Life Style & Travel

UNITED STATES—As if the lack of rain is not serious enough, the lack of cool winter weather will also cause problems for gardening. Warmth is certainly not as bad as drought, and makes gardening and other outdoor activities more pleasurable, but it interferes with the schedules and cycles that we and the flora in our gardens rely on. Something...

UNITED STATES—Without specialized pruning while they are bare and dormant in winter, many deciduous fruit trees would be overburdened by their own fruit next summer. The production of excess fruit can waste resources. The weight can disfigure and break limbs. The trees certainly do not want to get so overworked; but they have been unnaturally bred to produce bigger,...

HOLLYWOOD—A lot of years I’ve been driving to the hinterlands east of Vine Street to get my shoes shined. It’s worth it: Igor’s mirror-bright shines draw the complements and his wise words usually rearrange the furniture of my mind. Of course it’s not always feasible to drive to his place of business, and I’m sheepish after committing ‘polygamy’ and...

UNITED STATES—Autumn is slow in getting here. Yes, as of last Sunday, it is now autumn. The date is determined by the equinox, so is the same for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere, and is the same for the arrival of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. It just takes a bit longer for autumn weather to develop in the...

UNITED STATES—It is hard to say why boulders and sculptural stone are sometimes incorporated into American landscapes. A long time ago, boulders were only left in landscapes if they were to big and heavy to move out of the way or break apart. Early American landscapes were designed to express dominance over nature by replacing as much of it...

UNITED STATES—Roses are not for the meek. They are too demanding, too sensitive, too thorny, and without their flowers, they are not even very attractive. They have no business in a low-maintenance landscape, or in a landscape maintained by mow, blow and go gardeners. Those who want to grow rose plants for their flowers should be ready to give...

UNITED STATES—Which exotic super car did you post proudly on your bedroom wall during your adolescence? Was it some Italian masterpiece capable of draining a gas tank almost as fast it drained the average flash-in-the-pan celebrity’s wallet? Was it a quirky German engineering marvel designed to showcase why the Autobahn is where it is? Maybe it wasn’t a car at...

UNITED STATES—While I’m not a bona fide “foodie,” Portuguese comida made you pay attention. We joined an REI hiking trip traveling along the Rota Vicentina – the breathtakingly beautiful fisherman’s trail along the Iberian coastline.  Along with that adventure came great food in the small fishing villages we stayed in after our  a 5 plus hours on the trail. The Portuguese...

LOS ANGELES—It used to be that if you didn’t have enough money for a down payment to purchase a home, you were out of luck. Families would have to wait years before they could save enough to make a down payment for a new home. Thankfully, those days are long gone. Today, you don’t need to make a big down...

UNITED STATES—There is yet another miracle to follow. After therapy, the mother and her middle-aged children, Karen and Davy are in the door way to room #6. "Get me to my bed, get me to my bed," the mom croaks and gasps. "We're going to get you back to your bed," Willow says. "I know, I know: eventually," the mother mimics the...