Many will remember the summer of 2020 for its terrible cacophony of pandemic and politics, reckoning and rage. But I am still struck by its silence, the eerie stillness of its streets, the sad spectacle of silent swimming pools and limp park swings, the mute stages and empty playing fields. That’s why, even more than [...]
We stole a slice of summer Wednesday night, which felt exactly right. With just hours of July to spare, we snuck out of the city and headed north toward tranquility. By 6 p.m. we were on the river and we let its current drift us home, to our cabin that, shockingly, I had seen just [...]
The Erb Park Pool opens today and I can't wait. I bought our pool passes months ago, on one of those sleety Midwest afternoons that makes you wonder if summer planned to skip us this year. She took her good, sweet time but summer finally made it and it was fun to watch her unpack [...]
Broadway lyrics trapped themselves in my head Sunday afternoon as we made our way to a family party in Ortonville, Michigan. This was no surprise to my veteran co-pilot Vince. The poor guy has heard me belt them all. "Ortonville sounds very Seussical," I said and then let loose with a couple of choice lines [...]
Summer in Minneapolis offers the best of both worlds -- urban sophistication and pastoral charm, an impressive steel skyline that reaches right out of a sweet chain of lakes. We lowered our gangly selves into kayaks Saturday afternoon and headed out to explore Lake of the Isles with a group of experienced but thankfully patient [...]
