We grew up on opposite sides of the world but have so much in common we sometimes wonder if we’re not cosmic cousins of some sort.
We both love to hike and bike, to travel and explore. We’re conservationists by nature, adventurists by inclination. We’re both storytellers and pleasure seekers.
Yes, we are epicureans. We love the sensory pleasures of fine food and wine and it is our joy to share the meals we make with friends and family.
But we ascribe more to the original values associated with Epicureanism than the modern distortions that suggest hedonism and excess.
In The Swerve, one of the best books Keven read as a member of the Pulitzer Prize board for nine years and which won Stephen Greenblatt the Pulitzer for non-fiction in 2012, first century philosopher Philodemus described the sort of pleasures sought by true Epicureans:
It is impossible to live pleasurably without living prudently and honorably and justly, and also without living courageously and temperately and magnanimously, and without making friends and without being philanthropic.
Such living is our pursuit.
– K&G
Keven was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Arizona, studied briefly in Europe and Mexico, and spent nearly 38 years as a journalist at The Associated Press, The Arizona Republic in Phoenix and, for the last 15 years, as a vice president and editorial page editor at The Dallas Morning News.
Her childhood heroes were Annie Oakley, Nancy Drew and Amelia Earhart. She is most proud of her editorial board’s sustained advocacy for truth and justice and for the opportunity to help colleagues succeed in aspirations beyond their dreams.
Georges was born on a farm in southeastern Belgium — he’s Walloon — and spent nearly two decades running his own restaurants in and around Liege before emigrating to the United States and founding and running an acclaimed restaurant for more than a decade in Tucson, Arizona.
Eventually, Georges sold Le Bistro and launched a travel company that catered to French-speaking Europeans wishing to experience the American Southwest. (You’ve not lived until you’ve taught Parisians how to Texas two-step!) He also enjoyed guiding Americans eager to experience the canyons and cornerstones of Mexico.
Keven and Georges met in 1999 in Aduana, Mexico on one of Georges’ tours. He gave her a flower; she gave him her heart. They were married shortly thereafter on the Greek island of Kos.
They bought their Texas-made 17-foot fiberglass Casita travel trailer in 2007. Prior to the start of their yearlong Perimeter trip in March 2018, they’d racked up as weekend warriors nearly 45,000 miles and more than 300 nights in their beloved Casita.
Now they are traveling full time and expect to post highlights along the way. (But because they are retired, they won’t be keeping a schedule and will post when the spirit moves them.)
Got a suggestion about an off-the-beaten-path adventure they should pursue along the perimeter? Share it here. They’ll welcome your thoughts and revel in the karmic energy!
Postcards from the Perimeter 