An Afternoon at Rancho del Cielo — Ronald Reagan’s beloved ranch in California
“We’re in Ronald Reagan‘s closet,” I said to my brother, my eyes wide. “I know!” he stage-whispered, equally incredulous. Surrounding us in…
Read Your Way to Better Writing
It’s been said that Ernest Hemingway read more than he drank. If that’s true, one wonders how he found the time. I’m…
How To Market Your Brand Like New Orleans
Happy Mardi Gras! When I visited New Orleans last month, the city was gearing up for its signature celebration. Few places…
#MeToo
I was alone in my best friend’s room, sitting at the end of her bed, putting on my shoes. My mother was…
Halloween at Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore, Maryland
My eyes welled up as I pushed the needle through the red fabric. I was replacing a button on a cape I’d…
April in Massachusetts
The wild daffodils are blooming in the back woods! April in Massachusetts is a time when life re-emerges, picks up pace, moves…
RMS Queen Mary 2
“The waterfront of Boston is our Beverly Hills; it’s where we learned about life,” former Mayor Ray Flynn told visitors aboard RMS…
Two Days in Williamsburg (and a Night in Jamestown)
Patrick Henry stood in front of Virginia’s capitol building and read aloud the Declaration of Independence, reminding the gathered crowd of the…
Rembrandt the Etcher at the MFA
The face in the etching stares directly at the viewer. The light reflected on the subject’s full cheeks gives him an almost…
Maryland Renaissance Festival in Annapolis
Henry VIII dispensed Solomonic judgement in cases involving the feuding feudal families the Hatfields and the McCoys. That’s the bizarre view of…
Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts
The sawyer fed a long board through the water-powered saw. All around the open-air mill blazed the glory of New England in…
“Whole Body Imaging”: Never Waste a Crisis
White House Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel’s mantra never to waste a crisis has grown a whole lot sicker. The Obama Administration is pressuring…