Tidy Tidbits: Tides & Titles

WORDS ON WEATHER Hunkering Down Last weekend our friends and family cocooned in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New York during winter storm Jonas.  We watched from afar, thanks to the Weather Channel and the Web, almost gleeful that we were here in Florida.  But, like men’s sympathetic pregnancies, we hunkered down too—staying indoors, feasting on …

On the Road: Tar Heel State

  North Carolina was a large source of tar, pitch and turpentine for many years and around the time of the Civil War became known as the Tar Heel State and its inhabitants Tar Heelers.  Tar was used to coat the bottom of boats and a large amount was exported to England.  Initially, the term …

New York: Wonderful Whitney

On our last full day in New York, we made our first visit to the new Whitney Museum of American Art (to give its full name). Now located in the Meatpacking District a short walk from our apartment, it is in a stunning new building by Renzo Piano. For anyone who is familiar with Renzo’s …

Culture Notes: Monet, Murder & Identity

Sometimes one comes upon the most enjoyable books or movies by happenstance and other times it’s on the recommendation of a friend. While I was in Philadelphia at the Barnes Foundation, I picked up a novel about Claude Monet called, Claude & Camille by Stephanie Cowell. Published in 2010, it’s a fascinating portrait of Monet’s …