesday on my flight home from LaGuardia I had the most exceptional experience. In fact, days later after an incredibly inspiring three-day visit to New York City where I attended the 2013 Social Good Summit, I still cannot stop thinking about my plane ride home. Sitting next to me on the window seat was a new American.
I really wanted to capture her beautiful, kind face but she was sleeping by the time I thought of it. Here is the New Minnesotan, a mom just like me.
For all that I’ve traveled, I have never actually been on a plane with someone immigrating to the United States. Seeing this middle-aged Somali woman sitting tentatively next to me wearing her U.S. Immigration Tag and holding her white plastic U.S. Immigration bag, simply blew me away. I couldn’t stop thinking it was a strange coincidence that she happened to not only be on my flight but was sitting right next to me after I had just spent three extremely intense days at the Social Good Summit learning about a vast array of global issues.
One of my favorite places to savor the change of the seasons in my hometown is the Lake Harriet Rose Garden. Located just a short block off my favorite urban lake, The Lake Harriet Rose Garden always inspires no matter what time of year.
My two favorite seasons to capture the color inside the Rose Garden are Spring and Fall. Different perennials pop up each month and it is always exciting to see what I will find. After a hot couple of weeks, today finally felt a bit more like fall. The brilliant blue September sky cast its luminous glow across Minneapolis and I knew I’d have to go take some photos of the beautiful fall flowers at the Lake Harriet Rose Garden. Here is a peak at what I found. Enjoy!
One of my favorite ways to explore a new place is by taking a road trip through the countryside. I’ve been to Virginia over a dozen times and am always amazed by its greenery. Rolling country roads zigzagging through lush green pastures and woodland seem to bring me back to an older, easier way of life. The deeper you get into rural Virginia, the more interesting the drive gets. Old farmhouses and Baptist churches from centuries ago dot the landscape. Pastures of horses and cows and a sprinkling of pig pens remind you that you are far from home. Vineyards and orchards grace the landscape tempting drivers to pull off the road and pick a bag of fresh peaches or taste some local wines. The country roads of Virginia seem to take you home to a different way of life. Simplier. Calmer. And carefree.
Along the shores of Eastern Virginia lies the York River, a 34-mile long estuary of brackish water that empties into the Chesapeake Bay. At the largest point near the entrance to the Bay, the York River stretches nearly 2.5 miles across bringing in Navy warships, sailboats and a large variety of marine life that thrive in the unique coast waters.
My sister and her family live on the York River and I always love visiting them in the summer time. The views of the river from her home are gorgeous and the sweet smell of salt water and flowering trees always makes me feel like I’m on vacation.
Yesterday while we were on the pier, we saw dolphins feeding off in the distance so we jumped on my brother-in-laws boat and followed the pod while they splashed around the boat. At one point, a dolphin came so close to our boat, I could have reached in the water and touched it. My six-year-old daughter screamed with joy and said “Mama, this is so much better than the Zoo!”. Ospreys who migrate all the way from South America and come to build their nests along the York River, soared around us and dove for fish.
Here are some photos I took that show the beauty of this part of the world, often known most for its history in the US Civil War, and a launching off point to see Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown.
Today we are off to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia for some fresh cool air and more exploration. Stay tuned….
There is no city in the Midwest like Chicago. Chicago shines with her hearty down-to-earth values while dazzles as one of the premier urban cities in America. Home to over 9.5 million souls in the metropolitan area, Chicago has an electric vibe like no other Midwestern city in what some refer to as “flyover land“, and is always on the cutting edge of architectural innovation and beauty.
During a long weekend in Chicago, I was able to rediscover her soul as well as foresee her future, all at Chicago’s ultramodern masterpiece Millennium Park. Built to celebrate the millennium, the park was opened in July of 2004 as an urban oasis in the heart of the city. Squeezed into a piece of land between Lake Michigan and Chicago’s business district known as “The Loop“, Millennium Park truly personifies what Chicago is all about: Modern, gorgeous, innovative and fun.
A stroll through this fabulous park will prove how far Chicago has come to being a world-class, international city. Come take a stroll with me through some of my favorite views.
The centerpiece of Millennium Park is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Sometimes even a global traveler like me needs to take time off and enjoy the simple yet beautiful things close to home.
Minnesota is a beautiful place that has over 10,000 lakes many of them untouched. You can find any kind of lake your heart desires from the urban lakes of the cities, to the many resort lakes lined with cabins and finally to the remote, untouched lakes within the Boundary Waters.
For four years, we have been coming to lovely Roy Lake in Nisswa, Minnesota and staying at a little red cabin as part of the Grand View Lodge. It is our week as a family to unwind, create memories, and enjoy the lakes, nature and sunsets. It is a tradition that we all look forward to each Fourth of July week.
A time meant to unwind and forget about life for awhile. A time to relax, refresh and smile.
And also a time to enjoy the small pleasures of life in Minnesota. A place like nowhere else.
A time to find beauty and love in the world. And leave all your worries at home.
Monday night I had the pleasure of showing off my amazing town and its progressive dining scene to a couple of travel, foodie and photographer bloggers, Anita’s Feast and her husband Tom from Switzerland. I had met Anita last year at BlogHer in New York and we have kept in touch via social media ever since. Little did I know, her husband and travel photographer Tom Fakler is originally from Minnesota and had recently spent a few months in Nepal on a photography trip volunteering for an NGO. When I heard they were coming to Minneapolis to visit family, we scheduled a date to meet for coffee to catch up. We had so much to talk about that meeting for dinner was inevitable.
Since Anita is a travel and food blogger I had to pick somewhere wonderful to show off our town and it’s amazingly diverse dining scene. Piccolo, a small eclectic restaurant nearby my home was the first place that came to mind.
The weather has turned crazy. After a painstakingly, long, grueling “sprinter” as we like to call it here in Minnesota (a winter than never ever ended and moved right into spring), we are now faced with one of the wettest, stormiest starts to summer that I can ever remember.
On Friday night, while we were out to dinner on the other side of town, a vicious maddening storm swept through the metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St. Paul with a vengeance. I honestly had no idea it was coming save the loud beeping warning blinking on my cell phone saying “flash flood warning”. Within moments of that text, insane winds and torrential downpours of rain struck the streets of Northeast Minneapolis and I was about ready to look for the Arc. It was absolutely insane. The city streets were flowing like an angry river and the gutters had so much water that they were sputtering and shooting up water. The few brave (or stupid) cars tried to drive through the mess while I just stared out the huge glass windows of The Northeast Social wondering what on earth was going on with this crazy weather.
An hour after the storm, our drive back to Southwest Minneapolis would prove daunting. Street after street was flooded with water, cars were stuck, trees were down and traffic lights were out. The next morning we would realize how fortunate we were to not be one of the 590,000 homes and businesses around the Twin Cities without power.
My run around my beloved lake was filled with dismay. Enormous beautiful trees were uprooted and laying across the path. Severe straight-line winds up to 60-80 mph had torn through the Twin Cities tearing out thousands of trees. In fact, the estimate of downed trees is likely to surpass the 3,200 trees lost during the 2011 tornado that tore through North Minneapolis. My favorite Minneapolis weatherman Paul Douglas wrote in today’s Star Tribune that “Friday’s severe straight-line winds created a damage swath consistent with a 15 mile wide EF-0 to EF-1 tornado”. Just plain scary.
Meanwhile us hearty Minnesotans are enduring our crazy weather bracing for the next round of storms coming in soon. It is hard to be upset with Mother Nature. Now that it is finally summer, most of us Minnesotans are going to do what we love best: Enjoy our over 10,000 lakes. With all the storms, comes sensational sunsets late into the night, fresh lake air, birds singing, flowers blooming and the beauty of nature that keeps us here. There is no place like Minnesota in the summer.
Stay tuned…My computer is in the Apple shop being repaired and may not be back soon as their other store has no power! There is a backlog. Once it is back, I hope to work on my photos from the South of France and share them here.
The first weekend in June I attended TBEX, the world’s largest gathering of travel bloggers, writers, and new media content creators, in Toronto, Canada. It was my first time to Toronto and I only had three days to explore this fantastic city. Soon after landing, I realized what a mistake it was to have such a short time. It is a fabulous city with plenty of attractions inside and outside of the city that could fill up an entire week with wonderful things to do.
