Giving kids with ADHD, anxiety the ‘sleep-away’ camp experience
Swimming, archery, arts and crafts, campfire stories, making new friends. Anyone who has been to summer camp recognizes and remembers these things. But if you’re...
Hit the Road
Always something new to discover at Balboa Park
I’ve had a long-standing love affair with Balboa Park. Called the Jewel of San Diego for good reason, the park always gives forth something new,...
There’s something for everyone in Scottsdale
Western wear shops and chic boutiques. Trendy coffee shops and cowboy saloons. High-end art galleries and whimsical public art. Museums of history and western art....
Take advantage of Scottsdale’s good nature
I love serendipity, like this unexpected encounter with Maggie, a great horned owl surveying the elegant lobby of the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale,...
Road Scholar helps seniors resuming travel
Retire. Rocking chair. Rest in peace. That was the old order of things for those we call seniors. Today? It’s a whole new world. Seniors...
Boatload of holiday fun in and around San Diego
Gondolier Luke “Luciano” Andreen surprises us with a question: “Would you like me to sing a song?” Absolutely. “In English or Italian?” Since we are...
Conservation up close in Washington’s Blue Mountains
Hartmut Stecher is a marathon runner, so when he takes off down the trail, we have to hustle. We are hiking in Jasper Mountain Reserve,...
Reindeer games and more in America’s Bavarian village
Question: What can run 50 miles an hour, swim faster than Michael Phelps and control the temperature of its legs so they don’t freeze to...
Art, food scenes complement natural beauty in Edmonds, Washington
Forty-five minutes out of Edmonds, Washington, heading south on the Puget Sound Express catamaran Swiftsure, we spot them — the unmistakable dorsal fins of three...
Discovering Utah’s desert treasures in St. George
You might call it St. George’s “three-fer:” Red Hills Desert Garden, Pioneer Park and Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. The three destinations, all contiguous on the...
Walking with a purpose along the Camino de Santiago
One route. Two journeys. That’s how MiraCosta College professor Leola Powers describes the six days that she and longtime friend Christie Pickel spent walking the...
LA writer explores city’s origins, opportunities
Tackling the history of Los Angeles — the sprawling, chaotic, seemingly amorphous neighbor to the north — had to be as intimidating as the L.A....
This short walk will stay with you a long time
Jenny’s Canyon. It might be the most dramatic half-mile walk you’ll ever take. This magnificently unique miracle of nature is just one of many wonders...
Virginia’s Montpelier confronts contradictions of fourth US president
It is an unplanned but pleasing coincidence that our visit to Montpelier, the home of James Madison, the fourth U.S. president (1809-1817), coincides with Juneteenth. Recognized...
Family history, slavery intersect in rural Virginia
It’s barely 10 a.m., but our group of seven is sweating under the Virginia sun. I’ve got to keep my sleeves rolled down to prevent...