The Blue Ridge Mountains are blue at dawn and dusk, a result of the nearly invisible breath of thousands of trees. Looking at a photo like this, it could be either time of day, since there is a convergence of light and atmosphere when the sun rises and sets. […]

I returned to the North Carolina arboretum recently to enjoy the Nature Connects, Art with LEGO bricks exhibit by Sean Kenney. He was the first of what has grown to become 15 LEGO Certified Professionals. I can assure you I am not in that select group, but I do feel […]

  Butterfly Gardening. The North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville has 434 acres, with over 10 miles of trails winding through forests. I especially enjoy the 65 acres cultivated as assorted gardens, including the delightful quilt garden. This has been planted for over 20 years based on the quilting pattern known […]

  Social media is full of images from fabulous European vacations. Though a tempting travel destination, I saved time and money by visiting a vicarious version of it much closer to home. The Biltmore estate in Asheville was designed after Renaissance chateaus of France, and the elegant gardens and grounds […]

  When coming back from Cuba last month I was flying through Miami and decided to delay my return home to explore the Everglades. I was last there when I was a kid, and then it just seemed a hot and buggy place. I wanted to return now so I […]

Siggy came to me at one and a half, not quite a puppy, but not quite a dog. In a strange way he seemed to stay this way all the time I knew him, wise beyond years but with a youthful exuberance for life. Though incredibly photogenic he didn’t like […]

    Cycads are the oldest insect pollinated plants. The Jurassic is known as the age of the cycads, when these then well established plants were a major part of the dinosaur diet. In spite of the ancient origin of their ancestors, most of the modern species are only 12 […]

I’ve just returned from Cuba, a place I’ve wanted to visit for many years. After a full passport followed by an empty one, this island nation kicked off my return to exotic travel. I was fascinated by the vibrant urban life of cities like Havana, and also by the more […]

  Seattle Center was built for the 1962 World’s Fair. When I left Seattle the area below the Space Needle was the run down Fun Forest amusement park. What has sprung up in its place is an equally fun forest, without the rides. The glass artist Dale Chihuly collaborated with […]