When I heard about the new windmills, I resolved to take a look the next time I was in Michigan. Were they a noisy, ugly, menacing blight on the landscape? Or could they be interesting — attractive even? Read more.
Barbara’s Riffs on Life
An Episcopalian Says Kaddish for Her Jewish Aunt
My Aunt Grace, who died in January, was Jewish. Most everyone else in her family had remained Christian or had moved on to atheism, secularism or indifference. The question was, how does a bunch of Christians and agnostics say a parting prayer for a Jew? Read more.
At the Sawtooth Building: Earrings for Thirty-Six Bucks . . . And Other Hand-Made Pleasures
Susan Brooks was in her studio selling handmade earrings priced in the three-figures category the other day. I was not tempted. I’m tightening my belt these days. Instead . . . Read more.
Shopping Stories: Arts and Crafts in Berkeley’s Labyrinthine Sawtooth Building
I caught the last minute of the last day of the annual San Francisco East Bay Open Studios on June 9. I didn’t go there intending to shop. My plan was to stop by painter Salma Arastu’s studio in the funky Sawtooth Building on Eighth Street in Berkeley to talk about my book. Read more.
The Mother-of-the-Groom Diaries: Snapping Pictures at My Son’s Wedding
My trusty point and shoot goes with me everywhere these days. But for my son’s wedding I resolved to Be In The Moment and resist the temptation to digitize every last detail of my son’s big day. Read more.
The Mother-in-Law Diaries: A Groom’s Dinner at a Place Called the Bachelor Farmer
The wedding ceremony was going to be a simple one, so there was no need for an actual rehearsal. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t have ourselves a rehearsal dinner. Read more.