Life Style & Travel

UNITED STATES—Most automobile enthusiasts will tell you without hesitation that their obsession with everything four-wheeled began at an early age. In fact, most of us can say that our first words were car related-terms of some sort. Those who don’t understand the fascination with cars may wonder how someone can maintain a healthy interest in motor vehicles for upwards...

UNITED STATES—I used to be jealous of opinions because I was around people who were so fluent in opinions. I took it as a sign of their intelligence. They knew French fries were only good when eaten warm, or I should change my 666 phone prefix because the diabolical connotations may prevent some people from calling me. These things...

UNITED STATES—From the time they get planted in early spring, tomato plants are expected to perform a bit better than they did earlier in the season. They start out with only a few early tomatoes, but quickly become prolific. Production continues to increase as the plants grow all through summer . . . until now. Newer leaves on top...

UNITED STATES—Nothing so entraps a life in mediocrity as inability to decide. It dooms people to limbo, and nevertheless, it’s easy to see why they choose limbo. It’s scary to decide; you want to leave the door open, or at least ajar, to be able to slink back out. Look, you wouldn’t believe it, but a sentence ago I wanted...

UNITED STATES—Originally this was going to be a list of the Five best affordable sports cars available right now. One problem. There may not be Five total affordable sports cars currently on the market. It turns out, the “affordable sports car," defined for this article as a two-seat, two-door coupe or roadster available for under $50K (Yes, that’s right....

VANCOUVER, B.C.—For the past 12 years, Signing Babies has offered classes for mothers and toddlers that incorporate beginning-level American Sign Language (ASL) with singing, rhyming and playing. Founder and instructor Lee Ann Steyns describes herself as "a Vancouver mom who put my background as a preschool teacher, recreation centre class programmer, and parent of two together with my personal love...

SAVANNAH, GA—It is a warm summer afternoon in Savannah, Georgia. Dozens of wanderers pass through the brick corridors on the cobblestone streets of Downtown Historic Savannah. Amongst the crowds, perched to the side, is six-year-old Jaden Hayes; a young boy with a big smile and an even bigger heart. Hayes is on a mission to collect as many smiles as...

UNITED STATES—Arborists are horticulturists who are specialized with the horticulture of trees, which is known as arboriculture. In urban gardening, they are not as familiar as gardeners who mow lawns and tend to the annuals, perennials and shrubbery that are close to the ground; but they should be. The trees that arborists maintain are the most significant features in...

CALIFORNIA—In June 2015, California passed a new law requiring children to be vaccinated against high-risk infectious diseases. Starting July 1, 2016, all children, 18 months or older, enrolled in public or private schools or in daycare facilities will be required to be vaccinated against whooping cough, measles, poliomyelitis (polio), diphtheria, tetanus, varicella (chickenpox), haemophilus influenza type B (Hib), mumps, and...

UNITED STATES—I totally get it when a friend said after attending a big wedding back east, lots of family and drink, “I’m in detox mode.” I get it. Travel this summer has taken its toll and severely tested my easygoing live-and-let-eat philosophy. I was at the mercy of roadside convenience stores in a dozen states. At one point I was trapped...