“It’s the white elephant in the room.” That’s how Wally Coppinger somewhat facetiously referred to the US Airways plane that was before us during my recent private tour of the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, where he’s executive director. It’sRead more
Hank Birnbaum selected a sea otter pelt from a pile of skins displayed on a wooden table and let me caress the soft, luxurious fur. “Sea otters don’t have a layer of blubber to help them keep warm, unlike otherRead more
How wonderful to have friends who place top bids in online charity auctions and then ask you to share their winnings. Our friends, Carole and Keith, did just that when she was the recipient of a four-person food and artRead more
When Bill and I realized our nephew, Ben, a senior basketball player at The College of William and Mary, and his team (Go Tribe!) would play against College of Charleston, we put Charleston on our travel radar. Actually, we didn’tRead more
If you think the digital age has caused printed maps and charts and those colorful spinning globes so identified with grade school classrooms to be relegated to ancient relics of an earlier time, think again. The ubiquity of smartphones andRead more
Right away I realized two things about Joan Zimmerman when we first met recently for tea in Charlotte. She knows a good idea when she hears one. She also knows how to make it an even better idea. In 1959,Read more
Chances are you rarely, if ever, think about Luther Burbank when you eat a baked potato. You’re too caught up in savoring the crisp golden skin on the outside, and the pure white, fluffy texture on the inside. If yourRead more
The location was reason enough to book a night at Cavallo Point – the Lodge at the Golden Gate to celebrate Bill’s recent birthday with our friends, Penny and Gil. Serenely situated on Horseshoe Cove in the shadow of theRead more
The name is attention-getting. Stardust Villa. That’s what Bill’s brother and his wife call their rental property on St. George Island, a 22-mile-long and one-mile-wide barrier island along the Florida Panhandle. Listed on the VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) website, Stardust Villa lookedRead more
Compose a list of people who best understand the fine art of living, travel, style, connoisseurship, and philanthropy, and Pamela Fiori’s name would have to be at the top. Fiori is the author of the best-selling In the Spirit ofRead more