My Favorite Trips

 Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, soul nourishing romantic women’s fiction with light paranormal elements. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you make choices to overcome the darkest nights and choose love and light.

Welcome to July! We’re now officially half way through 2022. If you live south of the equator, your days will begin to get longer. Here, north of the equator, ours begin to get shorter. Unlike many of my friends and family, I’m not a summer person. The sun is too bright, the temperatures are too hot and traffic increases as people head out on vacations.

Not to be too curmudgeonly and because our monthly theme is Vacation Trips and Bucket Lists, I’m going to share my favorite trips. I’ve had the pleasure of adding on a few vacation days to more business oriented trips than taking an actual vacation.

Because of my involvement with The William Glasser Institute International and Glasser Institute for Choice Theory-US, I’ve visited places I heard and read about and never dreamed I’d see in person – both in North American and elsewhere!

Here in the U.S.

I’ve attended conferences in

Houston and San Antonio, TX;
Copper Mountain and Colorado Springs, CO;
Boston, MA;
Hollywood and Orlando, FL;

Vacationed in Cayman Islands after
Hollywood, FL Conference where
my friend and I went to Hell!

Kansas City (twice);

Cincinnati, OH;

Chicago, IL,

New Orleans, LA;

Phoenix, AZ,

Albuquerque, NM;

Los Angeles, CA;

Seattle, WA (twice);

Portland, OR;

Jersey City, NJ with views of the New York skyline and

Philadelphia, PA. Oh and

Nashville, TN in 2010!

One of both of my granddaughters attended the conferences in italics.

In addition conferences were held in Canada (Montreal and Vancouver, B.C.). I missed the one in Toronto.

So that’s North America!

Where Else Have I Been?

Dublin, Ireland

Sidney, Australia
Edinburgh, Scotland

A typical planting of flowers. This one is in Dublin.

Edinburgh, Scotland

And as a bonus, my involvement also ended in 2 trips to the Balkans. Croatia and Slovenia which meant I spent time in Switzerland and Italy.

Bled, Slovenia - we spent a few days here to debrief
after being ordered to leave Croatia during the
Balkan Wars

What has also been a blessing is that I’ve had the opportunity to take one or both of my granddaughters on several of these trips. The Big One was the Edinburgh, Scotland trip with a week in London and sightseeing (Dover, Stonehenge, Glastonbury as well as a London tour).

Why did I, at times, take my granddaughters?

Because in the past, the organization held a “Kids Institute” so the conference was more family oriented and people could plan a vacation around it. Through the Kids Institute, my granddaughters had their own adventures while I was in workshops or giving my own presentation. 

2010 at Stonehenge

They had the opportunity to meet and interact with kids from around the world (Japan, Korea, Australia, Europe, South America as well as various parts of the U.S.A.). I believed then and believe now that when we meet and get to know people from other places in the world, our lives are enriched and we have an opportunity to see how we are similar, what we have in common and that creates a positive impact in our lives.

Bucket list? I used to think I wanted to visit Scandinavia or various places in the Orient. Japan was high on my list because in 7^th and 8^th grade I had a Japanese pen pal.

However, at this point in my life I think my long distance traveling (think international or at least outside North America) is less likely to happen. It isn’t just Covid or cost although they are a factor.

I love my house and my yard. I’m less than 2 hours from the Pacific Ocean although my favorite spot is closer to 3. I’m about the same distance from Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood and only 20 – 30 minutes from the Columbia River Gorge and waterfalls. A five minute walk and on a clear day I can see Mt. Hood.

Mt. Hood as seen over the trees on
the Rose City Golf Course

I’m not saying “never” to long distance traveling. Who knows what the future may bring. What I am saying is that at this point, as I sit here at my computer with my larch tree’s limbs blowing in a breeze, the geraniums and salvia adding cheerful color, the hummingbirds stopping by for a snack, I’ve no particular plans to go anywhere.

Come fall when the weather cools and, hopefully, the traffic eases, I may head off on the 2 – 3 hour drive and spend a few days along the Oregon Coast. As I’m rather weak-willed, the probability of my taking another dozen or so pictures of the waves crashing on the rocks is high. And I will remind myself of the saying we never stand in the same river…thus these will be different waves from the multiple thousands if not millions I’ve watched over the decades.

Number 1,002,010(?)

One of the additional blessing of my trips is creating believable settings in my books. Much of Elizabeth: The Lady and The Sacred Grove takes place in Ireland. The scene at the Ashford Castle? Yep, I did stay there in 1994 when I traveled there for the Dublin Conference.

Fremont, OR is loosely based on my hometown, Portland, OR. The little house you first see in Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl  is based on my own home. Some of Diana: The Queen of Swords and The Knight of Pentacles as well as Gabriella: Chaos to Symmetry take place in Italy. I spent a short amount of time in Milan and Venice but over a week along the Aegean Sea in Croatia and Slovenia. Those views are similar to the ones along the west coast of Italy.

The places I’ve seen, the people I’ve met, the lessons I’ve learned along the pathway of my life, I’ve used as inspiration and fact in my books.

You can read my Sacred Women’s Circle series to learn more about every day women and the struggles and challenges they overcome to find unconditional love.

My Staying Sane in a Crazy World, provides you with a template to create your Personal Staying Sane Plan to help you through the challenging times.

You can find all of my books at your favorite e-book vendor. Be sure to ask your local library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource.

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshley.net

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB! 

© 2022 Judith Ashley

Bombs or Bordellos - My Travel Adventures by Judith Ashley

Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, soul nourishing romantic women’s fiction that honors pagan spiritual practices. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you do overcome obstacles and find your happily-ever-after.

I lived well-over a quarter of a century never traveling far from home. I was in my thirties when I first visited other countries unknown to me and experienced a few Adventures in Travel.

But which story do I share?

Ending up in a bordello in Mazatlán, Mexico?

Being stopped by crossing guards and relieved of my passport when leaving Croatia during the Balkan War?

Or the tamer, missing my bus and almost missing my flight back to the US from a visit to Australia? Thankfully the bus driver turned around and came back for me.

Photo bySkitterphoto

While those all were adventures, the one that had the longest lasting effect on my travel was ending up at the United Airline Gate at Heathrow Airport, London, England to take my flight home from a visit in Ireland ---without a security stamp on my passport.

Said passport was confiscated.

I spot against the wall was designated “mine” as in with finger pointed at my heart “stay there and do not move.”

Oh, and I had a travel alarm clock in my checked luggage that “ticked” (this was in 1994 when there were active hostilities between the IRA and England. Passengers were warned that luggage could be destroyed if thought to be carrying a bomb).

If that wasn’t enough, I, unwittingly, had mace/pepper spray in my purse.

My efforts to be prepared on my first trip traveling alone as well as across the Atlantic was a dismal failure.

As I type this I’m smiling.

But in that moment, my heart raced, my hands sweated, my mind imagined all sorts of dire consequences.

I was grateful for a wall at my back when my knees weakened.

So how did I manage to create this disaster?

To this day I’ve no idea. I got off the plane from Dublin to London where I had to change to my flight to the U.S. I followed signs and asked directions to the United Gate. I did end up, at one point, outside Heathrow and knew that I’d taken a wrong turn somewhere. I felt immense gratitude to have finally made it to The Gate when my adventure truly began.

Yep, bright Yellow but tape and words
 "Security Inspection" on it
Photo by Kat Wilcox from Pexels

While polite, the security man was stern.

Did I know that carrying pepper spray was illegal in England and I could go to jail? Words failed and I shook my head.

Did I understand bombs ticked? I nodded.

Those questions I could reply to. The one that, to this day, I still cannot answer is “How did you get here?” Oh, I had a response. “I followed the signs and asked people when I wasn’t sure where I was going.” I’m sure my blurted confession that, at one point, I’d been road side didn’t help.

“Don’t move.” More threatening because of the deadly quiet tone than if he’d yelled.

Here I am in 2019, sitting at my computer, writing about this Adventure in Travel and not including my experiences in an English jail (and No, I do not watch Locked Up Abroad). It seemed hours when in fact it was under an hour before he returned and gave me back my passport.

When I arrived in the U.S., my luggage had bright yellow “security” tape. It had obviously been searched.

The next year when I traveled to Croatia during the Balkan War to help with a conference for my Glasser colleagues, my suitcase was also wrapped in yellow tape. I was pulled from the line and went through additional security when travelling within the U.S. Years later, when I traveled to Australia for yet another Glasser conference, my luggage still was wrapped with the yellow security tape!!!

Who knew that getting lost at Heathrow airport would have such long term consequences!

Available now in e-book and print

However, in 2008 I took my granddaughters with me to a Glasser conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. We flew in to Heathrow, and much to my relief, all was well. We safely made it through baggage claim with no yellow tape in sight! All’s Well That End’s Well!

You can find all of my books at your favorite e-book vendor. Be sure to ask your local library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource.

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshleyRomance.com

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB! 

© 2019 Judith Ashley

How a War Changed My Life by Judith Ashley

A version of this post first appeared at http://judithashley.blogspot.com

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

In 1994 I attended a William Glasser Conference in Ireland. There I met colleagues from the Balkans. The Balkan War was raging and their once peaceful lives were in chaos. When asked what The William Glasser Institute could do, they said they needed everything.

Funds were donated and used to purchase diapers and formula and other necessities like soap and shampoo that were in short supply.

A group of us went a step further and organized a small conference on the shores of the Adriatic Sea in Rijeka, Croatia. We paid our own way and raised additional monies to cover expenses for those who could come. In addition we volunteered to lead workshops and support our colleagues however we could. Our group was received by the Mayor of Rijeka and one evening the government minister for prisoners of war and torture victims spoke to us.

I had a chance conversation with a professor at the local University. He invited me to speak to one of his classes. I also led a group discussion with a small group of women who’d braved Serbian fire as they drove up the Dalmatian Coast from their homes in Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik had been bombed that morning.

Jagoda Tonsic-Krema and husband - Scotland. Jagoda presented

Our evening activity (a boat trip to a nearby island) was canceled when Zagreb, the capitol of Croatia, came under fire (we were about 50 miles away). I went to breakfast in the morning and found colleagues I’d had dinner with missing. No one talked about where they were.

They’d just vanished—called back to the war.

That morning we were ordered to leave the country. We were an easy target and to kill ten US, Canadian, Irish citizens along with Croatians who were leaders in their country was seen as too tempting. While we understood that our being there actually put our colleagues more at risk than if we left, it was not easy to say good-bye, leaving people we’d come to know and care about in a few short days in danger.

The Mayor sent his van and driver to take us across the border into Slovenia and on to Bled. Traveling through border check points where the guards were armed was an event I’ll never forget. We were in Bled for a couple of days waiting until our flights back home left.

Sitting in an airport waiting for a flight with military tanks on the runway, armed soldiers carrying automatic rifles patrolling the concourse—I’d never had any of those experiences.

When I reached my home I was compelled to do something.

This is my Circle of Life. While the flowers are silk, everything else is natural (well, actually the silk flowers are made from the spinning of silk worms).

Because of that trip I’m very aware of how quickly deep and abiding relationships can form in times of trial. I still hold in my heart many of the people I met over two decades ago. I still feel an instant connection when I see any of them at conferences. One of my favorite experiences was at the Edinburgh, Scotland conference when most of the women I’d met in Croatia were there. Tears of joy, of gratitude on both sides—they’d rebuilt those lives that had been so traumatically disrupted.

There are so many aspects of that trip that were life-altering.

Hearing firsthand the experiences of people who became friends. Hearing how their lives had changed. Hearing the pain and resolution to not just survive but to overcome the challenges they now faced.

Seeing people create a life out of chaos. Seeing people find a point of light, of optimism in the darkness that surrounded them. Seeing the displaced rebuild some semblance of their former life.

Touching the edges of suffering through compassion and empathy. Touching and hugging knowing their healing powers. Touching and connecting with strangers who quickly became friends.

The sights and sounds I experienced fifty miles away from an active war zone changed my life. Even more so I seek to understand another’s point of view, to find a way through disagreements to solutions. Seeing the cost of war leads me, even more than before, to seek peace.

What life altering event have you undergone?

How has it changed who you are?

What have you done to honor that experience and that transformation?

You can learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Check out my Windtree Press author page.

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

I’m also on Facebook

© 2016 Judith Ashley

Yum! Yum! Yum!

I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and celebrate the journey from relationship to romance.

Traveling to other countries and even other parts of the United States has broadened my view of the world. I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel—not only around the United States but also to Canada, Mexico, Australia and Europe.

Ireland, Scotland, England, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy have all been on my itinerary with stops in The Netherlands and Switzerland.

My first trip outside North America was to Ireland where I met up with another Judith and we had adventure after adventure as we drove around the country. Our first night in a bed and breakfast in Clifton, we walked to a local tavern and had Irish stew and bread. A young couple we met on holiday bought us our first Guinness after rescuing us from two flat tires as we traveled around The Ring of Kerry. We stayed at Ashford Castle and I distinctly remember sipping Irish Coffee and eating the best scones I’d ever had.

Next was Croatia and Slovenia. I will admit I was hesitant to try new food combinations when everything around me was so new but I did—and it was delicious! The food was fresh, vegetables harvested hours before our meals made all the difference in the world.

I was there during the Balkan War. When Zagreb was bombed, we were ordered to leave the country. Our group traveled to Bled, Slovenia to wait until for our return flights. There was a bakery near the hotel where we stayed that had ‘crème cakes’ and just thinking about them makes my mouth water. I’ve never had anything like them anywhere else – even with the same name nothing is ever as delicious as my memory.

Bled, Slovenia

After the war, I returned to the Balkans. A conference where I was a co-presenter was held in Portoroz, Slovenia. Seeing old friends and making new ones was a highlight but our trip into Croatia, to a small mountain village was the culinary highlight. I don’t remember the food other than it was fresh and delicious but the wine? Oh yes. I do remember the wine! It was light and if I knew wine I’d be able to tell you the flavor and notes and whatever else people who really do know their wines could talk about. 

What I can tell you is that it was naturally fermented from potatoes grown organically on the land. No Nitrates!!! Which meant no headache for me!!!

Most recently I traveled to England and Scotland. I tried haggis and oatcakes in Scotland and fish and chips in London.

If I were to travel abroad again, where would I go? If I based my decision only on the food, I’d be on a plane to Croatia and Slovenia.

In Croatia I’d find the village in the mountains. With a glass of wine in hand, I’d sit and look out over the surrounding land. A local cheese with homemade bread? I’d return to Bled. I’d be disappointed if the crème cakes I remember weren't there. But, who knows what else I’d fine?

That’s one of the exciting aspects of travel to other countries…the exploring whether of historical sites, local customs, or finding a meal that feeds your soul as well as your body.

Do you have a meal that feeds your body and soul? Please share!

To learn more about The Sacred Women's Circle visit my website 
Check out my Judith Ashley blog here