A large brown building adjacent to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California, two days before the famed 137 Rose Parade, themed “The Magic in Teamwork” with Grand Marshall, former Laker basketball player, Magic Johnson, leading the way, hosts an incredible scene of controlled chaos. Massive floats: Honda, Princess Cruises and the States of Mississippi and Louisianna, are covered amidst scaffolding and ladders, with tables of flowers and tools, while a fusion of workers, volunteers, and artists are focusing on finishing details. Narrow, slippery passage ways are filled with hustling workers, as the bouquet of flowers and plants tickle the nose.

A crowd gathered in Philadelphia recently to enjoy a reenactment of George Washington’s commissioning and wreath-laying at the tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier. Nearby, people were allowed to board a collection of historic ships to sail along the Delaware River. Other folks have been climbing into an Airstream travel trailer which is making a year-long cross-country tour. Once inside, they’re recording stories of their family history, honoring a local hero or simply describing what it means to them to be an American.

A number of reasons are prompting animals to leave their natural habitats and venture closer to where humans live, work and play.  Global warming is denigrating and destroying natural habits.  As cities take steps to grow more environmentally friendly and greener, they’re becoming increasingly attractive to wildlife.  At the same time, garbage cans, dumpsters and other receptacles for food scraps provide convenient feasts for interlopers from forests and tree perches. 

The holidays are here and it’s time to share special moments with family and friends. And if you’re like me, it’s also time to visit Universal Studios Hollywood, where the seasons come to life with movie-making magic and exciting, interactive rides, attractions, light shows and more. 

George Kahumoku, Jr. has won four Grammy Awards. Hosting the Slack Key Show this Wednesday evening at the Napili Kai Beach Resort and playing his guitar with Richard Ho'opi'i, a Fellow of the National Endowment of the Arts Folk Heritage, you would expect their conversation to be about music.

In 1926, U.S. Route 66 was established as one of the original roads in the Unites States numbered highway system.  It ran from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, traversing 2,448 miles.  Much of the street was graded dirt or gravel.

The natural world of grapes, leaves, and twigs are stunning, consuming, eyes, ears, nose and fingertips with the maze of brilliant green vines, the rustle of soft leaves fluttering in the light breeze, the earthy smell of the soil, and the rough texture of the illustrious vine trunks growing out of the ground as stubborn and stiff as the gnarled legs of an ancient human. Time stands still for a moment at the heart of this vigorous vineyard, as if it is holding its breath in anticipation of the drinkable art this man creates from the bounty of nature.

There is so much going on at the First Annual Maker's Faire at Axemann Brewery in Bellefonte, PA, covering multiple zones and floors, that it's easy to get distracted from discovering all there is there to do and see. It's a science fair, craft show and entertainment venue all rolled into one where makers and creators of - well, just about everything - showcase what they do, how they do it, why they do it - and then invite you to do it as well. Or at least interact with the products of their inventiveness.

During the Great Depression era of the 1930s, people in a compact region of Pennsylvania managed to avoid the worst of the hard times. They occupied a canyon that separates the Appalachian Plateau from the ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. It's an area of rugged foothills, limestone valleys and dense forests.

Many people are surprised to learn that wine is made in all 50 states.  Some of them seem unlikely locations for growing grapes.