When Bacchus Ruled Sonoma

No, I don’t mean “Bacchus Ruled” in some sort of metaphorical “wine is important” sort of way. I mean there was a time when Bacchus actually cavorted around Sonoma. With nymphs, assorted goatherds, and Greek choruses. Seriously, true story. They were here. Well, at least their earthly representatives were. When I explain, you’ll start to wonder, as...

A Two Terrier Take on Black History Mont...

Nobody is ever going to mistake me for African-American, but I’m an unrepentant history buff and a trivia queen. So when a month is announced that celebrates history — especially history that hasn’t always traditionally been in the curriculum (trivia by another name?), you know I’m going to be all over it like a cheap suit. Besides: Black History, White...

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

One of my measures for a great writer, speaker and human is how well their words stand up to rereading over years and decades. Do you find something new every time you revisit them? Do they stand up in meaning as times change? By this measure, Martin Luther King Jr. keeps becoming greater and greater as the decades pass. My first encounter with his words was in 1968 in my Southern...

Going Maya

I’m not someone who can lie around a beach for too long. After a few days, I need to get out and explore the country. I’m a veteran of a few Belizean jungle trips. They are never exactly easy or comfortable, but you can’t leave the country without doing it. So I signed myself up with Searious Adventures for a day trip to the Mayan ruins at Lamanai, notable as the...

Discovering Garifuna Music

Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective deserve to be the next breakout stars along the lines of the Buena Vista Social Club. But maybe they already are. His highly acclaimed Wátina CD went to Number One on the world charts and resulted in Palacio being named a UNESCO Artist for Peace, for his efforts to preserve and promote the unique Garifuna culture. Maybe everyone knows about...

Belize It Or Not!

Did I forget to mention I was going on vacation? Well, I almost forgot it, too. See while I was wrangling grapes and manhandling the crush for three months, my husband was working 12 hour days trying to navigate his company through these difficult times. The good news: with the Christmas season upon us, and toward the end of their traditionally strongest quarter, things are looking...