Nature and the arts - they go hand in hand. I love outdoor theatre (especially Shakespeare) and concerts, for they combine the best of both worlds - being outside, AND the luxury of watching and listening to the arts in a special environment. And, of course, when you attend a concert outside, you bring a picnic - snacks, beverages, meals - and munch the whole time. It's glorious, and a way of life that attracts everyone. So when Gina Hyams published her latest book, The Tanglewood Picnic: Music and Outdoor Feasts in the Berkshires, I WAS IN.

Chicago artist Adam Siegel is nationally recognized for the breadth of his work as an abstract painter and photographer. Known for his large-scale works, Siegel presents a soulful refinement to the contemporary category. Influenced deeply by his time in Japan, the artist merges two distinct sensibilities—East and West—with compositions that showcase an elusive and elegant balance of both.

Schools in the US are mostly stationary. Students, staff, and teachers enter the building in the morning and leave at the end of the day. If we’re lucky, we may grab some much needed outdoor air and vitamin D at lunchtime or recess, but for the majority of minutes of each day, we’re inside in the same place. Travel changes this. Travel lends that added element of the unknown to the constant of the classroom. For many of us, that unknown becomes a dreaded, scary place.

Let me tell you about an inspiring couple that changed their lives. And before you think, "oh, I can't do that," I suggest reading the interview (and their new book, entitled Just Go!), and then seeing how you feel.

For Evandro Caregnato, grilling isn’t just something he does—it’s part of who he is. Born in southern Brazil, Caregnato grew up watching his father, Davino, prepare skewers of marinated meat, peppered with fresh herbs, before being placed over an open fire. 

Called churrasco in Brazil, this cooking method is passed down in families, not culinary schools. It’s a casual style that begs families and friends to come together to sample different skewered meats and inventive sides while they talk and laugh with one another. 

When we travel, we always buy art and textiles from local artists. It's one of the best souvenirs (besides experiences), and really brings back your travel experiences, when you're at home. But what about when you can't always travel - or need a special gift from a place, and aren't headed there soon? I can recommend our friends Bret and Mary at Green Global Travel (you already love their site) - today they are launching a Fair Trade Boutique.

Music from contemporary songwriters, from traditional sources, from his own composing: this is what you will find on Archie Fisher's recording A Silent Song. That is a mix he has been stirring across his career. Now in his mid seventies, Fisher finds that music still draws him on. "It has only occurred to me relatively recently that the incentive to keep doing it is hearing that new song," he says.

Studying abroad is a great opportunity and I’m sure many others are like myself - when I studied abroad in London, it was also my first time abroad. There were definitely some small tips that would have been beneficial, and some I figured out myself. I am able to hopefully provide some insight into what to expect when leaving the United States and arriving in London. It can be an overwhelming experience, but if you have an idea of what will happen when you land, it can make the start of your time in London less stressful.

Gone to the Beach

I am a great admirer of the author Robert Caro, the pre-eminent authority on Lyndon Johnson, for his command of detail and the thoroughness of his research. In my view, Sarah Byrn Rickman is drawn from the same gene pool, for her definitive work on the WASP during WWII, entitled WASP of the Ferry Command: Women Pilots, Uncommon Deeds.