You could say that Hurricane Katrina, which roared up from the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 like an apocalyptic whirlwind, laying waste to city and country alike, was the Vietnam of American storms. There had been deadly and destructive storms before in this country, but...

People will ask: where do your columns come from? Writing -- or, to put it another way, connecting the world around us to the world we carry inside -- is a mysterious process, but I can say a few things about how it happens for me. Often a column will start with a...

This morning, I woke with a tedious sinus headache, along with a question, “What is pain, exactly?” The headache wasn’t hard to explain. This is high ragweed season. I happen to be severely allergic to ragweed, which means that my body mistakes the...

“Genius” is a word people use to describe a phenomenon beyond their understanding, a way of  knowing or creating that seems superhuman. But surely dogged persistence, the single-minded pursuit of a cherished idea or goal that spans years -- decades,...

As a setting for a wedding, the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, is hard to beat. The main hotel is a magisterial white wood-framed lodge that looks like a luxury steamship run aground on a golf green. It’s the kind of resort with long...

In 1984, when I went off to college, I took along the fancy typewriter that had gotten me through high school: a Brother Correctronic with the magical ability to remember – and erase -- an entire line of typing. Erasing a regrettable sentence on the Correctronic...

The dunes of North Carolina’s Outer Banks are a dramatic setting for a wedding. The whitecaps of the inrushing sea, whipped up by steady Atlantic trades, raise their ceaseless voices to the wind. Tight formations of pelicans patrol the skies. The constant...

The mountains that border Perry County seem timeless, but as this summer’s earthquake reminded us, the landscape -- even here, among these placid hills -- is still under construction. In signs large and small, from subtle shifts in the bed of Shermans Creek to...

I made a bad decision last week. I walked the dog. Normally, I’m not the dog-walker, but the Ladies were out shopping. There was whining, followed by barking, followed by nudging and pawing. Those big sad basset hound eyes. Ugh. What can I say? I caved. I could...

Being a male of the species, I have to admit I’ve spent a lot of time on a succession plan for my genes. (I.e., chasing girls.) But human beings have nothing on plants. Ever since they took root on land hundreds of millions of years ago, plants have evolved...

In the fall, as fresh infusions of Arctic air clear the skies, brushing away the soot and haze of summer and building up a pristine lens of high pressure, we like to bundle up, turn off the kitchen lights, and head out to the back deck. The lack of light pollution in...

Let me start with wishes for a happy Thanksgiving and a disclaimer: I’m not a huge fan of Facebook. I’ll admit to being as curious about other people as the next guy. When I’m over at a friend’s house, I often find myself lingering in the...

December, again. The days are short; skim-ice creeps across the little pond at night; the bed groans with comforters. The propane stove in the corner of the living room bursts to life every few minutes. Comfort food bubbles away on the stove. Seen from the outside,...

The run-up to the holidays is a great time for misery. Long check-out lines. Mind-boggling traffic jams. Endless boring conversations over criminally bland egg nog. And good luck if you’re traveling by air, which has evolved from the most glamorous mode of...

I was lucky to attend an excellent high school, but I still couldn’t wait to get to college. As good as my teachers were – and some of them were superb – I imagined that college professors floated on air. I pictured them gliding up to the lectern,...