Roanoke, VA

David A. Bowers, Mayor of Roanoke met us at the Roanoke Star and Overlook, an historic landmark that provides a fabulous view of the city.

Ted Shawn on the Pillow Rock ca. 1947 (photo: Eric Sanford from the Pillow's archives)

The Berkshires, MA— Jacob’s Pillow

Modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn bought the Jacob’s Pillow farm in Becket, MA. in 1931. Shawn had long harbored a dream of legitimizing dance in America as an honorable career for men, and in 1933, he recruited eight men for a new dance company. In July 1933, Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers started offering “Tea Lecture…

Edith Wharton's home The Mount in Lenox, MA.

The Berkshires, MA Edith Wharton’s The Mount

The Mount, the home of Edith Wharton (1862-1937), is a National Historic Landmark and cultural center that celebrates her intellectual, artistic and humanitarian legacy. In 1902 Edith Wharton designed and built The Mount as a country retreat where she wrote both Ethan Frome and The House of Mirth. Edith Wharton wrote 40 books over 40…

The Berkshires, MA a bit of history and theater

The Berkshires in Southwestern Massachusettes has, for more than 150 years, inspired writers and artists, who took up residence here because land was cheap and the vistas were exquisite According to Carole Owens, author of The “Berkshire Cottages”—a survey of the palatial summer retreats constructed by millionaires in the post-Civil War Gilded Age—the influx of literary…

The Berkshires, MA: Cedar Grove and Olana

After my big birthday celebration at the end of June, Heidi Robertson (childhood friend and road trip buddy- LA to Seattle) and I took off for the Berkshires. Heidi lives in California and could not get enough of the lush green foliage. We began our journey with the Thomas Cole House in Catskill, NY. Thomas Cole…

Filming one of the segments for the Wolfgang Puck Cooking School

A Look at the Wolfgang Puck Cooking School

At the beginning of my Road Trip: LA to Seattle (Oct 27-Nov 10, 2015) I spent a delightful afternoon with one of our guest writers at Wolfgang Puck’s new corporate studios watching several classes being filmed for The Wolfgang Puck cooking school. It was very exciting to watch him prepare and watch the filming of…

Tankers in the background seen from B&B in Astoria Oregon

Astoria, OR to Seattle WA

  We’ve reached the end of our time along the Pacific Highway, and we very reluctantly took our last walk along the beach before heading east and crossing the Columbia River. We stayed at the Benjamin Young Inn in Astoria Oregon, a Victorian home built by Benjamin Young in the middle 1800s. His daughter went…