Mabel Lee

Sketches from Old Beginnings

I. Early morning, mom isn’t here to ask me what I want to wear, or wash my cranky face; my father tying up my pigtails as I sit in the tiny red plastic chair, sleepy, obedient II. The pink and purple tricycle is the centerpiece in our traffic games around the dining table III. PillowContinue reading “Sketches from Old Beginnings”

Seville: Orange Trees in the Old World

I: Sevilla Seville is one of those cities that incarnate the vital, pumping heart of a country, its veins reaching deep into an old Spain that is felt in its grandiose plazas, its signature fragrance of orange trees and jasmine, the gait of afternoon strollers as they walk, as if kings, the snaking cobblestoned streets.Continue reading “Seville: Orange Trees in the Old World”

Mallorca: Playtime in the Mediterranean

Allison came to visit! I promised I’d take her to a Spanish island, so we decided on Mallorca, Menorca’s bigger sister out in the Mediterranean. Fine white sand beaches and clear turquoise waters: paradisiacal cliches but truly marvelous when they are right in front of you, complete with the caw of seagulls and murmur ofContinue reading “Mallorca: Playtime in the Mediterranean”