We send postcards around the world featuring their image, buy t-shirts emblazoned with their silhouettes, drink beer by their name, gasp when we see them through the fence at zoos, and often pay great sums for the opportunity to observe, touch, and ride them. We are fascinated, captivated by these animals. Elephants are magnificent creatures —…

I was always taught charitable giving was not optional — my parents give their time and resources generously enough to be recognized for it in our community, and raised my sisters and I to do the same. Somewhere between allowance age and adulthood I lost the way. While I’ve donated sporadically to causes that friends bring…

I’m kind of thinking it’s time for a new post category on Alex in Wanderland — perhaps “Animals I Squealed At?” Maybe, “Fauna That Made Me Talk In A Baby Voice?” Or more descriptively, “Creatures That I Briefly Considered Smuggling in My Backpack? It’s true — I’m obsessed with animals. And lately, there have been a…

Read Part I of my Big Island diving experience here. So far, our night was brimming with good fortune. Our boat’s wake became a playground for passing dolphins, and our first dive was filled with colorful coral and mysterious critters. We had even spotted a manta ray in the distance as we began to ascend —…

Astute readers of Alex in Wanderland may note that thus far I’ve had nothing but gushing praise for everything Icelandic (aside, I suppose, from the prices). It’s true, I love almost everything about this tiny island nation. However, Iceland is embroiled in an international debate over an issue that I feel so passionately about that I…

When my mother was a young girl, she had a traumatic riding incident that left her being dragged on her back through a stream by an out of control horse in Missouri. Just as she was about to be dragged over some ragged rocks jutting out of the water, she was able to disentangle from the…