I've had a love/hate relationship with our yard this year; I love having one but hate the constant mowing and weeding required to keep it looking decent. I also hate that "decent" here still isn't anything close to my ideal. When we moved in last summer, I noted our neighbor's gravel and concrete backyard and wondered why anyone would opt for that in the suburbs. I still prefer grass over concrete and asphalt, but after a week in the Southwest, where the terrain was even more beautiful in person than in pictures, I'm more ready than ever to ditch the…
Whenever we go somewhere new on vacation, we like to explore the area and play "What if...?", looking at things from the perspective of possibly relocating. Isla Mujeres has long been the fantasy, "win the lottery and move anywhere" destination, but Sedona has officially replaced it. Not even on our original itinerary for this trip, several friends noted it as a must-see so we changed our schedule from a drive-by on the southern rim of the Grand Canyon and a night in Williams, to a night in Sedona instead. After staying at the amazing La Posada and driving by the…
We left ABQ yesterday morning, headed for Red Rock State Park and Ceremonial, alternating between 66 and 40 whenever we could. We had to turn around near Correo and Mesitas when we couldn't locate 66, and saw a depressing Native slum/ruins right off 40 near the latter. Other parts of 66 before and after Gallup were similarly destitute or desolate, but a few areas offered some great views of the terrain. Outside Gallup, we rolled into Red Rock State Park only to find most of Ceremonial had finished already, except for the rodeo, so we wandered the park instead where…
See the full gallery on posterous I love getting out of the New York area because there is so much truth in the cliche, "familiarity breeds contempt", and there are few things I have more contempt for than the bland green landscapes along our highways, and the soullessness of our over-developed suburbs and under-nourished cities. Southwestern landscapes have always fascinated me, though; from the rugged brown mountains dotted with bright green succulents, to the simple architectural style of adobe architecture. Albuquerque has offered us a bizarre mix of both the good and bad, with some wonderful examples of Pueblo Deco…
Your Chance to Taste $1000 Salsa The highly popular “Homemade Salsa Competition” will be the focus of this year's Old Town Salsa Fiesta. Contestants will present mouth-scorching, tummy-tingling recipes for the competition, which is judged entirely by you! In addition to the competition, this event has something for everyone - live music and dance, a wine tasting featuring local wines, chile-inspired lectures in the "Hot Ideas" tent, and storytelling for the kids. When: Saturday, August 15 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Where: Old Town Price: $4 to judge in the salsa competition, and $4 for the wine tasting, or…
“The gardener’s work is never at end; it begins with the year, and continues to the next: he prepares the ground, and then he sows it; after that he plants, and then he gathers the fruits….”
—John Evelyn, Kalendarium Hortense, 1706
Winter in the Northeast can make Spring seem like it’s a whole year away, stripping nature bare in the coldest, harshest light and making it hard to remember the life-sustaining beauty that lies dormant, waiting for the right moment to blossom. But there’s a beauty to be found in that harsh light, too; one that requires you to look a little bit closer to see it, to understand it, and to fully appreciate what the future might bring.
It’s been an excruciatingly long Winter in the publishing world, and a number of magazines have succumbed to the bitter cold as hopes of a Spring reawakening faded away. Others are hanging by a thread, hoping the last of the snow is finally melting and warmer temperatures are just ahead.
For the past 18 months, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a metaphorical redwood in publishing, the 105-year-old Horticulture magazine, first as Advertising Sales Director, and as of last October, Publisher and Editorial Director. It’s been an amazing experience, and my newfound appreciation for gardening was perfectly timed with our buying our first house last summer. Simultaneously working for Horticulture and in our own little garden at home, I learned some lessons that relate directly to working in publishing, especially during the cold, hard “winter”.
About 10 years ago a relatively unknown actor, by the name of Vin Diesel, starred in a scifi/horror movie about a group of stranded travelers on a planet where hungry giant bat like creatures come out to feed in the middle of the night. Four years later that same character comes back to fight a race of conquerors who have a unhealthy obsession with death. And so… The Chronicles Of Riddick began. But, it seems to have stopped there. Well kids talk has been resurfacing again at the return of Richard B Riddick and all of his night vision ‘badassery’.…
