Norwegian Capital of the U.S.

I am no stranger to Minnesota, as we recently packed up the car and the dog, and headed to the north woods for a weekend family celebration. I spent a couple of weeks every summer of my childhood in the family station wagon, as we wound our way north on our annual vacation. My dad,…

Continue reading →

A Night at the Opera

I don’t have to travel far to see world class art and architecture…right in my own backyard. The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Continue reading →

Sea Daze

Only one more day left on this sleepy island. Then I have to come out of my coma and wake up to real life. Sanibel has a way of sucking you into a fantasy world where no one hurries to be anywhere or do anything, or even have a schedule at all. You can sleep…

Continue reading →

Temporary Gallery of Art

A day at the beach, with the meditative repetition of the surf, the white noise of lapping waves, birds calling, children’s laughter, and salty breezes, fosters calmness and, sometimes, creativity. With an abundance of natural materials to work with, some people feel compelled to express themselves, and their inner artist can emerge in beautiful ways,…

Continue reading →

Island Distractions

On Sanibel, it’s easy to do just nothing. But, if you tire of that, it has plenty else to offer. Considered one of the best shelling spots in North America, Sanibel attracts shell-lovers from all over the world. The unique east-west orientation of the island creates beautiful sandy beaches and an abundance of unusual shells….

Continue reading →

Pattern and Texture

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” ~Henry Miller

Continue reading →

Pedal Pushers

The Sanibel Causeway spans San Carlos Bay and connects the island to the Florida mainland in Punta Rassa, near Ft. Myers. The entire causeway is three miles long, consists of three two-lane bridge spans, with two man-made islands between, and charges a toll for island-bound vehicles only. So, once on the island, it’s easier to…

Continue reading →

The Common Snowbird

There is an actual bird, the Common Snow-Bird, or dark-eyed junco, that migrates south from the cold in groups. John James Audubon, the great naturalist and painter, once wrote of the snowbird, “The migration of these birds is performed by night, as they are seen in a district one day and have disappeared the next.”…

Continue reading →

The Peabody Ducks

The first Peabody Hotel was built on Main Street and Monroe, in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1869, and named in honor of George Peabody, for his contributions to the south. It hosted many important dignitaries of the time, including Andrew Johnson, William McKinley, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis.The hotel closed in 1923 in preparation to…

Continue reading →