by Natalie Ogbourne | Aug 24, 2013 | Pause, Ponder the Path, Press On
An insistent noise intruded into heavy sleep, waking me just enough to know that I had to silence it, but not enough to allow me to understand what it was or where I was. I stumbled through the dark toward the incessant pounding, wanting only to find it and make it...
by Natalie Ogbourne | Aug 13, 2013 | Pause, Ponder the Path, Press On
A trail’s name hints at what lies beyond. Usually it’s the destination: Mallard Lake. Sometimes it’s that the trail won’t be level: Mount Washburn. Occasionally it’s a warning: Seven Mile Hole. Hikers need more than a hint. We need to...
by Natalie Ogbourne | Aug 8, 2013 | Pause, Ponder the Path, Press On
Every summer the cicadas sing their song. Every summer it starts too soon. Every summer it makes me sad. It made sense when I was young. The cicada’s song signaled school’s imminent return. I enjoyed school, so maybe it didn’t make sense, but as a child, it was the...
by Natalie Ogbourne | Jul 23, 2013 | Pause, Ponder the Path, Press On
Mom and Dad first took my brother and me to Yellowstone when he was eight and I, twelve, to show us a world away from our little town but the showing began long before we packed the car and went west. When I was young we lived for a short time on my grandparents’...
by Natalie Ogbourne | Jul 9, 2013 | Pause, Ponder the Path, Press On
Each summer we gather with my husband’s family at his parents’ house. We converge on their home in vehicles stuffed with people and dogs, books and toys, luggage and anticipation. Mixed among all those are the lingering imprints of our lives. I can pack. What I...
by Natalie Ogbourne | Jul 5, 2013 | Pause, Ponder the Path, Press On
The last fight between my brother and I involved a fun-size Snickers bar. We were on our way out for a day of downhill skiing and both had our eye the same treat. He was twenty. I was twenty-four. We fought over candy. Travel has a way of bringing it out in people. It...