I love going down to New York City. Recently, my son Michael and I drove down to spend the day with my daughter Liz and my granddaughter Adeline.  My son-in-law was on a business trip, so it was …

Just as the sharp wailing sounded on the other side of the fence, I felt something soft brush against my dirt-caked fingers. Hiding beneath the weeds I was pulling, a woolly bear had curled itself into a tight ball, bracing on instinct against a perceived threat.

This August we took a quick trip to Chicago. The “we” on this journey are my daughter Liz, granddaughter Adeline, and yours truly.  We had booked this back in March when Barack and …

It feels wrong to look out the window at the backyard now, to see a wide-open space where the playset used to be.    We took the last pieces of it down this weekend, a chainsaw …

Like so many others, I am a member of a book club. We began meeting online during the pandemic and we are still going! 

If an out-of-town visitor is in town for long enough, it’s bound to happen. At some point we’ll spot them with their hands held tight against both ears and a shocked look on their face.  …

The last house on our Derbyshire house tour was the Hardwick Estate, one of the two houses built by Elizabeth of Shrewsbury (1527-1608), who was a true Boss Lady and the second richest woman in …

The question has lurked in my head for months now, springing up at the most unexpected times. 

My friend and intrepid travel buddy Marystephanie and I were ready to see Chatsworth on the fourth day of our tour, but we were a bit panicked. Word had leaked out from some of our fellow tourmates that we would have to climb a six-foot stile on our journey to Chatsworth. When questioned, our guide Christopher “Gentle Incline” Garibaldi admitted that it was true. Now we had made it through some pretty interesting squeeze stiles so far on our treks, but the thought of a six-footer was definitely daunting. Nevertheless, we set off with a spring in our step and fingers crossed.

Warning: What you’re about to read may cause the people around you to look at you like you’re losing your mind. You might want to let them know that you’re about to start talking to yourself … or not. You can always just see how long it takes them to notice.

At long last the day arrived. I was going to be visiting the legendary Chatsworth estate in Derbyshire. It was the promise of a visit to Chatsworth that had lured me on this journey to begin with. …

As we enter September just like the trees around us, we start to change with the change of the season.

His voice was soft, almost a mumble, but I heard enough to understand.  The stranger standing near the doors to Marshall’s in Monticello was asking for money.  The family …

My friend Marystephanie and I were enjoying our hikes to country houses in Derbyshire, England, much more when the heat broke after two days of 90+ degrees.  Our next day’s journey took us to …

The lasts have begun again.  Somehow, they feel even more final this time, perhaps because we’ve been here before. 

Our tour of English country houses continued with a welcome change in the weather. My friend Marystephanie and I were relieved to find the temperature lowered to 84 degrees. Believe me, those ten …

This is how your brain folds in on itself.  It starts with a little girl stepping out from beneath a pop-up tent, a newborn baby in her arms. You’re so entranced by the perfection of …

Day 2 of our tour of Derbyshire Houses proved to be the most strenuous of the lot. Temperatures hovered around 90 degrees. The day’s journey was described thusly: “A walk along an enchanting …

The look was one part skeptical, one part amused, and I sensed a dash of something else in there. It wasn't confidence exactly but a sense that they knew something I didn’t. 

Marystephanie and I were anxious to start our walking tour, in spite of the fact that Great Britain was in the middle of a major heat wave. We took an Uber to Euston Station for our train ride to Derby.

It was the fourth day of vacation, and I’d spent the past five minutes wandering a CVS six hours from home looking for a quick hunger fix. I was on my second trip down the potato chip aisle when …

I have given you all two weeks of explaining why and how I decided to return to the United Kingdom this past June, and enough of the suspense, already, you must be thinking. Let’s get this …

I hate the phrase “picture perfect.”  It’s not the sort of thing you’d expect from a photographer, I’m sure, but these two words have wormed their way into my brain over the years and settled in like a pebble in your shoe, slowly but surely irritating the surface. 

After a bit of planning, my second trip to the United Kingdom this year was underway. However, this trip was going to be a bit different.

When most people use the old saying “it takes a village to raise a child” they have a particular child in mind.