Life Style & Travel

LOS ANGELES—DineL.A. Happy Hour Week is kicking off in Los Angeles next week to give locals and tourists an opportunity to experience the various style and flavor Los Angeles offers when it comes to dining. Presented by the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, from Monday, April 27 through Friday, May 1, over 135 featured restaurants and bars throughout Los...

UNITED STATES—Of course, to the plants who do it, naturalizing is an advantage. To the rest of us, it is often a problem. The advantage to the plants who do it is that they move into new territory, make themselves at home, and probably do quite well with the new place. The disadvantage to everyone else is that naturalizing...

UNITED STATES—Eco-tourism by the sea, overseas is a new phenomenon, especially forItaly.  The government has designated an archipelago of islands called Il Parco Nazionale dell’Archipelago de La Maddelena, or La Maddalena, as a National Park. The main island, Isola Maddalena is accessible by traggetto (a ferry that transports people and cars) from Olbia in Sardinia.  No reservations are necessary.  Traggetti...

UNITED STATES—Except for flowers that bloom randomly throughout the year, most autumn bloom is done. Much of the formerly spectacular autumn foliar color succumbed to wintry rain and wind. Many colorful winter berries have already gone with migratory birds who consume them. Overwintering birds appreciate what lingers. Fortunately, some winter bloom continues. Cool season annuals likely provide most winter flowers...

UNITED STATES—Before all the Christmas trees were sold and relinquished their space, the smaller types of bare root stock started arriving in local nurseries. Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currants, grapes, strawberries, rhubarb and asparagus, may have been available for a while. More substantial bare root stock, such as roses, fruit trees and ornamentals, may already be arriving. Bare root stock...

BEVERLY HILLS—I am one of the many millennials that refer to organic, holistic and more natural approaches to health care. However, there are times when you need real old fashioned medical help. Receiving health care isn't a problem for most because we have laws in place to protect patients from discrimination and being denied health care regardless of your...

UNITED STATES—Even as autumn weather cools, smoke rising from a simple old fashioned brick chimney is a rare sight nowadays. A smoking stovepipe is rarer. Modern building codes forbid the installation of new fireplaces or wood stoves within most municipalities here. Modern air quality ordinances severely limit the use of existing fireplaces and wood burning stoves. Furthermore, existing fireplaces and...

UNITED STATES—The measuring stick for success last month was Gold. Yes, the Rio Olympic Games were in full swing and reminding us once again that we Americans have plenty to be proud of despite what our current campaign season has shown us. However, Olympic medals are not the only awards that are handed out to the same recipients on...

UNITED STATES—I get a kick remembering when Maya turned to me with the Wooster, Massachusetts edge and the fleeing r’s in her voice and said, “Are you a cynic?” It was a treat to have somebody close enough to observe that; it’s the bonus togetherness. Well, calling me cynical was like accusing Husserl of being a logical positivist. Time...

UNITED STATES—As zinnias, petunias, cosmos and other warm season annuals fade in the cooling weather, we might add a few chrysanthemums or marigolds for color through autumn, or we might go straight for pansies, violas or other cool season annuals that will provide color through winter. In the locally mild climate, there is always potential for some sort of...