This past weekend, I had the pleasure of giving a talk to members of the Minnesota Chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America. I shared highlights from my research into English seaside resorts and customs during the Georgian and Regency eras, from the rising popularity of resort towns, their social activities and amenities, bathing machines, bathing costumes, beliefs about the medicinal … [Read more...]

It's been almost a year since I got my piano. (You can read that story here.) And I must say, my childhood piano teacher would be so proud of how diligently I've been practicing this past year. I've also been very pleased with how I'm learning to read music better. In January, our youngest daughter challenged me to learn to play a pretty song she'd discovered, Handel/Halvorsen's … [Read more...]

In November of 2021, I traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona with my husband to celebrate my 50th birthday. My two sisters and my parents joined us there. I LOVED marking the occasion of my birthday with such a memorable trip. When my sister's 50th rolled around recently, we had the perfect reason to take another mini-vacation. This time--Cabo, Mexico! I grew up in California and have lived in … [Read more...]

Hi friends and happy Wednesday. I hope your day is off to a fantastic start.  Writing is not easy.  I believe Hemingway said it best in the following quote.  “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” While writing is a joy for me and a passion, that doesn’t negate the rough days or even rough seasons. The times when you have a word or page … [Read more...]

On Wednesday, D’Ann made mention of graduation (and gifts for graduates). I’m guessing she was thinking of 18 and 22 year olds, for the most part. A decade ago this month, I attended my oldest daughter’s college graduation. She’d had a long career as a flight attendant (close to 20 years) but was ready to stay home, so she went back to school to prepare for a career change. Now, it may have … [Read more...]