The Move Overseas

I left the USA on July 4 headed to Munich via Istanbul and Frankfurt, in order to see the Passion Play in Oberammergau (Germany). After the play, I trained to Vienna and then Budapest before taking a final flight to Istanbul, where I plan to base until at least Christmas, or longer if I can obtain a short-term residency permit. This has been a most unusual trip in that poor health (bronchitis) and extreme heat (over 100°F) have prevented me from doing most of the things I had planned. So it goes. All we can do is play the best hand with the cards that we’ve been dealt.

The Big Wedding

My only niece Gabrielle Carrier married Ade Akinsanya during Memorial Day Weekend in Georgia. There were two wedding ceremonies: Yoruba (Nigerian) on Thursday and “traditional American” on Sunday.

School Ends/Retirement Begins

After 32 years of (full-time) teaching, I finally retired.

Easter Weekend 2022

I had a flight voucher about to expire, so I flew down to Oaxaca, Mexico, for Easter.

Spring Break 2022

For Spring Break 2022, I spent the week in El Salvador and Guatemala. Here are a few pics. Enjoy!

Tartuffe (February 2022)

Moliere’s Tartuffe was the last theatre production that I directed at Incarnate Word. What a fun show!

Christmas 2021: Poland & Czechia

A New School Year Begins

The Next Adventure

High on my bucket list is seeing the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). Determined to make this happen sooner rather than later (or not at all), I recently bought my r/t Canadian train ticket to go from Winnipeg to Churchill, a small town on the Hudson Bay, arriving on New Year’s Eve. This is polar bear country, and there are no roads to Churchill—just over-priced regional planes and the more affordable ViaRail train. The train trip is very slow: 40+ hours (2 nights) each way, but I’ll have a sleeperette with hot meals provided and access to a shower. The price is manageable, since the Canadian dollar is low, and I am buying so far in advance. I also will be a senior (60) by the time I travel, and four of my six nights will be on the train.

Life from 50-60 was about visiting as many countries as possible with the goal of 60 countries by the time I turned 60. I achieved that goal a few months ago after visiting Cuba. I think that 60-70 will focus on my bucket list of experiences, which includes the Northern Light this winter and then the Oberammergau Passion Play this summer (2020).

After spending a week with my family in Georgia to celebrate Christmas, I headed off for three weeks in India and Nepal. [Picture: At Agra Fort, I ran into a bunch of Americans, who were in India for a big wedding. They still were in a festive mood and broke out into a spontaneous dance. What fun!]

Our fall production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has been invited to perform at the upcoming KCACTF Region 6 Festival to be held in late February in Abilene!

The day after graduation, I took a 16-hour flight from Houston to Taipei and spent the next three weeks in Asia, visiting Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Macau. After a long-weekend reunion at the family farm in Dearing, Georgia, to celebrate my father’s 90th birthday, I moved to Berry College (an hour north of Atlanta), where I spent almost five weeks teaching at the Governor’s Honors Program, which is a summer residential program for gifted and talented high schoolers. After the program ended, I visited friends in north Georgia, saw Serenbe’s Titanic, and then returned to the farm to celebrate my mom’s upcoming 90th birthday. On the long drive back to Texas, I paused for a personal retreat at Roosevelt State Park in Mississippi and made it back in time to rent and move to a new apartment in Conroe. I’ll unpack this week and then return to school next week. What a busy summer…if only this terrible heat would end!

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Saigon, Vietnam

Near Hue, Vietnam

Water Puppet Theatre near Hanoi

With David Puckett in Taiwan

Hong Kong

Puppetry Class at GHP

Comm Arts Faculty

Mark and Jesse’s Farm

Serenbe Playhouse’s TITANIC

SHSU Alums at Serenbe

The Original McTiers

My Parents (91 and 90!)

Retreat in MIssissippi

I have just begun a three-week trip to Asia with stops in Taiwan, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. This is my first trip to Asia, and I’m very excited to have another travel adventure!

The pics below are from my arrival day in Taipei, where I visited one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, the Taipei 101.

view during a typical, hazy day

the main tower

the damper to stabilize the building

I recently finished ACUE’s year-long course in “Effective Teaching Practices,” which has afforded me new methods (and reminded me of old ones) that will improve my skills as a teacher. This picture was taken after our awards dinner, when we were presented our certificates. This course will be repeated next year at SHSU, and I strongly encourage my colleagues to participate.