I’ve read that time can slow down during car accidents and other emotional events. So, as I watched my cellphone slowly slip between my outstretched fingers and tumble down the cruise ship stairs, I immediately understood its outsized importance in my life. That little gadget was my map, camera, translator, and more. It connected me […]
Posted inVacation
Camping with Dogs
As you’re planning future camping trips, think about one that can include the family dog. There’s something nice to be said about watching a group of dogs running free, playing, exercising, all safely in the confines of a fenced, grassy area most campgrounds count as standard as the playground equipment installed for the youngest campers […]
Posted inArticles
Potpourri: The ‘putrid pot’
Homemade Holiday Potpourri is the perfect way to make your home smell like the holidays naturally. You will keep your home smelling wonderful and inviting with hints of fresh pine needles, cinnamon, orange, and fresh cranberries.
Posted inArticles
Horseshoe Crabs: Ancient Creatures in a Modern World
Horseshoe crabs save human lives. Their copper-based blue blood clots in the presence of endotoxins — harmful bacterial substances that cause diseases. This unique property means that the blood can assess the sterility and safety of medical devices, drugs, and vaccines. The burgeoning market for vaccines, including for Covid, has increased demand for the blood. […]
Posted inBooks
Book review Poker, Politics & Presidents
By: Ralph W Crosby Anaphora Literary Press (2023) “Poker, Politics & Presidents” is not a book I would normally read. I am a 95% fan of fiction, mysteries in particular. But I was looking for something different to read when my editor asked if I had time to review a book written by local author, […]
Posted inHoliday
The Graceful Evergreen: A Symbol of Christmas
Witness the statuesque spruce: Brilliant with crystal balls and glittery lights, vainly crowding out a small floor space, its grainy trunk nestled in a sea of feathery cotton, and emitting its piney essence throughout the surroundings. The celebrated Christmas tree! Childhood’s recollection of packages beckoning beneath its branches; today a symbol of yuletide throughout the […]
Posted inHoliday
Holiday traditions: For you and yours to treasure
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, or the winter solstice, holiday traditions are a fun way for families to bond and create fond memories. The traditions you choose are limited only by your imagination in the way you and your family carry them out. The following are a few fun traditions to consider. […]
Posted inBooks
Book review: A Filthy Way to Die: Collected Memories of the Vietnam War
By Ed Linz Exchange Publishing (2023) History has not been supportive of either the origins or the rationale of American involvement in the Vietnam War nor of its legacy a half-century later. Author Ed Linz takes the reader back to what is fast becoming a distant, perhaps forgotten era. The wartime lives and experiences of […]
Posted inBooks
Book review: Zorrie
by Laird Hunt Bloomsbury Publishing (2021) Zorrie, by Laird Hunt is a brief but deep and beautiful portrait of a woman from the last century. However, Hunt’s desk side companions of authors Herodotus, Virginia Woolf, Gustave Flaubert, Michel Montaigne and Anne Frank indicate the themes are timeless and universal. This is a story of orphaned […]
Posted inBay Fitness
Planks and wall sits are best for lowering blood pressure — here are 6 more reasons they’re such great exercises
If you were told to do more exercise to lower your blood pressure, you might think you’d need to break out your running gear or hit the weights. But one of us (Jamie) recently published research that found exercises that you hold in a static position, such as planks and wall sits, are actually the […]
Posted inBay Health
The Fountain of Youth is Found
Nothing has vexed humanity quite like the inevitable pull of aging. A bizarre enigma grips us: As we grow wiser with years of experience, our bodies begin to weaken and stiffen. “Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen,” writer Mark Twain once […]
Posted inGardening
Dahlias are Divas
Dahlias are divas! Despite this, they are worth every bit of work for the beauty they offer to the late summer and fall garden. A seemingly endless variety of forms and colors and sizes means every gardener can pick and choose what would best beautify their homes, indoors and out. A sturdy plant in the […]
Posted inBay Reflections
THE BEST WAVES AREN’T IN THE BAY
After being widowed, I moved to Maryland two years ago to be nearer to my son and his family, who live in Arlington, Virginia. Although I was born and raised in the Deep South, I had lived for the last 40 years near Princeton, New Jersey. I had never even been to Maryland, and didn’t […]
Posted inExpert advice
Alzheimer’s diagnosis? Start planning now!
People diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and their families need to address estate planning issues early while the person has sufficient mental capacity to understand the issues and make informed decisions. Here are several tips that are vital estate planning steps that Alzheimer’s patients and their families need to take now. Have a Durable Property Power […]
Posted inDigital editions
Fall 2023
In the Summer 2022 issue of OutLook by the Bay, learn about artisan frozen treats from Mexico, the town of Crisfield on the Eastern Shore, hiking adventures in the region, and more!
Posted inBooks
Book Review: The Truth About Lies: The Evolution of Honesty and The Evolution of Deceit
The Truth About Lies: The Evolution of Honesty and the Evolution of Deceit By Aja Raden St. Martin’s Press (2021) Do you ever lie? Probably only occasionally when you want to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. More importantly, do you ever lie to yourself? I surely have. As I was growing up, I told myself, “When […]
Posted inArt
Cindy Fletcher Holden: Annapolis’ First Muralist
Cindy Fletcher Holden knew when she was in elementary school that drawing was something she really liked. Maybe it was the influence of her artist mother, but after graduating from Severna Park High School, Cindy headed to Baltimore to The Maryland Institute College for Art. Founded in 1826, MICA is the oldest and one of […]
Posted inBooks
Book Review: Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool and Making the World’s Uglies Sweater by Peggy Orenstein
Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater By Peggy Orenstein HarperCollins Publishers (2023) Remember each school year’s first writing assignment, “What did you do for your summer vacation?” The up-to-date version is “What did you do during the COVID quarantine?” Did you grow a sourdough […]
Posted inArticles
From The Desk
Where has the summer gone? The older I get, the more I realize that my time on earth is finite and valuable. As I write this, I’m about to send this issue of OutLook by the Bay to be printed, and I’m wondering where the summer went. This summer, I had a birthday, and got […]
Posted inBay Nutrition
Marvelous Mushrooms
Mushrooms have a robust unique flavor called umami, (pronounced oo-MAH-mee), which many consider the fifth basic taste, alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Umami, which is Japanese for “pleasant savory taste” or “yummy” was identified by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda in the 1900s. While eating seaweed soup, he noticed that the taste could not be […]