Above the earth in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia. What could be more magical? No stress. No sense of routine. Heightened senses in an unfamiliar reality. It’s a perfect vacation activity, but not something you can do on a four day break from work. Vacation travel raises suspicions. Once
We see Alexander Hamilton every time we take out a ten dollar bill. Our first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton believed in a strong central government led by the executive branch, established the national debt as a means of developing international credit, and built the Bank of the United States.
Once upon a time, most people lived small, but they weren’t necessarily happy about it. This one room cottage is part of the Ulster Folk Museum in Northern Ireland. It looks charming with its thatched roof and graveled pathway. Inside we see a sitting/sleeping area next to the fire, with
Changing up the reading list a little with two novels about families and growing up. Officially the genre is called coming-of-age, and though it specifically refers to the transition from youth to adulthood, I don’t think it’s a process that’s ever complete. Both of these novels are engaging, and good
Summer is a happy time for me, but I suspect that’s my preconceived attitude. I want summer to be happy, because it contains so many things I like. Happiness is an elusive concept. We all want to be happy, but we don’t define happiness in the same way, which makes
Good historical fiction takes the reader into an authentic world where the story is presented against the backdrop of actual customs and material culture, for example, food as it is eaten and prepared or family customs such as purdah, the seclusion of women within the household. When there’s also a
Cats, readers, and writers just seem to go together. Before Big Box Bookstores and long before Amazon, cats used to be frequent residents in independent bookstores. Alas, the opportunity to scratch kitty ears at the cash register is gone, but readers still cuddle up with cats, as do writers. MARK
If you’re one of the many viewers of Poldark, this coastline may look familiar. It’s Lelant Engine, near Pendeen in Cornwall. Cornwall, a peninsula in South West England surrounded by the English Channel and Celtic Sea, is noted for its scenery and beaches. Tourism is an important part of the
Since 1991 Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, better known as Dr. Beach, has released a list of America’s Best Beaches on Memorial Day Weekend. This year, first place honors went to Kapalua Bay Beach on Maui. Hapuna Beach State Park on the Big Island was also on the list, in eighth
In the midst of an on-going eruption from Kīlauea Volcano, it’s hard to avoid thinking about Goddess Pele who makes her home in the volcano. There are many stories about Pele who is viewed both as a beautiful young woman and an old hag. She appears on roadways, hitches rides,
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