The aroma of baking cornbread wafted through the air, awakening fond memories of my grandma’s kitchen. The sumptuous odor actually arose from a giant wooden vat filled with bubbling, fermenting corn mash. Deep in bluegrass country surrounded by horse farms, Woodford Reserve crafts fine Kentucky bourbon in a 250-year old distillery. As I strolled through…
FIFTY STARS
On June 14, 1777, though the American Revolution yet raged, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” Since that first flag day, we’ve added another 37…
SWEET GRASS, SOFT WOOL
“Watch out señora, llama spits,” the farmer said, tipping his hat and smiling at me. I’d wandered away from my group still eating lunch at the café next door. The sight of beautiful animals grazing lazily in the farmer’s pasture drew me to the field. I noted the minimal fencing. “What keeps them here?” I…
BEFORE THE SILENT SPRING
After the morning rain, the path through the woods felt spongy to my step. Wet leaves glistened beneath my boots. Some leaves curled like little cups holding the rainwater, and I could imagine small animals sipping from them. A short way down the path, I noticed a rough wooden sign nailed to tree. A quote…
DIGNITY
After a day exploring the glorious South Dakota Badlands in scorching heat, I faced a tedious six-hour drive on Interstate 90 to my next destination. About halfway to Sioux City, I stopped at a roadside rest stop to stretch my legs and give the dog a walk. Twilight approached, bathing everything in its gentle light….
THE STONY GROUND
The giant pot simmered, wafting intoxicating aromas throughout the house. I breathed deeply to savor the aura of steaming clams and mussels, basting chicken, sausages, potatoes, vegetables, and fresh herbs. Plump savory dumplings bubbled on the top of the pot, promising unimaginable pleasures. Alas, for me the pleasure was not to be. Maria Elena Bartsch…
THE TRINITY: DEER, CORN & PEYOTE
“They’re saving humanity through their art,” the gallery owner said. He lovingly held up a small, beaded figurine — a brightly colored deer. The intricate beadwork, embedded on the wooden form with beeswax, formed patterns and symbols. A star appeared on its forehead, a sun upon its nose, a scattering of white flowers, and a…
LAND OF FIRE AND ICE
As the strange, mighty ship slipped swiftly through the water, tribesmen set smoky fires along the coast to signal those downwind of its passage. From his ship’s deck, Ferdinand Magellan observed the smoke and dubbed this island Tierra del Fuego — Land of Fire. Almost 500 years later, I watched the passing terrain from the…
ART OUT LOUD
Wandering alone through the streets of an unfamiliar city on a Thanksgiving holiday, I felt more than a little sorry for myself. With no destination in mind, I meandered this way and that toward whatever caught my eye. Then, like an electric jolt, her sudden appearance dazed me. Big, brazen, extending arms wide to embrace…
EVERY DOG DESERVES ITS DAY
“To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,” French author Milan Kundera once said. Fortunately, the idylls of Eden lie very close to downtown Oakland, California. At two incredible parks in the East Bay, dogs (and dog lovers) may loll on green hillsides and romp…