Have you ever felt impelled to revisit a place which was once very important in your life? While in Chiang Mai during the July trip to Southeast Asia with grandsons, we hired a driver to take us to Hang Dong and Baan Tawai Village, where we spent over 20 years…
The nice thing about Bangkok hotels on the Chao Phraya River is that their boats take you places, most importantly, Central Pier (Sathorn), where you can walk to the Saphan Taksin station for the air conditioned BTS Skytrain close by. Our hotel boat was running about every 20 minutes so…
I have had a number of passions over the years and one of them is a love of Asian art. Japan captured my interest as a small boy when my mom showed me a Japanese Satsuma bowl given to her from her mother. While taking care of grandchildren in Dallas…
Our last day visiting museums was wonderful in every way. We organized our itinerary at breakfast with the National Portrait Gallery as our first stop. It was fascinating to see how the museum curators wove a visual story of the people who have shaped the country…presidents, poets, activists, and…
Marla and I connected with our grandson Paxton for a trip to Washington DC last week. I asked friends on Facebook for their favorite DC restaurants and Del Mar Restaurant popped up a few times. One Facebook friend I haven’t had contact with in many years asked when…
Marla and I have wanted to visit Doris Duke’s “Shangri La” in Honolulu for years and we finally made it happen on our March trip to Hawaii. Duke’s former home is now the Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design and is part of…
Marla and I made reservations for a tour of Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art on our recent trip to Waikiki, something we have wanted to do for many years. The tours quickly sell out and also necessitate transport by a special bus from the Honolulu Museum of Art. We…
A year out of college, some friends were into digging for antique bottles in California’s Mother Lode region. I always enjoyed exploring and historical sleuthing, so I plunged in as well. My little world of esoteric collecting and fascination with glassware began robustly. The photo above shows Marla…
Most of us have our favorite museums which stimulate and enlighten our innately curious nature. We visit to view the ancient iconography and artistic creations of our world’s diverse cultures,…and also to experience the creativity of the new. The first museum I visited as a small…
We were a little sad but also happy our Buddha sculpture was heading to the Denver Art Museum. Last year Marla and I worked with Tianlong Jiao, the former curator of the Asian Art Department, to reunite the sculpture with its original Burmese pavilion. We donated the 19th century pavilion…