It sounds like something out of the Bible—and it is—but the sabbatical as we know it actually became a practice in the United States thanks to Harvard University. In the 1880s, Harvard’s administration rolled out a policy designed to aid faculty in “resting and recovering” but also to facilitate “advancements in knowledge” that could only…
Author: Nancy
Fixing Up the Airstream, Part 3: Bringing in the Pros
A lesson my dad taught me when I was young that I’ve never forgotten: There will be points in your life when you’ll have more time than money, and points when you’ll have more money than time. It’s rare to have an abundance of both at the same time. As our plans to live in…
What’s In a Name?
So by now you may be wondering what the name “Flavors of the Day” has to do with anything I’ve been talking about. Well, in early January, 2025, Rob had a job interview for a “lead grocery supplier” at Yellowstone. He had held a similar job last year, and lived in the employee housing at…
“Just Enough”
If you’ve ever spent time in Zen spaces, you have probably heard someone mention the practice of oryoki. A Japanese word that translates roughly as “just enough,” the word oryoki is used to describe both a ritualized way of eating meals during extended meditation retreats, as well as the actual set of bowls that is…
Family Camping, 1975
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” —Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities Picture this: you and your family load all your camping gear onto a motorboat that belongs to family friends. These family friends have invited…
Fixing Up the Airstream, Part 2
With the basic bones of the bedroom and bathroom completed, it was time for me to work on the interior. The previous owners of our Airstream had completely replicated the original drapes in white muslin–I couldn’t believe the amount of work they had put into them! And a cursory look at the drapes themselves revealed…
Fixing Up the Airstream, Part 1
First of all, does it ever really end? If you have ever owned a vintage Airstream, or even a newer Airstream, you probably understand the incessant desire to fix it up, doctor something, improve something else, or add your own personal touches. But that’s a whole other dimension. When our “new-to-us” Airstream arrived home, it…
In the Beginning, there was the Airstream…
One fateful night in the spring of 2022, Rob picked me up from work one night and said, “Guess what? I’ve found it!” “Found what?” I asked. “Our Airstream!” One of the dreams we had dreamed up along the way was to buy a vintage Airstream and fix it up and live in it. You…