And There Could I Marvel
[Sunset, King’s College, Cambridge, U.K., October 2009.] Today I am 31 and am drinking tea. Four days ago, on another birthday, Cambridge shone in sun …
Among Friends
I don’t mind eating alone — in fact, sometimes it’s one of my especial pleasures to sit down with a glass of wine and a …
Morning Essential
movie dvd true grit [Breakfast, coffee required, March 2009.] I woke up this morning feeling a bit fractious. It’s been hot here, climbing to the …
Ireland, Home
When I die Dublin will be written in my heart. – James Joyce Once, I went to Ireland. My best friend had gotten a new …
Home, Again
[Jessica’s flowers, November 2008.] Though I was in DC for less than 48 hours, I managed to: revisit many old neighborhoods; have brunch (eggs Florentine, …
Apples and Islands
Last year I was gifted — or, rather, pushed to take — boxes and boxes of apples from a very prolific tree in Inverness. I …
On the Cusp
[On Skye, October 2003.] I always think about Scotland in October. Five years ago tonight I was perched on a cliff above the Atlantic Ocean …
Maine, in Food
[Beets from the farm, with local butter, September 2008.] So in early September I went to Maine. I took a 6 a.m. flight from San …
Things to Like
[On Seawall beach, Maine, September 2008.] For all my ardently proclaimed love of fall, I must recant a little and admit I’m having a few …