Summer Apples
This is the time of year when I used to go apple picking with my kids. Alas, they've all flown the nest, and the one day my daughter and I [...]
28
Sep, 2018
18
Nov, 2016
Photo of the Week: Saguaro Cacti
I've been traveling nonstop for the past two weeks, first to Arizona to attend my publisher's author retreat, then to Israel to attend my son's graduating ceremony from IDF advanced [...]
9
Sep, 2016
Photo of the Week: Leaf
I have been so happy about this new leaf on my Schefflera tree! It is the very first leaf to grow since I got the plant back in March, and [...]
6
Sep, 2016
Ireland – The Giant’s Causeway, Then and Now
My favorite place in Ireland is the Giant's Causeway on the coast of Antrim in Northern Ireland. I love the mystery of it, i.e. the fact that even geologists are [...]
22
Aug, 2016
Today Is…
{August Break 8/21: Today is...} ...a day to hang out with family and friends.
5
Jun, 2016
Grandpa and the Tractor
Father's Day is coming and so it is fitting that my essay about my grandpa, titled The Tractor, should be published this month on Thread, a literary magazine. Writing about [...]
11
Jun, 2015
Planting the Porch
Finally, finally, it is summer here and I managed to get all the planting done on our porch. Remember my old pot? Well, I decided I was indeed going to [...]
16
Mar, 2015
The Ugliest Time of the Year
This is the ugliest time of the year in Chicago. The snow has melted and so there isn't even a remnant of white covering up the trash that has accumulated [...]
13
Feb, 2015
Off the Beaten Path in Israel: Zohar Stronghold
The cold is getting to me (Chicago's high is 17F today), so it's time for memories of warmer days and an entirely different landscape than winter's bleak outside. I haven't [...]
23
Jan, 2015
Magic in the Winter Woods @ VCCA
I have returned to the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), where I'm trying to be immensely productive during my two-week residency. When I get tired, or need to rev myself [...]
7
Aug, 2014
Manaus Journal (2) – Tie your House to a Tree
In between attending two World Cup games in Manaus, the capital city of the Amazon, we had time to explore the river and the rain forest. When we were visiting [...]
9
Jun, 2014
The Glory of Green
Our country property in Indiana is finally, gloriously saturated with green. I've never been so hungry and so thirsty for green! After this long hard winter and all its whiteness, [...]
26
Feb, 2014
Before Winter Became Heavy
Before winter became heavy, it came softly. Before we had 3+ feet of snow on the ground, there were just tracks of snow swinging through the woods. I really miss [...]
22
Jan, 2014
Walking the Woods at VCCA
I can hardly believe my good fortune to have been granted another residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), and so, when I arrived and temperatures were [...]
26
Nov, 2013
Osage Oranges
Osage oranges are one autumn's delights for me. I never knew about them until my first residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts a few autumns ago, [...]
6
Nov, 2013
Exploring an Abandoned Path
My son and I had the most thrilling adventure on Sunday: After shopping at Bass Pro Shop for his upcoming science fair project, we stopped by a park down [...]
29
Oct, 2013
A Japanese Garden in Autumn
Last week I treated myself to what Julia Cameron calls an Artist's Date, time spent by yourself in an interesting location to replenish the soul and gather images for the [...]
18
Oct, 2013
Gossamer Magic
A leaf stands in midair. Upon closer inspection, it seems to hang by an invisible thread, caught on the one flight of its life, the journey of autumn, the trip from branch to [...]
3
Oct, 2013
Colors of the Woods
The other day I was in a blue mood, discombobulated and irritable. I had the good fortune, however, that my husband and I drove out to the country that day. [...]
24
Sep, 2013
A Perfect Day
Oh how I feel like myself again this morning, readying photos for this post! Feels good. Finally, I am blogging again. And blogging, despite its airy quality, is amazingly grounding [...]
2
Aug, 2013
A Rose on my Porch
I'm not big into photographing flowers, at least I didn't think I was, but for the very first time I have a miniature rose bush on my porch, which I [...]
13
Jun, 2013
Two Friends Go to Starved Rock
LaSalle Canyon Wall, photo taken by my friend Barbara Schlund Starved Rock is one of my favorite places to hike, and when my friend Barbara was visiting, we stopped by [...]
2
May, 2013
On Getting to Know a Place
We bought our property in northwest Indiana almost five years ago, and getting to know this one place on Earth, exploring it over and over again, has been one of the joys I [...]
14
Mar, 2013
Study in Gray
It seems to me that in March, right before spring, when everything is especially barren, nature invites contemplation. On my recent walk through our property in northwest Indiana, I had to [...]
6
Mar, 2013
18
Feb, 2013
Winter Beach
Assembling a photo essay from one of my outings is one of my happiest pursuits, and so over this long weekend (In the U.S. it's Presidents Day today, which means the [...]
17
Jan, 2013
In Search of Winter
Hello winter, where are you? There is no sight of snow in Chicago, so on a recent trip to the Indiana country side I went in search of winter, looking [...]
17
Dec, 2012
Favorite View of 2012
Mono Lake, California, August 2012 In following Rebecca Murphy's Relish12 challenge, the 12.14 prompt asked about my favorite view of 2012. I instantly knew which picture I would choose. Even though [...]
7
Dec, 2012
A New Blog Banner
About every six months, I get the urge to change my blog banner. I grow tired of the old one, and I feel it doesn't represent me anymore. Thanks to [...]
30
Nov, 2012
The Garden of the Cang Lang Ting (Blue Waves Pavilion) in Suzhou, China
Walkway along the canal outside of the Garden, as seen from The Fish Watching Spot For a long time I have been meaning to share pictures from my visit to [...]
19
Nov, 2012
This is Bliss…
...hot chocolate in the grass in November. ...kicking off the hiking boots. ...lying on the autumn ground. ...studying the leaves. [...]
1
Nov, 2012
Photo Essay: Point Reyes – Into the Fog
Cypress trees dripping with moisture on the way to the lighthouse at Point Reyes. Since today is November 1, and I have so far been celebrating fall with roaring colors, I'm [...]
30
Oct, 2012
Photo Essay: Savoring Fall in Indiana
I am immensely grateful to our friend who sowed sunflower seeds on an empty spot on our property in Indiana, because the dry sunflowers now make great models for my [...]
11
Oct, 2012
Photo Essay: At the Pumpkin Farm
I am absolutely in love with fall, particularly this year when the summer's heat kept me indoors so much. I've promised myself to be outside as much as possible to savor fall, [...]
21
Sep, 2012
A Plant as a Companion
Our asparagus fern rules the sunporch The other day I was reading E.B. White's One Man's Meat again, and in the particular essay I happened upon, he was talking about [...]
6
Jul, 2012
Tornado Trees
Our property out in the country of northwestern Indiana got hit by a tornado last weekend. Thankfully, none of the buildings were damaged, but as we walked around earlier this [...]
Ask me anything about how to write family history into compelling stories! Submit your question 
