“Make anything an adventure”—I chose that tagline that because I take delight in small things. And, quite frankly, I will never get enough adventure, no matter how long I live or how many places I visit.
At the moment my husband and I are renting in Denver while we complete my treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, which was something I never saw coming. Me, who overspent on organic food and scrubbed with natural cleaning products and avoided chemicals in general, get cancer? But it happened anyway.
This intruder into our lives put a damper on our travels to 12 U.S. cities in 1 year. In spring 2011 we downsized, sold most of what we owned (including our house), and packed our red Prius for the road. We made it to Missoula, Seattle, Portland, and Arcata before the diagnosis. The other 8 cities will have to wait at least until this fall, and we may choose not to travel to the cities we originally selected. The only certainty in our lives now is that we will be spending more time than ever with doctors and that the price of our health insurance will increase.
Beth at Home and Abroad has changed its colors, chameleon-like, over the years. I established this website in August 2008 with coverage of the Democratic National Convention, under the title “Living the Mile-High Life.” (I still remember the chain-link wire cage set up to keep demonstrators about two blocks away from the delegates. It horrified me.)
Until March 2010, I wrote reviews of Denver attractions every week and posted photographs of Denver. Then I decided to zoom out, to cover places and events outside Denver from the perspective of a middle-aged copyeditor-turned-adventuress. That way, I could write about my vacations, my trips back to Kansas City, and anywhere else I went. So far, I’ve been outside the United States once since then, when we took Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver. But I’ve got the south of France, the Pyrenees, India, and Afghanistan in my sights.
I also posted a “MonHaibun” almost every week through August 2009. I think it’s a great form in which to record travel adventures. You describe a place in prose, and then you incorporate 1 or more haiku into it.
A Sampling of My Posts
Day Fourteen of Todd’s Trip to Baton Rouge for SCDS Surgery
Great Burgers, Original Kansas City
Get Him to the Greek Fries (in Missoula)
Hard to Port (about surgery)
If you would like to contact me, you can reach me at bethpartin@gmail.com.
Just wanted to say hello, not only is my name Beth Partin, but I also love in Colorado…Summit County to be exact. I have you bookmarked now and will be checking out your blog regularly.
Peace,
Beth P
Hey, that’s really cool. I’ve come across some Beth Partins on Google but wasn’t aware any of them lived in the same state. Thanks for visiting!
I think you two should meet sometime. I’ve never met another person named Todd Bradley, though I know some exist. If I had the opportunity, I’d have a barbecue and invite them all over.
I was curious to know about the Denver Black Arts Festival’s Joda Stage… You stated that you were not compelled to stay after the end of M*SHAKA*FUSION’s performance…. why was that?
It’s hard to remember after 6 months, but I think I was probably hungry.
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Dear Beth,
So happy to find another travel lover like me! I love your concept of the haibun. I might just have to try it myself! Looking forward to reading more…
Mary, thanks for visiting. There are other travel websites on the Denver Links page.
Hi Beth,
I just found your website and was very moved by your poetry. I especially liked Approaching Winter. It was nice to meet you last night — and today on the Web!
Thanks, Rivvy, it was good to see you again soon. “Approaching Winter” is actually about the anniversary of my mother’s death, though I wasn’t able to get that in there directly.
Beth,
We love your blog!
We’re new to the Denver market and would love to drop off a complimentary mixed case (or two) of our product http://drinkneuro.com/ for you to sample! If you enjoy it, which I’m sure you will, we’d love for you to mention us in a blog post, or any other social media avenues.
We have 7 different functions that will help you through your day. Sonic, Bliss, Trim, Gasm, Sleep, Aqua and Sport. http://drinkneuro.com/products/. We’d love to work with you. Please let me know when we can deliver a case for you to try!
So did you ever meet the other Beth Partin?
I never did! Maybe I should go to Summit County and start going through the phone books…
Hi Beth,
I’m a Denver based landscape architect. Currently I’m dong some pro bono work for the GrowHaus and I would like to include a few of your photos in a master plan we are developing. The plan will be used for fund raising and general community awareness. We will print a few copies in house and there will be no for sale products. May we use some of your images? I can provide an acknowledgement for the photos.
Thanks,
Carol Sperat
Hello Beth,
Sorry for the long comment, I couldn’t find your email
My name is Nicole, and I’m the manager of publisher partnerships for See Jane Fly (www.seejanefly.com) — an exclusive network of women’s local lifestyle and travel bloggers, who are committed to exploring new and different ways to approach travel – through pop culture, everyday life, design, food, and adventure.
The only platform of its kind focused on the female travel vertical, See Jane Fly is small, but with good reason. We take special care in selecting the “best of” travel and local lifestyle partners, who are recognized and trusted by audiences far and wide.
We’re big fans of Beth at Home and Abroad, and we’re excited to connect with you. We’ve been focused on partnering with key sites as we “officially” form our blog network, and we’d love to get you on board.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Nicole
What we do:
See Jane Fly elevates the best travel content from a vibrant community of independent publishers and partners. Weekly, we create collections of city guides, travel inspirations, tips, and at home experiences that inspire our readers to explore new and different ways to travel – through everyday life and adventure.
We’re looking for travel, local, and women’s lifestyle blogs who are committed to exploring new and different ways to travel – through pop culture, food, everyday life, design, photography, you name it – to become part of the See Jane Fly Publisher Community!
Nicole Rogers
See Jane Fly, Inc.
Publisher Partnerships | Manager
http://www.seejanefly.com
Nicole@seejanefly.com