Yellowstone National Park, an American safari
October 16, 2009 Before I ever went on safari in Tanzania’s national parks, I traveled with my family to Yellowstone in mid-May of 2000 and saw so many large mammals that I felt as if I were on safari in the American West. Winter had only just released its grip ...
Grand Teton grandeur
October 14, 2009 Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming If you can widen your window, please do so you can see the whole image. Grainy though these scanned prints are, their panorama width gives a much better feel for the immensity of Grand Teton than a regular-size photo could ...
High in Rocky Mountain National Park
October 13, 2009 Bierstadt Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado After Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which figured prominently in my childhood travels, Rocky Mountain National Park is the one I’ve visited most often. New Yorkers head for Florida in the summer, right? Well, Texans head for Colorado. If you ...
Yosemite National Park, the most beautiful place on earth
October 12, 2009 The world is full of beautiful places, and proclaiming one the most beautiful is, I’ll admit, as capricious as crowning one person the most lovely. Still, Yosemite National Park has to rank near the top. My husband and I visited in October of 1995, on a side ...
Mule skinning in the Grand Canyon
October 11, 2009 The mule doesn’t want to die either. That’s what I keep telling myself as I ride Buttermilk down Bright Angel Trail to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, 4,000 feet and 5-1/2 hours below. Her sides are broader than the trail itself, so when I lift my ...
Our National Parks: A bloggers' celebration
October 11, 2009 Aspens along Alberta Falls trail, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Last week I invited other bloggers to post their favorite stories or pictures of a national park they’ve visited. I’d just watched Ken Burns’ series The National Parks, which illustrates how America’s attitude toward its national parks ...
Our National Parks: A bloggers’ celebration
October 11, 2009 Aspens along Alberta Falls trail, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Last week I invited other bloggers to post their favorite stories or pictures of a national park they’ve visited. I’d just watched Ken Burns’ series The National Parks, which illustrates how America’s attitude toward its national parks ...
Cockrell Butterfly Center in Houston
July 13, 2009 While in Houston last weekend, we visited the marvelous Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. We enjoyed a fun, interactive exhibit about insects (not just butterflies), looked at displays of preserved specimens and live creepy-crawlies, and gazed through a protective, see-through case to ...
Sunset at the beach
July 12, 2009 Our summer vacation this year is happening a lot closer to home than the Magical History Tour of last summer. Specifically, the back-yard pool. But while in Houston this weekend, visiting my sister and her family, we took a day trip to Galveston to give the kids ...
Caldwell Lily Pool, an oasis in Chicago
June 08, 2009 For my last post about Chicago Spring Fling, I’ll revisit a gem of a garden hidden away in a corner of Lincoln Park, not far from the zoo: Caldwell Lily Pool. A sign gives you the back story. Like entering a cave or a slot canyon, you ...
Visit to Garfield Park Conservatory
June 06, 2009 I’m going to reveal my innate geekiness by comparing the Fern Room in Chicago’s excellent Garfield Park Conservatory to the lush, edenic world created by Project Genesis in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. Come on, you know you’ve seen it. Don’t you agree? A century old, ...
Intimate gardens of Spring Fling
June 05, 2009Mr. McGregor’s Daughter’s garden On Thursday before Chicago Spring Fling, Mr. McGregor’s Daughter invited those she knew were arriving early to visit her garden, Squirrelhaven. Several of us took the train from the hotel that afternoon and were met at the station by an open-armed, excitedly yelling MMD, ...
Art Institute Garden in Chicago
June 04, 2009 Heading back to the hotel after spinning under the Bean, Diana and I couldn’t resist a quick peek at the Art Institute‘s north garden (we missed the south garden). Here are just a few images from this small but lovely public garden. Pictured above is prairie smoke ...
On Cloud Nine in Lurie Garden
June 03, 2009 One of the highlights of Spring Fling Chicago was a guided tour of Lurie Garden by chief horticulturalist Colleen Lockovitch. Colleen provided the ultimate insider’s guide to the garden, pointing out her favorite plants and explaining how she and her staff maintain them, suggesting we ask our ...
Trudi Temple’s garden
June 02, 2009 On Sunday after the official Spring Fling activities had ended, Mr. McGregor’s Daughter picked up several of the late-stayers for additional garden tours she’d arranged in the western suburbs of Chicago. The star attraction was the beautiful garden of author Trudi Temple, who welcomed us with open ...
Chicago Botanic Garden wows Spring Flingers
June 02, 2009 Tulips and toadflax Where to begin? Yesterday afternoon I returned to Austin from the second annual Garden Bloggers Spring Fling, held in Chicago this year, feeling dazzled by all the spring-blooming Windy City gardens, hoarse from talking so much with friends old and new, and dog-tired from ...
