My First Summer in the Sierra

Over 150 years ago, John Muir trekked through the Sierra Nevada Mountains as part of a sheep herding adventure.ย  While not his first trek or his first journal, My First Summer in the Sierra was a groundbreaking account that brought the beauty of the western forests to readers nationwide.ย  Published in 1911, this, and other … Continue reading My First Summer in the Sierra

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates

Just as Thomas Jefferson was taking office as third president of the United States of America, a battle was raging across the Atlantic Ocean that would test the young country.  Government-backed pirates were patrolling the waters off the Barbary Coast, attacking merchant ships from the US, Britain, and other European countries.  Not only were they … Continue reading Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates

Anxious People

Zaraโ€™s standing on a balcony, headphones on, trying to block out the chaos going on around her.  Sheโ€™s not completely sure how she ended up here in this apartment with these people.  They arenโ€™t her friends, she doesnโ€™t know them from work, no one knows the anxiety sheโ€™s carried for years.  They canโ€™t leave, they … Continue reading Anxious People