Registration now open Santas will take over Downtown Las Vegas for the 12th annual, iconic Las Vegas Great Santa Run benefitting Opportunity Village on Saturday, December 3. This year, Human Nature will join Opportunity Village’s “OVIPs” as the Grand Marshals of 2016. The Strip’s famed Chippendales will serve as the Grand Marshals for the one-mile Kris Kringle Jingle Walk. The morning will kick off with music by a DJ Mikey P, a Zumba … [Read more...]
Paradise Found: High Spirits and Good Eats in Montana
On the culinary trail from Bozeman to Missoula Sipping wine on a breezy summer day in a place called Paradise was a little slice of heaven, indeed. And it wasn't the only experience that had me in high spirits on a three-day road trip that began in Bozeman and took us northwest to Missoula. With the guidance of our local Montana companions, my husband and I sampled surprisingly innovative dishes, traditional Montana classics, fine wines, … [Read more...]
Arizona’s Queen Creek Olive Mill and The Farm at Agritopia
It may be hard to imagine an olive mill in the middle of the desert, yet it exists at Queen Creek Olive Mill. For over a decade, Perry Rea and family have owned and operated Arizona’s only working olive mill and farm, pressing their olives for high quality extra virgin olive oil and olive oil-based products. Located just east of Mesa, this area is known for sunny days, cool nights, and fertile soil, producing ideal conditions for growing a … [Read more...]
The Art of Not Doing: The Red Centre, Northern Territory, Australia
In the eager pool of morning light there rises The Rock. It is perhaps the most iconic symbol of the implacable indifferences of inhospitable landscapes, its dimensions timeless, unsummarized. And I want to climb it. There is something in the Western mindset that arouses a near irresistible urge to climb a peak. We look up, we admire, and if possible, we act. It may be related to a primal impulse to conquer a headland, to be king of the … [Read more...]
‘Someday’ – When Europe called
It was sometime in early 2011. I was having a chat with a couple of friends centered on a quote from the Tom Cruise starrer ‘Knight and Day’. Not exactly the kind of movie to throw up quotes worthy of discussion or much thought. But surprisingly, it did have one particularly special quote– moving, thought-provoking, enigmatic and slightly frightening if I may say so. “Someday. That's a dangerous word. It's really just a code for 'never'. … [Read more...]
Foraging with Pascal, a Professional Wild Food Forager in Los Angeles
A few hours spent with Los Angeles based wild food forager, Pascal Baudar will open your eyes to the wonders and diversity of the edible natural world. That natural world will come alive in ways perhaps you didn't think were possible. Plants growing wild which can be harvested and prepared as food are literally everywhere. Pascal is one of only a very select few professional wild food foragers in Los Angeles. There is a reason for that - … [Read more...]
The Best Artist in Slovakia
John M. Edwards pulls up his proverbial time machine into communist Slovakia (1989), where appearances are illusory and life is lived on a virtual movie set. . . . “I AM THE BEST ARTIST IN SLOVAKIA!” The Best Artist in Slovakia bruited. With a cavalier wave of his hand, curved like a grinning alligator shadow puppet, he added in slow mo, “I paint you a picture you would not believe!” “Oh, really?” I said with a terse forced smile. “I really … [Read more...]
Tulip Time on Holland and Belgium Waterways
Millions of flowering tulips in a myriad of colors can be enjoyed in a spectacular setting at Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam, but check your calendar because this dazzling display can only be seen in the spring during late March and April in Holland. A delightful excursion into this cornucopia of colors is made easy by riverboat. My husband and I recently returned from a “Tulip Time” cruise aboard the AMA Prima, launched in 2013. The 9-day … [Read more...]
Jerusalem: the Lion of this Kingdom
In May of 2009, my mother and I traversed France over 10 days. On our final day, at a Paris hotel, I perused cheap flights on the Internet, chancing upon a low-cost Belgian airline, JetAirFly, with one-way flights from Liege, Belgium, to Tel Aviv, for 99 euros. In Jerusalem, my nephew, Guy, and his mother, Miri, agreed to shelter me from the incoming cultural storm. My nerves tingled as I considered the implications: Judea, Israel, Jerusalem, … [Read more...]
A Belgian Food Primer
Belgium may be a nation of diminutive size, but it is doing big things in the culinary arena. On a recent trip to this food-obsessed nation, I was able to explore the edible delights that provide visitors a feast fit for the most demanding foodie. Budget-minded gastronomes should note some of Belgium's best dishes are street food, served at easy on the wallet prices. Fries Though called French fries, Belgium is the birthplace and the … [Read more...]