The shuttle picked me up at 5:45 a.m. EST. I slept on the way to the airport. When I got to the terminal, I had enough time for a quick breakfast and then I walked across a covered bridged to the gate. In the bridge the light changed from dim to clear, and when I looked outside, the sun was brilliant, burning up the fog that cloaked the runway, the planes, and the semi-tropical brush on the horizon. I paused for a minute to take in the sight and then I headed to my gate, and home.

Mont Saint-Michel

A rocky island sits at the edge of a bay, sometimes on land, sometimes surrounded by water. It's said that forces exerted by the sun and moon control the tides, and you definitely sense heavenly bodies at work on this sometimes-island. From a distance, the stone paths, walls, and surrounding blockade merge with the mossy rock that supports them. Once inside, the many hallways, paths, windows, towers, and rooms give the impression of so much more to explore on this small patch of land, while up on the roof, you take in expansive views of silt planes. Despite the noise and busyness of a major tourist attraction, your skin tingles at the idea of being stranded on Mont-Saint Michel, nothing but water in every direction, the sounds of monk chants reverberating off the walls and disappearing into the bay.

Sunset Boulevard

As I walk down Sunset Boulevard toward Chateau Marmont, I notice a proliferation of the color pink. Raspberry lips on billboards, fuchsia bougainvillea spilling over cement walls. Pepto-Bismol and magenta façades. Bubble gum and carnation and cotton candy. Pink, pink, pink. Once I notice it, I can't not see it. Even the name has me thinking pink. It's a wild revelry, a carnival of color, that says more, more, more.

Cinque Terre

As I walked the worn trail toward the village of Vernazza in Cinque Terre, I looked toward rugged mountains on the one side, some painstakingly cultivated by traditional farmers, and a steep, rocky drop to mermaid green water on the other. You feel half-tempted to respond to that deep-sea Siren call with one wide-armed jump, but are pulled back to reality by dusty earth, terraced vineyards, and a well-trodden path to a colorful, welcoming village.

Ornaments from Around the World

A fat, brown angel with paper-light wings and a crown of stars appears in the branches of a Christmas tree, bringing grandma-kisses all the way from Hawaii.

Breckenridge, Colorado

On a clear winter day, we went snowshoeing outside Breckenridge, and as the sun began to set, we wound up a narrow road to a little motel at the top of a nearby mountain. We settled in for the night, our legs aching and our skin salty-smelling, with the snow falling lightly outside. The next morning, pure white covered the ground, shrubs and trees, and ski trails across the valley and contrasted with the evergreens—eye-straining brightness reflecting the sun's rays.

Yosemite National Park

When we drove into Yosemite, everything more than fifteen feet away from us was obscured by a thick layer of mist. It was like entering another world. On a narrow, winding road, we headed further into the park, where the tops of steep cliffs were completely hidden behind fog. The next day, I woke up prepared for more cold weather, but the sun was unobstructed. As beautiful as the scenery had been the day before, I was eager to see Yosemite on a clear day.