I just finished reading a book by Dr. Richard Wiseman called The Luck Factor (2003). He is a psychology professor in Hertfordshire, UK, who studies … Read More ›
We had a tradition at the Teahouse Kuan Yin every Christmas Eve. We closed early at 5pm, and then all the employees would enjoy a … Read More ›
Black pepper is the most widely used spice in the world and has been for centuries. So much so, that there’s no doubt it is … Read More ›
Guest post by Barbara Hopper… Traveling with teenagers can be challenging at the best of times. When your relationship is sketchy to begin with, it … Read More ›
Most BBQ sauces are super sweet. One time, when I didn’t feel like cooking, I sent Bill to our local “destination supermarket” to pick up … Read More ›
I want to tell you about an app I’ve found to be a lot of fun. It’s called Radio Garden. Odd name, but it is … Read More ›
British author Arnold Bennett wrote in 1910: …I have seen an essay, “How to live on eight shillings a week.” But I have never seen … Read More ›
I struggled a long time to learn how to make a pie crust, but I finally came up with a recipe and method that works … Read More ›
There was a woman who lived across the street from me when I first moved out here to the country. Lois was 25 years older … Read More ›
Visit Budapest, Hungary, and you will feel that you have stepped into 1938. While Prague and London have gone global, Budapest is still Eastern Europe, … Read More ›
A customer came up to the pastry case at the Teahouse Kuan Yin once and scanned the attractive offerings dubiously. She asked, “What do you … Read More ›
Once, when I was 13 or 14, my friends’ father took his 3 daughters and me out to the Four Seas Chinese restaurant in Seattle’s … Read More ›
Guest post by Dolores J. Palomo… What better way to spend a morning in Santa Fe than a class at the Santa Fe Cooking School? … Read More ›
I got into photography when I was about 16. I bought myself a Konica TC, which was a lightweight SLR. I developed my own B&W … Read More ›
I wanted to take another cooking class on this trip. The one I had done in 2015 in Laos had been so much fun! I … Read More ›
In 1982, in the middle of Khao Sok National Park in southern Thailand, the Rajjaprabbha Dam was built. This filled in a series of connected … Read More ›
The overnight train ride from Bangkok pulled into the town of Surat Thani at 5:40 am, still dark and few businesses awake yet. This did … Read More ›
I was feeling wonderfully light and energetic in Laos. My back didn’t ache, and thanks to it being December (2015), the temperature was temperate and … Read More ›
Tiger Trail Travel in Luang Prabang offered a Hidden Waterfalls hike which sounded very cool, and we booked it for the day following the big … Read More ›
The timing of our trip to Luang Prabang in 2015 was a serendipitous confluence of 3 events: the international film festival, the 20th anniversary of … Read More ›