Tag: photo friday

Photo Friday, No. 71

Current Photo Friday theme: Travel.

Today’s post is not so much about an interesting photo as about a significant change in the way I travel.


My traveling case of essential oils.

There was a time I wouldn’t have gone anywhere without this. When returning to Houston from San Diego in 2000, I barely had time to make my flight when I was stopped by a security attendant. She didn’t understand the contents of this case and kept opening the bottles and sniffing while I glared toward my watch. She finally said I couldn’t take them on board. I pointed out that I’d flown INTO San Diego with them. Furthermore, these tiny, very breakable bottles represent hundreds of dollars. I wouldn’t have checked them even if I hadn’t been running late, and I certainly couldn’t leave them behind.

I was attempting to explain aromatherapy to her when another guard came over and yelled, “Let her through! Those things STINK!” I laughed. Although they smell wonderful to me, it can be overwhelming to get a whiff of all of them together.

Post-September 11, I’m sure I couldn’t fly with the case, so I don’t even try. I just pack two or three bottles of blended essential oils into my checked bag and take a bottle of Bach’s Rescue Remedy on the plane to help with my fear of flying. If they ever take that from me, I’ll probably end up as an article on AOL’s home page with hundreds of rude comments being made about me by anonymous strangers.

I suppose that could sell a few books…

Photo Friday, No. 69

Current Photo Friday theme: Strength.


On a corner in Houston where the areas of Montrose and the Museum District meet, this live oak is what my friend James calls “Tree of Trees.” Today as I shot it, a group of tourists passed by, and I heard one say, “All of these are gone from Ocean Springs now, but that’s okay. We’ll just start over. The trees will be back.”

Featured in Three Fortunes in One Cookie, Ocean Springs is one of the beautiful small towns on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. But he’s right, and I admire his stoicism.

There’s strength in enduring, strength in rebuilding, and strength to be learned from these majestic live oaks.