I've waited all winter for it to be summer. But now that summer's here and temperatures are reaching nearly 100 F (40 C), I can't seem to get my mind off of Christmas and snow. I was thus led down memory lane to last year's rendition of the annual Holiday Train Show at the New… Continue reading A Holiday Spectacular in NYC
Cumberland Island is the largest of the over 100 Sea Islands off the coast of Southeastern United States stretching from the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns Rivers across South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. These barrier islands help mitigate the immense energy of ocean waves and protect the inner coastlines against erosion. Facing the Atlantic… Continue reading Cumberland Island – Return to Wilderness
On the eastern side of Nova Scotia, nestled on the edge of the clam waters of the Minas Basin, is Grand Pre, forever memorialized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's haunting poem Evangeline. Published in 1847, Evangeline tells of the main heroine's idyllic childhood in Grand Pre and her arduous search for her betrothed after they were… Continue reading Destination Canada – Day 9 – Grand Pre, Nova Scotia
We didn't have to travel far to reach the start of the Acadian Trail at the edge of the Cheticamp campsite. It was an absolute gorgeous day for a hike - sunny and bright with wisps of cool winds blowing through the air. Being early in the season, the deciduous trees were only starting to… Continue reading Destination Canada – Day 6 – Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
We arrived at Halifax at 10pm the evening prior after a 1.5 hour flight from Deer Lake. The alternative would have been to board a 8 hour ferry from Port aux Basques to Sydney, at a higher ticket price. Bright and early around 9:30am, we walked from the hotel towards Halifax Public Gardens, formally established in… Continue reading Destination Canada – Day 5 – Halifax, Nova Scotia
The day started with a drive north on the Viking Trail, which leads to L'Anse aux Meadows, the only known Viking settlement in North America. Our destination - Arches Provincial Park - at 40 minutes, was much closer and, in my view, equally worthwhile. Carved out of limestone via the forces of retreating glaciers, the naturally… Continue reading Destination Canada – Day 4 – Gros Morne, Newfoundland
We eagerly hit the trails in the morning at 10am to start our explorations. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Gros Morne National Park is home to the eponymous Gros Morne mountain. Thus it was fitting that our hike be up the Gros Morne Mountain trail. Also known as the James Callaghan Trail, named some 30… Continue reading Destination Canada – Day 3 – Gros Morne, Newfoundland
We had a late start to the day waking up at 10am and driving 30 minutes south to Bay Bulls to board the Gatherall's Puffin and Whale Watch excursion. Once upon the water, the Captain and crew observed a swarm of northern gannets circling above the water at a relatively short distance way. Every so… Continue reading Destination Canada – Day 2 – St. John’s, Newfoundland
I capped off my weekend Wright trip last April with a stop at Polymath Park, a half-hour drive from Fallingwater. It had snowed the night before and snow still glisten from the tree tops. Driving through the Allegheny Mountains felt like entering upon an enchanted winter wonderland. Little wonder the rich and powerful of Pittsburgh… Continue reading The Wright Houses – Polymath Park
Cushioned into the mountainside of the Chestnut Ridge at 2,050 feet above sea level, Kentuck Knob is barely visible from view. It was one of the last Frank Lloyd Wright houses ever constructed. Wright was 86 when I.N. and Bernardine Hagan, friends of the Kaufmanns, approached him to design for them a luxury Usonian house in 1953… Continue reading The Wright Houses – Kentuck Knob
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