As a kid, I spent summers at the Jersey Shore playing on the beach and body surfing in the ocean. It was fun and healthy—except for the annual pain from sunburn. (Back then, skin cancer awareness wasn’t really a thing.) I believed the ocean had healing powers because that’s what my parents told me. Any…
An iconic American landmark is gone. A fast-moving wildfire—sparked by a July 4th lightning strike—has ravaged the nearly 100-year-old Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim. Also lost in the flames: all 80 cabins, the campground, general store, gas station, and the saloon. An entire resort reduced to ash in just a few hours. As…
A neighbor handed me the top of a store-bought pineapple she’d cut off while slicing the fruit. Instead of tossing it, she thought I might want to plant it—just to see what happens. I literally laughed out loud. “Plant it? Really?” I bellowed. Two years later, the joke’s on me. Despite my ignorance and complete…
Looking to escape the shoulder-to-shoulder tourist throngs that flood Italy’s hotspots? We stumbled upon a hidden slice of paradise during our visit to Capri, the tiny island off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. Capri is just as busy and beloved as any other Italian destination—especially in summer and fall—but the place we discovered…
Sitting on a closely mowed green fairway just off the beach on Seabrook Island, SC, the party is underway. People dance to the music of a live rock band or gather in small groups on lawn chairs, drinking, eating, and playing cornhole. As the sun sets, the scene feels like a joyful prelude to the…
