The South Carolina low country, the region along the state’s coast, immediately conjures up images of live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss, wildlife that flourishes in the dense marshland, fresh seafood, grits, and platefuls of gumbo or good barbecue. But in addition to its natural beauty and culinary appeal, the South Carolina low country…
Exploring Another World in Key West
If there’s anywhere in the continental United States that’s a true getaway from reality, it’s Key West. One of the funkiest towns in the country, this small tropical island—the last in the Florida Keys archipelago—follows the beat of its own drum, to say the least. In fact, Key West proved its fierce independence by declaring…
Riding the Rails in Japan—Across the Country, and Deep Into History
The train is on time—because the train is always on time. And, I don’t have a seat. After getting slightly turned around disembarking my train from Hiroshima, which got me here in a real hurry, I’m struggling to make my connection. Dashing down onto the proper platform, I hear the rumble and clang of the…
Find Fish, Kitsch, and Wildlife in the Florida Keys
One afternoon while visiting the Florida Keys I photographed my wife, Fyllis, swimming with stingrays and other denizens of the sea in a huge tank of water, then shoving live fish through an opening in a Plexiglas wall to feed hungry sharks on the other side. Driving back to our temporary home away from home,…
Return to Kauai: A Salve for the Soul
I didn’t expect to feel a lump in my throat, but as the plane touches down along the lush green fields of Kauai, I feel a rush of emotion. Like so many, I’ve missed the ability to travel. Mostly, though, I missed some of my favorite places—and Kauai is one of them. Granted, things are…
Exploring Ancient Wonders: The Pyramids and the Nile
Headed west, we cross the broad expanse of the Nile, so storied in our collective knowledge and memory, from carrying the baby Moses in a basket to running red in the biblical plagues. But today, nothing feels so ancient, the surface below buzzing with small boats, busy with the flow and urgency of day-to-day life….
Hmong New Year in Luang Prabang: Finding a Wife, and Other Pursuits
The taxi driver is apologetic. “Sir, this is as close I can get,” he tells me, as I climb out more than a mile from my destination. And then, moving in the same direction as everyone else, I join the pilgrimage. The crowd thickens as I get closer. Some travel on foot, others buzz past…
Food and Wine, Not Sun and Sand, in Puerto Vallarta
Mexico’s Puerto Vallarta is admittedly not known for wine. After all, Jalisco, the state surrounding the resort destination first popularized by Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and other Hollywood stars back in the day, is the home of tequila in the same way that champagne only comes from France’s Champagne region. Then there is the lack…
Heavenly Lake Tahoe Is Pure Heaven for Families
Our family recently had the pleasure of enjoying a late-winter wonderland at Heavenly Ski Resort, and it was undoubtedly one of the most picturesque places I have ever seen. Situated in South Lake Tahoe, it is the largest resort in the region and offers an absolutely phenomenal playground for family-friendly skiing and snowboarding. This magnetic…
Mother Nature’s Hidden Gems
Sure, it’s great to ooh and aah at the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, be overwhelmed by the blistered desert floor and extinct volcanic craters in Death Valley, and hear the thunderous roar of Niagara Falls. But Mother Nature also has created countless other treasures throughout the country that while less well-known are no less…
-
Recent Posts
-
Archives
- May 2025
- April 2025
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- September 2013
- July 2013
- March 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- December 1
-
Meta