We took a look at this coastal Oregon town’s past and present. It’s a place that’s seen a whole lot of ships pass by, some not so successfully.

We’re pressing “pause” on our roadschooling adventure in order to enjoy ten weeks of group learning with other homeschoolers whose parents see the world a lot like I do. What will we do if we wind up liking it more than the road?

The year 2010 seems to have begun and then ended with a woodpecker.

Enough of our friends up in the Sierras have a Mexican Christmas food connection that we were able to form a decent tamale-manufacturing crew. This, against the high-altitude snowy backdrop of beautiful Taylorsville in California’s Indian Valley.

We loved it in the summer. And now we are heading back for more, only this time, it will include snow, the solstice, and a cabin near a small-town public library. Perfect for unschooling on the fly.

Right as the rainy season in Central America drew to a close, we returned to the Pacific Northwest…drumroll…to the rainy season. At least there’s one constant, right?

Patacones—slices of green plantain that are fried, smashed, then fried again—never seemed to be on any local menus. So I didn’t learn about them until our last weeks in Costa Rica. It turns out that you only need to ask for them by name.

We’ve made a different sort of progress in taking on beginning-level Spanish, my kids and I. Here’s why.

On our weekend trip to the black volcanic sand beach at Ostional, Costa Rica, we saw how the 1 in 10,000 return rate for nesting Olive Ridley turtles gets its cruel start.

We’ve had fun hanging out with Stacy, who, along with ziplining through the jungle, hunting for crocodiles on a river, and other great adventures, loves a little local dog we know named Charlie.

Arachnids, reptiles, and insects at all times of the day and night: What’s not to love about Costa Rica when you’re a little boy?