For a while now, I have had an urge to go to Spain; I want to see the masterpieces of my college art history days at The Prado in Madrid, and I want to see the architecture of Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona. I have long had an appreciation for the act of improvisation when taking … Read more
I went to Easton, PA last spring for the Easton Arts Tour, and while this sculpture of the former heavyweight champ was not part of the tour, I did happen upon it while checking out a band and food tent set-up in Scott Park. Scott Park is located in Easton where the Lehigh River merges … Read more
One of my outings while in Minneapolis this past summer was a visit to Minnehaha Falls with a hike along the creek at the bottom of the falls. I knew from hiking this path before that there were some interesting sandstone walls along the creek where people have used their hands or sticks to carve … Read more
I saw these painted bug sculptures, or folk art pieces, in the courtyard setting of a shop called “The Rainbow Man” in Santa Fe, and really like them. I made the mistake of not checking for the artist’s name when I was there, and looked under the Folk Art features on their website, but am … Read more
While making the drive through the Florida Keys (starting in Miami, with Key West as the end destination), day 2 of the trip found us getting hit with very hard rain, to the point where it was sometimes hard to see the road in front of us! As we were going through Islamorada, we saw … Read more
I love going to the beach, enjoying the ocean, both from an observer’s vantage point (relaxing on the beach watching the waves come in), but also being in the water, riding the waves, and feeling the cool relief of the ocean on a hot summer day. I’ve had a season pass at Ocean Grove the … Read more
I’ve long had an interest in the Florida Keys, the idea of a series of islands connected by a highway has intrigued me. I didn’t know much about the Florida Keys in advance of going, other than three basic concepts: 1, it’s where the Netflix drama “Bloodline” is set; 2, it’s where a former in-law’s … Read more
I was on a day trip, exploring Beacon, NY, when I noticed this funny sign in the front window of the Beacon Library. It reads: “Dinosaurs Didn’t Read and now They’re Extinct. Coincidence?” A pretty funny idea from the local librarian to use some humor to get people inside their doors. The idea of a … Read more
On my travels walking around Pittsburgh, I noticed some brown pods laying in the street, and while I’ve seen these things before, I didn’t know what they were called or what they were from. A little research tells me that they’re “honey locust pods.” The honey locust tree (scientific name “gleditsia triacanthos”), is a deciduous … Read more
On a visit to Peekskill, NY last September, I was walking down North Division Street when I noticed these seemingly sad figures crouched on the street. Then I noticed a boarded up window with the hand-written message “Taco District.” My first thought was that it was someone’s graffiti message, proclaiming this strip of Peekskill as … Read more