TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD:TORONTO January 2023

While waiting to see RICHARD THOMAS (aka John Boy from “Little House on the Prairie”) in the classic TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, part of our regular Mirvish Theater Series, I had a chance to review our fun days in Toronto. Attending the city’s bi-annual ONE OF A KIND show, one of the largest consumer craft shows …

ADVENTURES IN ITALY…MAY 2023

“The Creator made Italy from designs by Michelangelo.” Mark Twain On a steel bird I’ll fly To places old and new… See the people I’ve missed, Rekindling dear old friendships …basking in their glow; Getting lost on strange streets In unknown cities and towns… Tasting new cultures: ITALY’S BEAUTY… It’s ancient, crumbling charm Inviting my …

MICHELLE MEETS AFRICAN LOVED ONES FEBRUARY 2023

After soooo many years of seeing photos and hearing about my dear indigenous Ethiopian families and friends from Nairobi, Kenya, Michelle and I made the loooong trek to meet and spend time with them all. Other sights traveling on the Omo River…an extension of the Nile… Shortly after a pride of lions killed a zebra …

BOCELLI in BOSTON, December 2022

GREAT trip to Boston…visiting old haunts like Quincy Market. We stayed in a small boutiquey hotel across from the Market and around the corner from the T. It was easy to get around…and we even had snow! That and the availability of LEGAL SEAFOOD’s lobster PLUS another Andrea Bocelli concert (this time,, with his talented …

MJL: MEETS AFRICAN FRIENDS and FAMILY November 2022

We had been planning this trip ever since Emma and Holly, daughters of longtime friends Ingrid and Andrew DeBruyn, came to visit us in the USA. Their visit was a celebration of Emma’s high school graduation and Holly joined her because it would be several years before she graduated and we weren’t sure how our …

THE ARTFUL READERS CLUB

THE MEMORY OF AN ELEPHANT by ALEX LASKER Stunning, extraordinary, profound, thought-provoking and emotional… a must read for all elephant lovers! This is a deftly told epic story that brings the beauty and the wild cruelty of Africa vividly to life. (It also reminds us that humans don’t deserve to live on this planet!) “The …

MUSIC, ART…and SO MUCH BEAUTY

A weekend immersed in nature, art and music…heaven to me! Michael and I spent a few weekends ago in Ithaca, N.Y. It’s a sweet university town (Cornell University and Ithaca College) known for its natural beauty. In the heart of the Finger Lakes, it has more than 100 waterfalls, gorgeous gorges and challenging hiking trails. …

HOW CAN WE HELP?

Although our time in Toronto was filled with music, shoe-shopping and lots of eating, Michael and I also did our part helping Michelle with volunteer clothes-sorting for a locally based charity called SAFETYNET…something she and her neighbor do almost every Sunday. SAFETYNET is an organization that provides wrap-around services that encourage independence and helps break …

ART CATCH UP…POTPOURRI

Do frequent trips to Canada count? Since Michelle’s and my trip to Italy in October/November 2021, we’ve been to Canada to see our dear family. Italy just whet our appetites to travel more…we’re used to journeying far and wide…anywhere we wish to go. Because of COVID, our passport has been inactive . Michael and I …