I was quite moved by the simple, yet powerful message of the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston. There is a path that runs beneath the six glass towers representing the main Nazi concentration camps — Majdanek, Chelmno, Sobibor, Treblinka, Belzec, and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Etched in the glass are six million…
Reflections on September 11th
This is a re-post of an article published last year on the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
Around the world, many are reflecting on the tragic events of September 11, 2001…
From Humble to Hearst Castle
This schoolhouse in Old San Simeon along California’s Central Coast is a humble contrast to the opulence of Hearst Castle on top of the hill behind it. The one-room school was built in 1881. When newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst built his estate in the early 1900s, he was inspired…
A Tramp in Heidelberg
Mark Twain was enchanted by Heidelberg on his “tramp” through Europe in 1878 about which he wrote A Tramp Abroad
Raindrops on Roses
I must have a thousand photos of flowers taken in deserts, mountains, conservatories, and family gardens. I think some of the loveliest were taken of raindrops on roses in Queen Mary’s Gardens at The Regent’s Park in London. I visited on a not uncommon September day that alternated sunshine and…
Ernest Hemingway: Chapter One
Ernest Hemingway has been a favorite author of mine since I read The Sun Also Rises many years ago.
Welcome to Belgium at Bruges Central Station
This being my first time in Belgium, I was excited to arrive at Bruges Central Station. Although I had only an afternoon to spend there, I looked forward to seeing a few of the popular sights, indulging in fine chocolates and feeling the charm of this medieval city. Outside the…
Red Rock Canyon: Nevada on the Rocks
On a trip to Las Vegas this summer, we decided to take a break from the Strip one afternoon and get some fresh air and exercise at Red Rock Canyon, just 15 miles west of downtown.