On a recent work trip to Vancouver, Canada, I found myself facing two unassigned hours (nothing like an unexpected gift of time.) So I snuck away to the VanDusen Garden—a fifty-five-acre park named after Whitford Julian VanDusen, a Canadian lumber magnate and philanthropist. Inspiration can come from the unlikeliest places and be paid for with…
The conference in Miami Beach had been a huge success. But preparing for months on end for a three-day event leaves its wearisome tracks on one’s soul. A short walk on the beach to soak in the afternoon sun and Pow! The shock of color and whimsy of the Miami Beach Lifeguard Stands perked up…
My love of old homes is born out of intrigue for the stories of the person or family who once lived beneath a particular roof. Yes, I love architectural detail and design as much as I appreciate the fortitude required to undertake a renovation on a grand scale. But it’s the human stories that capture…
My favorite song is “I Can See Clearly Now.” The Jimmy Cliff version. Once when my niece and I were belting out this song in my car, I realized she was singing one of the lyrics wrong. Instead of “I can see all obstacles in my way,” she sang “I can see all popsicles in…
I have always disliked balloons. Whenever I received one as a child, I held onto the string too tightly in fear of it blowing away—aloft and irretrievable. I loathed the sudden sound of it popping when someone at a party, usually a boy, played around too closely—or too mischievously—with a safety pin. I disliked the…
Nothing says Spring like the blooming cherry trees along the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. I don’t make the hike through the pink blooms every year, but when I do it’s something special. This year I learned that the existence of the cherry blossoms is a story of rejection and perseverance of a lone travel…
