Morning sun glints off the Robert Stewart Bridge as we drive on Indiana State Road 46 above the White River at the entrance to Columbus, Indiana. Like a giant fan, four fire-engine-red steel supports connect 40 steel tension cables spreadRead more
History
History and Hospitality Captivate at Winston-Salem’s Graylyn
A jagged hole marring one of the oak wall panels in the richly appointed library of Graylyn, once the second largest private home in North Carolina and now an international conference center, is all that remains of a Parisian loveRead more
Ancient Mysticism and Man-Made Marvels Revealed in Bath
Fighting a cold on a late December morning at the Roman Baths in Bath, England, I sniffle as I stand on worn stones laid in the first century A.D. when the Romans constructed this massive bathing complex. Before me isRead more
Reconnaissance at Point Reyes Station
I’m dropping by parachute into the small, western California town of Point Reyes Station. Sam pilots my private plane. Lucky me that he sports the rugged blond good looks of Robert Redford in his Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidRead more
Belgium: A Country for Chocolate Lovers
Chocolate was on my mind as I entered the coolly contemporary apartment we’d rented in Brussels through airbnb. With sacks of groceries from our local produce market in hand, I had just climbed the 78 stairs to our cozy, light-filled, fifth-floorRead more
Windmills, Cheese, and Holland Traditions
There’s an old saying in Holland that God made the world and the Dutch made Holland. If they hadn’t, the ground we were standing on at the moment would have been under several feet of water. Bill and I wereRead more
An Emotional Visit to Anne Frank House
I suppose many people read a book during their formative years that struck such a profound chord it continues to resonate with them long into adulthood. For me that book was “The Diary of Anne Frank.” I read it whenRead more
Paying Respects at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum
Bill’s and my visit to the imposing National September 11 Memorial and Museum during a recent trip to New York City was a potent reminder that the horrific events which occurred that day in 2001 bore such monumental significance that they becameRead more
Wing Haven — Charlotte’s Hidden Gardens
“Are you cruel enough to be a gardener?” That challenging question was imprinted on a T-shirt for sale at the Elizabeth Lawrence House and Garden in Charlotte that I was touring on a sultry day with curator Andrea Sprott asRead more
Normandy, D-Day, and Remembrance
“D-Day, June 6, 1944, was a day without precedent,” said our guide, Stuart Robertson of Normandy Battle Tours. We were on the Normandy coast of France, the region that was the site of the D-Day invasion and the subsequent 11-week-longRead more