Mike Rigali’s Hideaway Hookah Bar in Holyoke
We discovered a cozy hideaway when we attended a Holyoke Chamber function below the Waterfront on Main St. in the city’s Springdale neighborhood last night. Both of us had been to the big bar upstairs before but never to their much cozier little bar called the Bungalow, located on a […]
A Smooth Rolling Drawer Makes Life Better
I’m on a roll with my chronicles of life’s little joys. I’ve found another. For years, almost decades, I suppose, the top drawer in my kitchen cabinet has stuck. It was frustrating to open it, resisting and veering slightly off course, so you’d have to really grab it and it […]
In Former Soviet States, Drunkenness Prevails
At the crack of dawn this morning Nathan crept into my room and woke me up. I don’t mind; these early morning sessions where we go downstairs before Mommy and baby wake up are among my most cherished. Before I was made to play kid’s games on the laptop, I […]
From Rolando in Cuba, Another Missive
I was pleased to hear from my new friend Rolando, a Cuban engineer who uses our “Send a Friend” to stay in touch with his brother in Virginia. I hope to visit him in Cuba soon. My friend! I happy that you can understand my reasons, since I has been […]
Egret in the Bayou, Orange Texas
This is one of thousands of egrets who live in the Adams Bayou that we saw from behind the blind at the Shangri La Gardens in Orange Texas yesterday.
A Fine Way To Spend Saturday Night in Texas
On my last night in Texas we did it up in style. I was picked up in an SUV by our lovely hosts Stephanie and Ashley who took us to an upscale Mexican joint called Pablanos. There we joined Stephanie’s husband Sean and sat in a cozy circular table, where […]
Michael Hoke’s Vigorous Love Teaching Nature
Michael W. Hoke makes nature, plants and his incredible garden come alive. He speaks with vigor and boundless enthusiasm for teaching children about nature and about the gifts that the Shangri La Botanical Gardens provide the entire Southeast Texas region. In a pounding rain interspersed with thunder and lightning, we […]
The Perty Toes of Texas
“One thing you gotta have here are pretty toes,” said Ashley, “because in this part of Texas you’re going to be seeing them a lot!” Ashley and Stephanie told us this as they showed off their carefully pedicured digits, just before we shoved off in our canoes to float down […]