While planning for our year, both in advance and on-the-go, TripAdvisor became our sixth family member. We poured over reviews and suggestions of restaurants, apartments, hikes, hotels, trains, and self-guided tours. As a school writing assignment, we even studied what makes a good review and...

I had the most beautiful ice cream cone the other day. The rain was just stopping, and the Kyoto street colors were accentuated by the wet. Red lanterns, dark wood, carefully arranged potted plants, flocks of bright umbrellas. As I savored both the green tea color AND flavor, I remembered...

The tooth hangs by a thread, flicking back and forth almost as easily and mindlessly as breathing in and out. If you ask him why he doesn’t just pull it out, the answer is quick and firm: “NO. I DON’T WANT TO.” H is on the verge of losing his second tooth of the trip....

Our final family excursion near the Croatian village of Viganj took us past a cliffside chapel, down through a heavily vegetated ravine, along a rarely used road … to a small beach carved out under a towering wall of rock. The view was serene, the colors were perfect … and there was a...

Mladin is the handyman and mechanic in Viganj, Croatia. He lives one block off the coastal road, halfway between the church and Cafe Carmelo. I visited Mladin’s shop one day when one of our house bikes popped a tire. I was told he was called “Max” for “Mad Max,” the apocalyptic...

Gigi and Poppy’s visit to Croatia to see their daughter, their son-in-law, and their grandsons was a comic series of events: their luggage was lost on their inbound trip, Gigi broke her shoulder after braving Croatia’s bracing waters with her grandsons, Gigi relied on Croatian...

During our time in Croatia, we had the privilege of encountering some very dear people.  We lived next to them or bought bread from them or asked them a bazillion questions. Kharmen lives next door to the house we rented.  She and her young friend Ava noticed that E had trouble riding the...

We said goodbye this week to Croatia on a hulking ferry bound for Italy. Our last glimpse of the country was the one pictured above – of Split, Croatia’s harbor, as seen from the ferry’s rear deck railing. A group of Catholic pilgrims were near us at the rear of the boat,...

Gigi + Poppy + Bisquick from Raleigh + syrup from Raleigh + Croatia = birthday breakfast for W, our NEWEST...

Gigi — flanked by Favorite Bear, Puffy, and Sven — has this video update of her shoulder, how she slept last night … and how she was a handful for her Croatian...

S just texted from Dubrovnik: Gigi has a BROKEN shoulder. This is the shot from the ER, with — I think — a cast under Gigi’s sweater. Gigi, S, and Ralph are set to return to our seaside village — 2.5 hours away. (They elected not to stay in a Dubrovnik hotel.) At last...

So, Gigi is on the way to the Dubrovnik hospital with S and Ralph. She has a goofed up shoulder … and says she is in zero pain.   Here’s what happened: We all went for a swim this afternoon. Gigi offered her hand to me on her way out of the water. Then something in her...

Gigi and Poppy (S’s parents) last saw their Wildman grandboys in July. Their arrival today here in Croatia makes me realize … that our boys are growing. They’re getting bigger, of course. They smell more....

The good news is that Gigi and Poppy have come to stay with us in Croatia for a week. The not-so-good news is that ALL their non-carry-on luggage is not yet staying with us … and is somewhere else in the Croatian Airlines ether. A mere hours after an epic series of flights across the...

We are visiting an Adriatic paradise, the kite-surfing capital of the Dalmatian coast, a swimming and snorkeling and parasailing and island hopping dream come true…………. in the OFF SEASON. We knew this going in, and certainly it is not our goal to have an entire year of...

Lunch today: a gift of pomegranates straight off a neighbor’s...

I’ve never had a great desire to publish photos of me shirtless, wearing a bathing suit. However, I want to pass along a memorable moment of boy courage … and these photos — and one video! — are the way to do it. The boys and I have been doing a lot of diving in to...

We’ve started a new lesson in FICTION WRITING in our Art of Language World School classes. Dad is not in the photo because he hasn’t showered in a while...

A photo of our eldest son Skype-ing with church buddies during youth group tonight called Crossroads. (What his buddies cannot see is W’s dad upstairs, brandishing a wet beach towel, engaged in a bitter air duel with a resilient...

Two glimpses of our current life in Croatia. By day — with hanging laundry, lunch (with Pringles!), an arbor of tangerine trees, and a mini trampoline. And by night — three boys exploring the sights and sounds of sunset, as mom and dad watch with deeply grateful...