Candle Smoke Writing
Here's a different kind of writing for you: Candle Smoke Writing, or rather, historical graffiti. My son and I stopped by Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky on our [...]
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Jan, 2012
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Dec, 2011
Photo Essay: Christkindlmarket Chicago
Even though I don't celebrate Christmas, in December a visit to the Christkindlmarket downtown Chicago is obligatory - mainly because I can find favorite German delicacies there that I [...]
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Dec, 2011
Photo Essay: Lincoln Park Zoo
My 11-year-old son is off from school already this week, and he wanted to go to the zoo (Who knew?). So yesterday we spent the morning at Lincoln Park [...]
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Dec, 2011
Encounter with Art on the Midway Plaisance in Chicago
In Chicago you don't have to go to a museum to experience art. Rather, you'll encounter it on your everyday ramblings. Case in point: The other day I dropped one [...]
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Nov, 2011
Catching a Serendipitous Concert under the Tiffany Dome at the Chicago Cultural Center
Sometimes life hands you bliss on a silver platter – but how to capture that joy? I will give it a try here by sharing a recent experience, and [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 13 (the last one): Homestead National Monument
Then, as now, windmills dot the flat landscape. They provide the crucial source of power to pump up water. After catching our breath at the alpine views of the [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 12: Mesa Arch Photo Essay
Mesa Arch @ Canyonlands National Park My son has this view as a wallpaper on his computer. I have to admit I always thought it was fake until I [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 11: Arches National Park Photo Essay
To quote my daughter: "This is cooler than Monument Valley." Some whining from my sons was involved because we were "hiking again" until they realized the arches offered climbing [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 10: Salt Lake City
The Great Salt Lake as seen from Saltair at dusk My number one goal for our visit to Salt Lake City was to float in the Great Salt [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 9: Las Vegas with Kids
One thing I liked at the Hoover Dam: Those cool 1930s Art Deco towers. What to do in Las Vegas with kids? First of all, I must say Las [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 8: Wild Horses near Las Vegas
Early morning drive north on SR-160 to US-95 in Nevada My daughter's number one wish for this road trip (every family member got one) [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 7: Death Valley Photo Essay
Driving into Death Valley from the east on SR190 at sunrise - about 5:45 a.m. Going lower. Badwater Pond - salty rather than poisonous as it is fed by [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 6: The Canyons
I haven't quite figured out yet what it means to visit great places like Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park a second time, except that it [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 5: Rafting the Colorado River Triggers Childhood Memory
View from the Glen Canyon Dam down to where to floats disembark One way to keep family members happy on a long road trip is to ask beforehand what [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 4: Bluff Fort and Natural Bridges National Monument
Bluff Fort: The only original cabin still standing sits on local sandstone slabs to keep the wood from rotting. And keep in mind: no chain saw to cut down [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 3: Ancient Pueblos – Chaco and Mesa Verde
The road trip report continues: Here I am in full hiking regalia, ready to tackle what turned out to be a rather tough climb to a plateau overlooking Pueblo [...]
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Aug, 2011
Road Trip Report 2: Texas Panhandle – Santa Fe
My report from our road trip to the Southwest continues, this time with a program in contrasts: The Texas Panhandle is flat, so flat you feel some higher [...]
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Jul, 2011
Road Trip Report 1: St. Louis – Oklahoma
Some impressions from the Big American Road Trip with my family, driving from Chicago to explore the Southwest this summer. City Museum St. Louis - the name does it [...]
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Jul, 2011
Oklahoma City Memorial: Every Item Had a Story
We visited the Memorial of the Oklahoma City bombing on Thursday. It saddens me how oddly fitting that visit now is given Friday’s rather similar tragedy in Norway. Visits [...]
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Jun, 2011
Writing Exercise: Practice Dialogue – The Singing Cab Driver
Many years ago I took a writing class in which the instructor asked us to eavesdrop on a conversation in order to practice writing dialogue. One way to bring [...]
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May, 2011
Note from Charlotte: Visiting Niki de Saint Phalle
Last weekend I was in Charlotte, NC for the alumni conference of the Queens MFA Program in Creative Writing. I made a point of swinging by downtown and the [...]
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May, 2011
Note from Savannah: Visiting America’s Third Oldest Synagogue
My shot of the outside of the synagogue. I love the mix of palm trees and live oak! Today a short note from my travels: I spent [...]