As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect people throughout the world, it is not possible to predict when it will be safe to travel again. In the meantime, I can take time to reflect on past adventures and recall what I learned at each destination. After visiting Peru, I remain fascinated by the Incas who built Machu Picchu, and by Hiram Bingham III who brought this civilization to the attention of the western world.
If your family’s anything like our family, you love to talk and to learn about history, whether that’s in the local area or on the other side of the world. You’ll know you’ve caught the bug if you can’t get enough of documentaries and the history channel.
Nothing quite brings history to life like going to visit some of the places where the iconic moments that shaped our times took place. But with so much history all around us, how can we decide where to visit first?
Simultaneously, in most places around the globe, children are home, teachers are instructing in a whole new way, and the threat of an unseen virus is at the heart of it all. We scroll through the memes measuring this time akin to Groundhog’s Day; some of us feel safe at home, while others feel ‘stuck’ in a cycle with an unknown ending.
Through it all, our students are taking in this new ‘normal’ of sorts.
Millions of birds will fly over the Great Lakes region this spring as they migrate north to their summer breeding grounds, but many populations of bird species are declining and in peril, according to ornithology experts at The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

Black throated blue warbler
One of our family's very favorite Japanese recipes is an adaptation of Tonkatsu (pork cutlets), which we make with Chicken. I first had these while I was living in Japan, and after that, had them several times a week!

It is a very easy recipe, and is so very tasty!
Hungry for sushi, but want to make it at home? Here’s your recipe, via Quirk Books’ delicious book, Stuff Every Sushi Lover Should Know.

One of our favorite artists, Candace Rose Rardon, is back with a book! Stuff Every Tea Lover Should Know, published by Quirk Books, is a fantastic and comforting read. We have published an excerpt from the book: Tea Tasting 101 – click to read.
There are so many ways music can speak to, and with, these shifting and changing times. For this part of the adventure of Music for Shifting Times, come along on a journey that takes in dark and light, but always with hope as a companion.

Like many other city museums around the world, Montréal’s Pointe-à-Callière (the Montréal Archeology and History Complex) is temporarily closed, but not forgotten. Stories like this one share tips and information for future adventures. If you are planning to visit Montréal and love history, I recommend including Pointe-à-Callière, the largest and most visited museum in Montréal, in your future travel plans.
So you’ve got four more vacation days for the year and the idea of spending them as a stay-cation is making you ill? Need to head somewhere warm and get away from it all? This itinerary will hold the attention of any nature conservationist, as Bermuda is the perfect ecological backdrop to turn any city-slicker into a nature-lover.