Giles Vaden
Come Fly With Me
A unique aircraft affords a bird’s-eye perspective of the coast.
Making Merry
October’s coolness has only just arrived, and artist Jan Jones is already knee-deep in Santas. Her Magnolia Springs living room is filled with works in progress, every...
Tortillas for Change
It’s still dark when Loraine Ostema and I converge at the café on Saturday. The scent of onions and warm oil flares our nostrils. We watch as Loraine’s 16-year-old...
In Quest of Hidden Lakes
Lynn Rabren and Ben Raines’ stunning documentary, “America’s Amazon: The Mobile-Tensaw Delta” was released late last year to rave reviews. If you haven’t seen it yet, ...
The Fiery Debate
I’ve seen fire at work. One morning, I drove past a pitcher plant bog, a tangle of grasses and forbs. By sunset, it was scorched...
Palms Spring
I’ve visited lots of tree farms: Christmas trees in Virginia, pines around Alabama, maples near Auburn. The last thing I expected in Mobile County was a...
Feathered Finds
Humans like to solve puzzles. When we get a glimpse of something unusual, we ask why. Last year, local birders noticed surprising visitors in their...
Tour de Downtown
It’s early on a Sunday morning. Outside the Battle House, bellmen lounge and joke beside queued carts. Downtown signals blink yellow. No hurry. It’s early enough to...
In Plain Sight: Male Survival Skills for the Rest of Us
We all know men like Randy. After college he settled in the neighborhood, just down the street from mama-an’-‘em. Wife Tracy wins most of the family bread...
Hike, Bike & Paddle
The Gulf of Mexico has been in our faces so long we’ve become myopic. We don’t even focus on other nearby waterways. It’s time to dip a paddle, ...
