A couple of weeks ago I went up to the North Shore of Lake Superior for a writing retreat. I stayed at the gorgeous Naniboujou Lodge, just north of Grand Marais. No phones; no TV; no Internet — a perfect place to get some writing done. When I needed a break one afternoon I jumped in […]
Smoke in My Eyes. In Minnesota!
When I lived in Beijing, we often had a weather forecast that was just one word: Smoke! It was usually in the fall, when the peasants in the surrounding provinces of Shandong and Hebei were burning the fields after harvest. The city would be shrouded in smoke, with off-the-charts bad air quality until it rained […]
Keeping Watch
You may have seen this amazing photo making the rounds this Memorial Day weekend. It was taken at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, here in the Twin Cities, the same cemetery where my father was laid to rest. Our local newspaper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune told the story of this photo in an article published […]
Eye of an Eagle
I have a new favorite day trip out of the Twin Cities — the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN. Here’s how they describe themselves: The National Eagle Center is a world-class interpretive center located on the banks of the Mississippi River in Wabasha, MN. We are home to five rescued eagles, four bald eagles […]
The Man with the Key
A few weeks back, before the snow started to fly, a friend and I were walking around Long Lake Regional Park in New Brighton, one of my favorite places to walk. As we were walking I commented to her on the random pipes I’ve noticed sticking out of the ground — pipes that have lids on […]
Pittman Hall
Last night I had the privilege of joining my mother and other members of our family at the annual Honoree Dinner at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (formerly Northwestern College), in Roseville, MN. We were there because the university has recently seen fit to honor my father by naming two residence halls after him: Pittman […]
