Ice escapades with Hans Brinker wannabe
Hans Brinker was a hero. I dreamed of being Hans. I envied Hans’ skating long distances on frozen canals. I thrilled to my mother’s stories of the Bronx River freezing when people could skate from one town to the next. Once, in seventh grade...
Snapshot: The OG conservationists
Living in a tech-dominated world, it’s hard to imagine a day or year without a cellphone or car, yet that is every day, every year, for the Amish.
Snapshot: Behind Peter Pan legend
Fairies are a part of folklore in many cultures. Typically, they are spritely, small creatures with magical qualities and a penchant for frivolity and trickery. Peter Pan is not a fairy, though Tinker Bell is...
Snapshot: ‘One if by land…’
"One if by land, two if by sea.” Longfellow immortalized Paul Revere’s ride for freedom, which took place 250 years ago, on April 18, 1775. Revere’s mission was to alert Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops were coming to Lexington and Concord to destroy military supplies.
Snapshot: ’Tis the season for scarecrows
The creative scarecrows that show up in town around Halloween are a tradition that started in 2020 to foster community during the pandemic. This year’s beneficiary is Heartizens, which sponsors art programs for young people.
Snapshot: Lavender Is Also a Mint
Amazingly, lavender is in the mint family. Mint is known as a pick-me-up while lavender is a relaxant despite coming from the same botanical family: Lamiaceae.
Snapshot: Rusted Horseshoes and Horseshoe Crabs
Rust is primarily oxidation-producing iron oxides, most commonly Fe3O4 and Fe2O3. Other metals undergo oxidation, but the term rust is exclusively used for iron. Copper’s oxidation (or corrosion) creates a blue-green color, copper carbonate (Cu2 CO3), commonly described as patina. The Statue of Liberty, clad with hand-hammered sheets of copper, has copper’s distinctive blue-green patina.
Snapshot: Favorite Colors of Fall
New England has deciduous woods. Colorado has quaking aspens. And Sonoma County has its straw hills and live oaks framing red, yellow and green vineyards. Mixed together, it's home.
Snapshot: Next-Level RV Rolls Into Town
This bad baby rolled in from Colorado. It’s the Acela Monterra XL 6x6. The Bozeman, Montana-based company says it is “born from a desire to exceed current industry standards for reliability and durability.” Can’t even imagine an RV class for this thing...
Snapshot: Taking it to extremes
The guys and gals from Xtreme Xperience came to Sonoma Raceway last Sunday with 14 supercars, including: a Nissan GT-R, a Corvette Z06 and various Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches, including this 718 Cayman GT4 RS in the photo above.
Arts & Entertainment
Movies a year-round obsession, not seasonal
“There are usually some fun surprises for us in the line-up of our ‘Audience Favorites’ program,” said co-founder Pamela Demorest. “Some films resonate more with our audience than they did with our celebrity jury, and we always want our guests to feel like a vital part of the process.”






















