<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[There and Backes]]></title><description><![CDATA[There And Backes]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:54:23 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Starting Off on the Left Foot]]></title><description><![CDATA[It all started the way most bad things start: on stairs. Walking past the music rooms on the second floor, I was having a pretty good...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/starting-off-on-the-left-foot</link><guid isPermaLink="false">662f4652f1095ad5f0524edf</guid><category><![CDATA[Memoirs]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 07:04:07 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Final Call]]></title><description><![CDATA[I felt stupid in my gargoyle costume. After the show, the makeup was caked to my face, the mask was itchy, and the harness was getting...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/final-call</link><guid isPermaLink="false">662f42a8f198232bf78ad8aa</guid><category><![CDATA[Memoirs]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 06:48:52 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Lost Identity]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lampposts cast warm light across the brick walls, as hostile headlights shot through the winding alleyway. David, Christian, and I sat at...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/a-lost-identity</link><guid isPermaLink="false">662f41ccbac2bba01202171d</guid><category><![CDATA[Memoirs]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 06:44:54 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Beach Waves and Balboa Bars]]></title><description><![CDATA[Balboa Beach was my family’s favorite way to spend free Saturdays. We packed into the car and braved the I-5 traffic. We slipped the...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/beach-waves-and-balboa-bars</link><guid isPermaLink="false">662f4120f738183372854ea9</guid><category><![CDATA[Memoirs]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 06:42:32 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Day the World Shut Down]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 13, 2020 is a day I’ll never forget. I woke up to an ongoing debate in a big group chat of friends. School had just been cancelled...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/the-day-the-world-shut-down</link><guid isPermaLink="false">662f3c2f383613716e09f0c3</guid><category><![CDATA[Memoirs]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 06:24:21 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Catching Up]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Are you sure you want to come? It’s not too late if you don’t want to,” my dad explained. I considered for a moment. The smell of fish...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/catching-up</link><guid isPermaLink="false">662f3bd72d11ef5a10c264e3</guid><category><![CDATA[Memoirs]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 06:19:31 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Than a Game]]></title><description><![CDATA[I stood over my soccer bag, rummaging around for my bottle. It was a fall afternoon, but the heat of summer never really left California...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/more-than-a-game</link><guid isPermaLink="false">662f39cde1a41fb0d9e2cbd0</guid><category><![CDATA[Memoirs]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 06:13:21 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Brother’s Speech]]></title><description><![CDATA[“I think I’m going to change it again,” I started. “What? Why” my mom asked through the phone. I yawned and tiptoed over the backpacks...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/a-brother-s-speech</link><guid isPermaLink="false">662f389e01ef1836637e0a7a</guid><category><![CDATA[Memoirs]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 06:08:36 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Bittersweet Farewell]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our last week of Italy had finally caught up to us. One of our final stops was Cinque-Terre, which Dr. Horner described as a sort of...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/a-bittersweet-farewell</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64d14bd5de4ff859405a6106</guid><category><![CDATA[Italy Blog]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 07 Aug 2023 20:05:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a6070_425fdba344d140478075493b0499293e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Life in the Ruins]]></title><description><![CDATA[On the way to Rome, I had come to the realization that my time in Italy was coming to an end. Who knows the next time that I will be back...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/life-in-the-ruins</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64a0b39272a57482ae5096c6</guid><category><![CDATA[Italy Blog]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 02 Jul 2023 06:55:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a6070_95310658196c4b159299e31bc42e2ef4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Confessions of a Tourist Trap Survivor]]></title><description><![CDATA[Quick word of advice: if you walk into an “Italian” restaurant speaking Italian, and they can’t understand you, it’s probably best to...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/confessions-of-a-tourist-trap-survivor</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64982038327c79ab285f762f</guid><category><![CDATA[Italy Blog]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 25 Jun 2023 11:28:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a6070_cc151499c9044524ba1f117c9fc56bc6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Reflections Through the Glass]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nowhere in the world appreciates colors like Venice. Colors flooded the streets and canals, accompanied by the sunlight’s glow. The only...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/reflections-through-the-glass</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64884003428fee5b6ff65398</guid><category><![CDATA[Italy Blog]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:59:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a6070_3091465453324f369cd37d1c4fb73ff8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Unfinished Masterpiece]]></title><description><![CDATA[“If you ever find yourself bored, just look up,” Dr. Horner told us as we admired the surrounding artwork in the Ufizzi. I had heard this...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/the-unfinished-masterpiece</link><guid isPermaLink="false">647cf650599de16025b01dc3</guid><category><![CDATA[Italy Blog]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 05 Jun 2023 22:13:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a6070_b35603c3d3f44f0d9a46fa8345b6c4fc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Translations and Tartare]]></title><description><![CDATA[Well, I finally made it to Italy! After almost an entire year of waiting, we flew into the birthplace of Western civilization. The city...]]></description><link>https://colebackes.wixsite.com/there-and-backes/post/translations-and-tartare</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64720c981f6ecd625d4935ae</guid><category><![CDATA[Italy Blog]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 27 May 2023 14:58:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a6070_d4511e873e1447ed9984c02362794062~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cole Backes</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>