“My Hero” by Billy Collins

It’s startling how Billy Collins pierces through the verbosity of prose to the core of an emotion. Since I discovered “The Lanyard,” poems like “Old Man Eating Alone in a Chinese Restaurant” and his new work “Cheerios” and “To My Favorite 17-Year-Old High School Girl” from Aimless Love have found their way into my scrapbook. “My Hero,” […]

Amsterdam: Biking to Ouderkerk aan de Amstel

This afternoon I regaled a coworker with stories behind my slew of Amsterdam photos, which made me realize I’ve neglected to post one of the best parts of my trip on the blog! So here it is: a bike ride from Amsterdam to Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, a village south of the city. The weather […]

50 Summer Activities We’re Nostalgic For

Come summer I still think of my San Joaquin Valley hometown and the slap-slap of rotor sprinklers watering the front lawn; the clean, cold taste of valley water fresh from the hose (William Saroyan–style); the loamy scent emanating from almond orchards being irrigated at night; the mellow sounds of crickets and frogs seemingly lethargic from […]

Happy summer solstice!

In the Northern Hemisphere, sunlight lingers the longest today, enveloping you in a balm that’s deliciously warm. (In my mind at least.) How would you like to wade through the eddies of a lazy river? I’ve always loved the way the water swirls and flows in O’Keeffe’s Chama River image, contrasted with the shades of […]

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has to be one of my favorite places on Earth, particularly come feeding time in the Open Sea exhibit when the tuna FOOM! up like rockets for the food. The story of this vagabond octopus staying hidden for a year in another exhibit, snacking on crabs in the meantime, tickled me […]