Journal

TOUCHSTONES OF JOY

I’m still basking in the glow of my “Touchstones of Joy” exhibition that opened last month at Thelma Harris Art Gallery in Oakland, CA.

TOGETHER TIME!

In the season where family looms large, Keith and I decided to take some time for ourselves. The timeline was predictable: Months before...

THE LIST

At the end of the month, just 69 days after spending three weeks with family on the East Coast, I am heading back for another visit. Wish me luck...

THE NATURE OF FRIENDSHIPS

It was New Year's Eve, and the Bay Area was just beginning its blanket of rainy days when my friend first shared the news with us.

SPRING THOUGHTS ON FOOD, FRIENDSHIP AND GETTING FIRED

I’m in need of a nourishing circle of comfort and conversation now. I was fired recently. Yes, for the second time in my life...

THE DIVIDING LINE

I used to think that the dividing line between youth and advanced age was taste in music. Now, as I scoot my cart down the aisles...

GHANA: YEAR OF THE RETURN, HOMEWARD BOUND

For me, any successful travel incorporates some element of education. Some of it occurs in the days and weeks before leaving, gleaning bits...

YEAR OF THE RETURN, PART 2

After a succession of long, uneventful flights, my husband, Keith and I finally arrived in Accra, Ghana just before midnight.

YEAR OF THE RETURN, PART 1

On a scale of 1 to 10, my interest in visiting Accra, Ghana was about 3. This had nothing to do with the country itself; in my mind it just seemed ...

REDEFINING AQUAMARINE

Derived from the Latin words aqua marinus, meaning “water of the sea,” aquamarine is a beryl that ranges from the almost clear blue green...

ONE HISTORY, OF MANY...

My parents are moving to the neighborhood! Since my husband and I first moved to Montclair, they have been enamored this quiet little enclave...

A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

Expectations are high. Intentions filled with optimism have been set, and thanks to a self-imposed period of cocooning at home after Christmas...