The first time I heard Canadian singer/songwriter Diana Krall, her voice made me think of someone from another generation not someone who was born in 1964. I loved her voice and phrasing — I was hooked. I bought her CDs as soon as they were released and played them over and over. Ms. Krall has recorded about a dozen CDs. She’s had nine Grammy Award nominations and won three. Take a...

Morning. Sunrise. The start of a new day filled with promise. A fresh opportunity to start over, to begin anew, to do better. Morning. Everyone awakens after a night of rest to pick up where they left off. A few hours after I took this photo, there was hardly an empty spot on the boardwalk. I was among the thousands who gathered on the Mall to witness the inauguration of President...

What to do when the temperature in hits 100 degrees? Reach for cover and do these five things: 1. Wear light-colored, loose fitting clothes and limit strenuous outdoor activities. 2. Slather on the sunscreen. The highest rating is generally best but minimum SPF35. 3. Wear a floppy hat. 4. Drink lots of water. Add a twist of lemon or lime for flavor. 5. Carry a hand or mini electrical fan...

When the temperature turns warm, we reach for cooling foods. Sorbets and ice cream are delicious ways to help beat the heat. I love the flavors of sorbet, especially mango, which reminds me of home. I love how light sorbet is, how it feels on my tongue, at the back of my mouth and how refreshing and clean-tasting it is. I found this recipe of one of my favorites, Lemon...

Golden sunlight filled the room when I woke on my first morning in Paris but as soon as I opened my eyes, I began to sneeze. It had been an unseasonably warm and everything was in bloom, someone told me later. I didn’t let that stop me. I had planned on being in Paris for only two days then head to Barcelona for a day before returning to London. But...

I was a little nervous as I walked into the terminal at the Gare du Nord. It was my first time in Paris and unlike my London trip, I was not prepared. I had not mapped my route from the terminal to my hotel. The most I’d done was an Internet search for hotels within a 15-minute radius of the terminal and booked the first one that looked acceptable. It...

Train travel is definitely a lot more popular in Europe than it is in North America, where we tend to drive or fly more. When I heard about the tunnel that was being built under the English Channel to connect Britain and France, I was fascinated. I marveled at the vision and the incredible feat of engineering it took to bring it to life and wondered what it was like...

I saw Abbey Lincoln perform at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts years after I had become a fan. (The juxtaposition of the names Abbey Lincoln and the Lincoln Center caused me to question myself for a second.) She was wiry and dynamic. I can still hear her voice, strong and smoky, as she came on stage. In my mind, I sang along to some of my favorites but...

What’s Manhattanhenge? As you may know, the city of Manhattan is laid out in a grid pattern. Twice a year, when the sun sets, it aligns perfectly with the east-west grid of certain main streets: 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th Streets. During Manhattanhenge, a viewer on one of these streets can watch the sun setting directly opposite in New Jersey. Astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson of the American Museum of...

I wasn’t sure I had photos for this week’s challenge but I know now not to dismiss the challenge before looking through my collection. Sure enough, I found several photos. So here are my photos and my thoughts on numbers. Numbers follow us everywhere we go. When we’re born, our birth announcements include the dates and times of birth and the number of pounds we weighed. Even our names can...