Tom was a good sport and accompanied me on a fact-finding trip for a story—the kind of hard-hitting news I’m known for: We went to Granbury’s historic courthouse square to take in the holiday trimmings.
What you see in this photo is Tom’s manly bits receding for shelter. This was full-throttle vanilla candles, ruffled gingham cat [...]
Monthly Archive for November, 2009
Of all Thanksgiving traditions, I am most loyal to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. No, I’m not on Macy’s payroll, but back in the day, it was a hometown thing. I went to it many times as a child. Bundled up against the November chill, I’d park my little bottom on a curb, usually on [...]
A Fresh Take on U.S. Travel
Posted in Illinois, Meet, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin on Nov 24th, 2009
Some days, it feels like we’re all overthinking travel. So, with my nieces in town for Thanksgiving, I decided to get nine-year-old S.’s fresher-than-most (in several different yet usually charming ways) and back-to-basics take on travel in the U.S. Her sister, six-year-old J., was kind enough to contribute the artwork. She was paid in pretzels.
So, [...]
Thanksgiving: Different Tastes for Different States
Posted in Discuss, Eat and Drink, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas on Nov 20th, 2009
What is everyone thinking about these days? Food. Of course. Holiday traditions, laden tables, houses redolent with sautéed and simmered love.
There’s something cooking in every kitchen in America this time of year, but it’s likely to vary a little from place to place. After all, in those early Thanksgiving days, people pretty much ate what [...]
From the Overpass
Posted in Discuss, New Jersey on Nov 18th, 2009
It really doesn’t matter where this photo was shot*. Looking down on the tracks from an overpass, it struck me that this view is so quintessentially American. It’s a stretch of wild running alongside industry and can-do. It also just makes me want to go, to see what’s out there. While I’ve looked down from [...]
Calling Don Draper: Selling the States
Posted in Discuss, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, See on Nov 16th, 2009
While looking for something else this weekend (which remains unfound), I came across a travel magazine published by Greyhound in 1955, which I bought somewhere sometime and forgot all about. As is often the case with vintage magazines, the best part of the pub is the ads.
Here’s one for Wisconsin, starring Dad in a coma, [...]
Three-fer Friday: Shhh… We’re in Our Quiet Places
Posted in Arizona, Discuss, Go, Maine, New York, Texas, Three-fer Friday, Utah, Wyoming on Nov 13th, 2009
Once the holidays hit, finding a quiet moment can be–let’s call it–challenging. So, before we all get swept away, let’s take a trip to some extreme quiet. This week’s Three-fer Friday celebrates, to borrow Björk’s words, places that are “oh, so quiet [and] oh, so still.” Please take them along–or, of course, call up one [...]
Sometimes, to amuse myself, I try to list all 50 states from memory. I probably shouldn’t admit how bad I am at this game but I really stink at it. Still, nobody can blame me for often forgetting poor, forgettable Delaware. How forgettable is it? I can’t remember if I’ve ever been there. Maybe I [...]
When Food Photography Goes Wrong
Posted in Eat and Drink, Go, Michigan on Nov 9th, 2009
That photo to the left? Now that’s a pie worth eating. I know. I’ve had some of Grand Traverse Pie Company’s cherry pie and it, my friends, is tasty.
So, this morning on Twitter, when I clicked through to a photo writer Mike Barish posted of the latest SkyMall cover, I was horrified to find that there, atop [...]
Getaways for Winter Days
Posted in Colorado, New Jersey, Three-fer Friday, Wyoming on Nov 6th, 2009
We all have our own ideas of the perfect winter getaway. For some people, it’s a tropical beach, far from the snow-covered driveway. (Whenever I say I miss snow, living here in Texas, my husband says, “That’s because you never had to shovel a driveway.” Which is true.) For some, it’s atop a ski mountain, [...]
