Dogwoods

Cornus florida, the flowering dogwood native to eastern North America, is Virginia’s official state floral emblem and state tree. In spring, dogwoods flower in clusters surrounded by large bracts, which unfold in either white or pink. Tight-clustered fruit, oval red...

Devotion

After 9/11, writer Dani Shapiro, her husband journalist-turned-screenwriter Michael Maren and their young son Jacob moved from New York City to rural Connecticut. She tried to have another child, but suffered miscarriages, and now was in her forties. Jacob was...

Rhythms

Our first morning on board the cruise ship in Istanbul, Keith and I rose early, took the elevator to the 7th deck and walked into the World Café. We passed the coffee and juice bar, then oohed and aahed at the assortment of fruits, cheeses, yogurts and fish, wondered...

Walking the Mountain Road

I’m Heathcliff. Remember me from three Christmases ago? I’m a good dog. My buddy Freya and I walk the mountain road to fetch the mail. That’s her biting my leg. She gets excited. Anticipation. We trot together for a while. Then Freya decides to run down the ravine to...