September 21st, 2010 | General, Travel
Blenheim Castle is a much slicker operation than the last time I was there, and much more costly. It would be. I haven’t been there since 1975. From New Cottage, Blenheim is a hop, skip and jump down Woodstock Road. My Dear One had never been; this was my...
September 20th, 2010 | General, Travel
It takes a day or two to settle in. Saturday afternoon, jet-lagged and disoriented, we set out in search of food. A map kindly provided by our host located essential resources in the area and Sainsbury’s seemed like the best choice for basic shopping. We fed the...
September 20th, 2010 | General, Travel
Outside the little flagstoned-floor solarium in this thatched cottage, one of three surviving buildings of the catastrophic fire of 1793, the last of the freesias and dahlias and hollyhocks sway under soft clouds and glimpses of pale blue sky. It is quiet. I hear to...
September 7th, 2010 | Cooking, Kitchen and Table, General
I found the best foodie website ever: http://nutritiondata.self.com. My Dear One asked if I would make carrot cake. Years ago we found somewhat unusual recipe that makes a particularly savory cake, not terribly sweet, and pleasantly moist. Since then we have improved...
September 2nd, 2010 | General, Health
My first class starts at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. That means I will rise at six, shower and dress to create a proper first impression, eat, scan the Baltimore Sun, and get on the road by seven. I-95 is a horror show during rush hour. It shouldn’t take more than...
August 31st, 2010 | Genealogy, General
One finds relatives in the most unexpected places. I know a lot about my relatives. I am that family member—and there is always one—endowed with the genealogy gene. I inherited the published books, the old photographs, letters and diaries, and the odd notes and...
August 21st, 2010 | General
The effect is not quite as I wanted. Pam’s bridal bouquet included flowers that shone like molten gold in the Texas sun. The stripes I hook are wine-red, heather-ish green, coral, eggshell and black. The colors are close enough, though. The blanket is for the baby, a...
August 13th, 2010 | General, visual arts
It’s over and done with and Abdi, as the “Next Great Artist,” will exhibit his work at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The check for $100,000.00, he says, will go to his mother. In ten years, however, or ten months or ten days, will anyone remember? Will anyone care? Just...
August 5th, 2010 | General, the world and Mother Nature, visual arts
Bill Powers led the Final Five into the woods. China Chow, draped in earth-toned cloak, presented them to “Nature herself” and gave instructions to incorporate something they found, something “without a pulse,” into their works. She also mentioned that this task would...
July 30th, 2010 | General, visual arts
I found a certain irony in Challenge 8. Last week I railed about the triviality of the challenges. I even weighed in on the subject on Jerry Saltz’s New York magazine blog where some of the more interesting discussions about the show take place. This week the Great...
