Fated to travel far…
As slick as a dolphin, she glided through the water. Her feet never touched sand. As she swam, I clung tightly to her mane and floated gently above her back on a cushion of seawater. Mowana was her name. She was a sturdy little chestnut with a white, diamond-shaped blaze on her forehead and “feathered”…
Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida, has the largest collection of buildings in the world by America’s most renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.
The flourish of a feminine signature complete with a frilly butterfly forming the “W” belies the tough, weather-proofed steel construction of the sign that welcomes visitors to Dollywood. Much like the Hollywood sign located half-way across the country, this sign serves as a fitting icon for the place and for the person who inspired it….
After three months in self-imposed COVID-19 lockdown, cabin fever overwhelmed me. I sought a place within driving distance that offered a dramatically different environment than my house and yard. Key West, the southernmost tip of the United States, seemed ideal. So, my spouse and I loaded the car and drove south to the land of…
Walking into the dark quiet room, I knew I had entered a sacred space. People spoke in hushed tones as they neared the sarcophagus. A darkly tinted glass shielded the precious body on the other side, yet allowed us to see her clearly. Here lay the remains of the Lady Cao, a woman who wielded…
De Zwaan Windmill (in Dutch, the name means “The Swan”) towers above the flowered fields that surround it, a great flightless bird with an 80-foot wingspan. On the bright summer day I visited, though the mighty wings remained at rest, De Zwaan still impressed me with its beauty and endurance. Over 180 years after its…
A posse of giggling little girls in pink cowboy hats stampeded across the bleachers headed for the concession stand. In the soft rays of twilight, I noticed that their hats twinkled with tiny colored lights around the headbands. A few of the girls wore matching pink cowboy boots. When they skipped, their boots tapped out…
On this mid-summer morn, the fairies had hidden away. With big-footed humans like myself trekking through the woods, they must be careful. Everywhere I looked, though, I noticed signs of their presence. There, stretched along a fallen log, appeared to be dozens of miniature lounge chairs. Perhaps the fairies watched a ballgame last night. Or…
Glaring, a massive bison bull strutted toward me while I snapped photo after photo. “Roll up the window!” my spouse yelled. Reluctantly, I did as told. The bull snorted and turned to threaten the next human. Around me, other drivers faced off against a squad of equally fearsome bulls. The line of cars lengthened on…
Early on a balmy summer morning, I stopped to gaze upon Great Salt Lake. I wanted to experience this fabled body of water before the crowds came to claim her. In the morning haze, islands in the lake appeared to float ethereally above the water. Placid waters and salt-white beaches blended seamlessly into a softly…