Biking to Vienna – Part 1

By Eilene Lyon On our last morning in Salzburg, we went to pick up our biking gear for a six-day ride to Vienna. That’s when we learned we hadn’t received our vouchers and itinerary from the desk clerk. We had very little time to peruse the materials, drop off our suitcases to be transported to... Continue Reading →

March 31, 2020 38

The Slide Years: The Porch

By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. I found this picture in the earliest batch of Dad’s slides from 1957. This is his family’s cat from that... Continue Reading →

March 26, 2020 29

The Gift of Life

Week 52: #52 Ancestors – You By Eilene Lyon I am my ancestors’ future. Their legacies to me were their hopes, aspirations, and privileges…as well as their fears, anger, and disappointments. These things, passed down to me, shape who I am today. From my father, I learned the work ethic that came through generations of... Continue Reading →

December 28, 2019 41

Buh-Bye

By Eilene Lyon This isn't a permanent departure. But I don't know when I will return. I went under the knife yesterday - yep, got a new knee. I assume all went well and I am getting a little snooze in before going home. At any rate, Job One for the next couple months will... Continue Reading →

December 19, 2019 56

The Slide Years: Cowboy Christmas

By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. The year is 1967 and we’re celebrating Christmas at my Smith grandparents’ home in Little Rock, Arkansas, the city I’d... Continue Reading →

December 12, 2019 19

The Slide Years: Resort

By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. When we were living in Guatemala in the 1970s, we would sometimes head to the coast for a vacation. The... Continue Reading →

November 14, 2019 38

For the Birds

By Eilene Lyon The latest issue of Living Bird Magazine from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a clarion call to bird and nature lovers everywhere. I urge you to at least read the editorial "The choir must become a force for change." Somewhere between 45 and 50 million Americans say they are bird watchers.... Continue Reading →

November 5, 2019 31

The Slide Years: UC Bearcat

By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. The last of the "slide years" coincided with my graduation from the University of Cincinnati in 1982 with an Associate's... Continue Reading →

October 24, 2019 38

The Slide Years: Storybook Land

By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. My first amusement park experience was at Storybook Land, near Woodbridge, Virginia. In some respects it was a glorified playground... Continue Reading →

October 3, 2019 29