Swept up in cauldron of conflict
Born on a farm. Died in a church. Clinton Burns, my ancestral cousin, grew up in western Pennsylvania in the 1850s when the slavery...
Bill SimsContributing columnist
In 1976, I made my first trip into China. Mao Zedong had just died and because of the status of the trip, we were...
March is when big changes start
I’ve never been a fan of March.March is supposedly spring, but we all know it’s not. In much of the country, more snow falls...
It’s nearing that time of year
It is nearing that time of year when, years ago, my parents would load their children in a vehicle and head south. Well, not...
Pandemic times and travel
When it comes to travel, it’s rather difficult to convince my favorite co-pilot, Lady Jane, to return to a place we’ve already checked off...
Chemicals are not killing you
The hue and cry in the media and on the internet about the dangers of “chemicals” is deafening. I see stories about the fear...
A letter is worth 1,000 tweets
My wife received a handwritten letter the other day. It was from a high school girlfriend she hadn’t seen in years, who somehow got...
Trying to pay more attention
I know I am not the only one having travel fantasies.My husband, Peter, and I were not planning to do a lot of traveling...
A day for dad and daughter
Pro football is pretty important to my 13-year-old daughter and me.Our Sundays are spent watching and dissecting every game we can watch. Our discussions...
Second can be a good place to be
Being released in 1939, “Gone with the Wind” is considered one of the greatest movies of all time. Most females would agree. With a...