As far as Ryan and Nicole are concerned, Japanese Gardens are the most lovely of all gardens; utopias of natural beauty. While it has always been difficult to discern why the Japanese Garden is so utterly satisfying to the...
Japanese Ramen Haiku
It’s time to be honest. Our family might have a problem. We are the Warne-McGraw Family, and we are Japanese Ramen addicts. So far, we have sought out ramen for a meal no less than 6 times in about...
Surviving Scent Sensitivity in a Smelly World
You know how dogs have a really keen sense of smell? Like, they can pick up scents that humans miss? According to Peter Tyson in his article on NOVA Science Now: “What do dogs have that we don’t?...
Baan Thai Cooking Class
An American Expat here in Thailand asked us why we had chosen to travel to Thailand. And my (Nicole’s) answer included something about hearing Thailand was beautiful and the fact that our family LOVES Thai foods. So, taking a...
Christmas Markets Cruise – Germany December 2016
Our Uniworld Christmas Markets Cruise was on a beautiful ship called the Royal Dutchess. It was their first multigenerational river-cruise and perfect for our three generations. We were so thankful to have Martin and Becky Ward (Nicole’s parents) join...
Thailand Temple Fire
While wandering the streets of Chiang Mai, Thailand, Ryan and I had an unintentional cross-cultural edventure. We passed an alleyway with a direct view of a neighborhood Buddhist Temple. Thai temples are topped with elaborate rooflines including beautiful roof peak...
India Overwhelms Me
India overwhelms me. I have grown accustomed to the muted monochromatic moderation of Europe. But then… India! Suddenly everything is brighter, more colorful, louder, spicier, crowded. The color spectrum dares a full rainbow with bold color and pattern combinations...
“What the heck was I thinking?!” Or, We leave for India in 24 hours
Have you ever dreamed up a crazy idea? Have you ever said that cocka-manie idea out loud? And then do you remember making plans to do that crazy thing, and the planning process in some way transformed the crazy...
“David” by Michelangelo: A Study of Beauty
Our family (but mostly Nicole, who is a full-blown fan-girl) was so excited to go see the world’s most famous sculpture: “David” by Michelangelo on display at the Galleria dell’Accedemia in Florence, Italy. Michaelangelo worked from 1501 – 1504...
Tuscany: “Il Dolce Far Niente”
We just finished a two week “set down” in Tuscany fulfilling one of Nicole’s bucket-list items: settle into life in a Tuscan Farmhouse. We rented a farmhouse through Tenuta Spannocchia and simply rested up from the last 140+ days...