“Home is where our story begins.”
– Annie Danielson
One of my favorite quotes by a writer trying to explain the drive to write is from Flannery O’Connor: “I write to discover what I know.” I love this quote for its optimism, especially whenever I have writer’s block. I’ll let this quote guide me through a meandering trail of thought about what I might…
The instinct to create the future by honoring the past dwells inside each of us. I recently toured The Whalehead Club (for the umpteenth time) and learned of a woman, a sage, who recognized the value of the house’s dozen or so Tiffany designed and lily-shaped, sconce globes and tucked them into the attic for…
This is it. The Monroeville Courthouse, the place that inspired Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird and the place where her own father, inspiration for the fictional character Atticus Finch, is said to have held court. Attitcus helped us understand the color of justice and holds a seminal place in our American literature as…
On a recent visit to Thomas Jefferson’s second home, Poplar Forest, I was prepared to learn something interesting about Jefferson. I was expecting to feel at home here in this cozy get-away, so comfortable that I could envision hanging out with TJ here. I was not disappointed. Despite being a public figure, Jefferson was quite…
I have a thing about great vistas. I love them. There is something about seeing clearly from all sides in many directions and for miles. I suppose this love of a wide view comes from hiking. That feeling of reaching the top and being rewarded with a spectacular view is the motivation that keeps a…
This is the view from James Madison’s desk in his home, Montpelier, located in Orange County, Virginia. This desk is in the middle of his second-floor library that houses over 1500 books. On my recent visit, I arrived at this room after visiting the dining room where the guide spoke of the many guests and…
