The minister stood in front of the 70 couples who had gathered in Sarasota’s Bayfront Park and bid them rise and join hands. Solemnly, he discussed the sacrament of matrimony and then launched into the vows. A split second after they had all agreed to love, honor, and obey, an ambulance screamed by with sirens … Read more
I was surprised when I drove into the parking lot at Warm Mineral Springs. For a spa that billed itself as the natural spring with the highest mineral content in the U.S. and the third highest in the world, I had expected the facility to be state of the art. Instead, the unassuming single story … Read more
A tall, middle-aged man just walked into Pastry Art, my favorite coffee shop and bakery in downtown Sarasota. He opened the door a smidge and squeezed through, barring the large Golden Retriever that accompanied him from entering. “Stay outside,” he said, pointing to one of the tables near the curb. The dog walked away temporarily, … Read more
Last week I spent a few days in the Tampa Bay, Florida area before traveling north to Illinois to visit my family for the holidays. One of the attractions I visited was the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where injured dolphins are rescued, treated, and released back into their natural environment. I watched in fascination as the … Read more
The high temperature today in Illinois was MINUS one degree. This followed a night of sub-zero temps with wind gusts up to 35 mph. All night long, high winds roared across the frozen river outside my father’s house, tearing ice off the trees in the yard. Every so often the sound of ice shards spattering … Read more
