Ireland Because of my hair color, most people assume I'm from Ireland. Obviously, I just had to go there. As far as I know, I don't have any Irish in my heritage, but while I was there, I felt right at home... ... read more

The English Countryside I'm back home in Seattle now, and just now uploading photos from the remainder of my trip! After Austria, Whitney and I flew to England and took a train down to Devon in the south. The countryside there is just how I imagined it... rolling green pastures, quaint stone-built cottages and winding, cobblestone roads. Our first stop was to see Whitney's other grandfather, Frank, who was there visiting from the States with other WWII vets who survived ExerciseTiger on April 28, 1944. This was a top-secret exercise to prepare the servicemen for D-Day. It took place off the shores of Devon County, Engand, and hours after a German E-boat discovered them, almost 1,000 Americans lost their lives. Frank was one of the few lucky ones... injured, but alive. The survivors were told not ... read more

In Love with Lisbon... read more

London After three months in SE Asia, I flew from Bangkok to London in 12 hours. New continent, new culture, new weather. Luckily I was carrying a fleece jacket, hat and gloves. As for the rest of my thin Thai clothes... I put them all on in layers. An American redhead walking the streets of London with baggy Thai clothing - interesting combo.... read more

Volunteering at the Elephant Nature Park What an amazing week, unlike anything I've ever experienced before! Last month I volunteered at the Elephant Nature Park ElephantNaturePark, a sanctuary for Asian elephants in Northern Thailand. While I was there, over 20 volunteers from all over the world worked together on projects ranging from clearing elephant night shelters to digging elephant mud pits. We also got to hand-feed the elephants, bathe them in the river, and walk with them in the jungle! This park is unique, because visitors come to observe elephants interacting naturally in their family groups, rather than riding them in trekking camps, where they are overworked and underfed, or watching them "beg" in the city streets, where they get hit by cars. One of the latest crazes is "elephant painting" and tourists pa... read more