Of Apples and Obsessions

Of Apples and Obsessions

IT WAS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. I was riding my bicycle on one of those roads that crisscrosses Iowa with a checkerboard-like perpendicularity, cutting straight paths through the fields of corn. They have an almost tunnel-like feel to them at the...
Stay Cool This Summer!

Stay Cool This Summer!

Remember when summer vacations seemed to last forever? They still do if you’re the entertainment director for a young whippersnapper or two. On one hand, they would be perfectly content to sleep till the vicinity of noon, eat a bag of Cheetos for breakfast and then...
A Yard Is Not a Yard

A Yard Is Not a Yard

“I DON’T WANT TO BREAK A NAIL” It was the second time she had said it. “I don’t want to break a nail”…a phobia that was going to keep her from having a garden. This fear, this “fear of gardening” has kept many human beings from enjoying the beauty of life...
The Legacy of the Berckmans Family

The Legacy of the Berckmans Family

FOR YEARS Augustans have driven along Berckmans Road and now Augusta National Club members and some lucky patrons will enjoy hospitality in the elegant Berckmans Place on the grounds. While the history of those rolling hills as Fruitland Nursery is well-known, less...
The Making of a Greenway

The Making of a Greenway

ANDREW STRICKLAND has a tough job. He is the director of Columbia County’s planning services division, a post he’s held for nearly two years now. What is his job description? In short, “It’s looking 10 to 20 years down the road.” And there is no crystal ball in his...