Calling all hula hoopers!  In case you haven’t heard, tomorrow (August 8, 2008 or 8/8/8) is World Hoop Day.  World Hoop Day’s goal is to bring hoops and a little joy to children living in extreme poverty and underdeveloped neighborhoods around the world.  Events are planned in major cities all over the country with the biggest event in San Francisco. 

This year is the 50th birthday of the Hula Hoop and despite its age, the hoop is becoming increasingly popular for adults with hoop clubs forming in various cities. As a girl growing up, I remember spending hours each day during the summer hula hooping with my neighborhood friends.  We’d try to break the current record for most rotations or see what new trick we could come up with.  New fans of the hula hoop use it for exercise and as a form of expression.

If you’re looking to buy a hula hoop today, you’ll find that besides Wham-O’s hula hoops, many avid hula hoopers are creating and decorating their own hoops or buying hand-crafted versions. 

Links: World Hoop Day Events |  About Hula Hoops 

It’s so nice when spring arrives – leafless trees suddenly explode with colorful blossoms and birds shift into “high chirp” mode.  I think one of my favorite spring blooming trees is the mountain laurel.  Large clusters of purple flowers form with a wonderful fragrance that reminds me of grape chewing gum. 

Here are some of the more spectacular flower and tree blooming festivals around the country.  Grab some girlfriends and take a road trip to see some of these amazing floral displays! 

National Cherry Blossom Festival (Washington, D.C.)
March 29 – April 13
Given as a gift from Japan in 1912, the cherry blossom trees surround the Jefferson Memorial and nearby monuments.   During the spring bloom, the trees are covered with exquisite pink and white blossoms.  web site (more…)

Valentines Day is right around the corner – which of course brings to mind some of my favorite things: flowers and chocolate! 

The red rose, which in flower language means true love, is the most popular flower bought by men on Valentine’s Day. I was recently told about some roses that claim to be the world’s tallest at over 5 feet.  Grown near volcanoes in Ecuador, the climate is apparently ideal for these organic roses.  Even at $250 per dozen, the roses are sold out for the month of February.  For details see Organic Bouquet. 

One of the most striking boxes of chocolates I’ve seen recently is from Godiva’s jewel-toned G Hearts collection. Not only are these hearts gorgeous, they also come in flavors like Passion orange, Tahitian vanilla, Lemon Drop, Mexican hot chocolate and Bananas foster.  Yum! 

If you’re looking for a local chocolate maker to buy something for your valentine, check out this handy chocolate finding site.

Links:  Godiva   |   Language of flowers  

Its fall again and pumpkin patches (as well as pumpkin lattes!) are appearing everywhere.  As I’ve mentioned before, I love everything about pumpkins. What other vegetable serves as a food source, artistic canvas, candle holder and the perfect symbol of autumn?   
 
Here are some places around the country that celebrate pumpkin season:

Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival
Oct. 13-14 on Main Street
This festival, located 25 miles south of San Francisco, features gargantuan gourds, world-class pumpkin carvers, harvest-inspired crafts, live entertainment, a Pumpkin Parade, a haunted house, pie-eating, carving and costume contests. The pumpkin winning the Word Championship (pumpkin) Weigh-off will also be on display.  Hit the road early if you plan to go – this is a very popular event.

Pumpkin Festival, Keene, New Hampshire
Oct. 20, 2007
This small New England town holds the current Guinness world record for most lit jack-o-lanterns in one place – almost 29,000.  You’ll see an amazing collection of carved pumpkins at this festival.

Other Pumpkin Festivals

Each year Half Moon Bay hosts a World Pumpkin Championship Weigh-off where farmers bring in their home grown pumpkins and try to beat the current record.  This year’s winner took home the prize with a 1,524 pound pumpkin.  Now that’s a lot of pumpkin!

One of the things I love about traveling in the summer is that many cities have a wide array of events going on, including free outdoor concerts and music festivals.  I try not to let the summer pass by without spending at least one evening under the stars at a musical performance. 

Here are just a few of the concerts coming up in the next few weeks - check your local city guide for even more listings:

• New York - Central Park’s SummerStage  info 
• San Francisco
• Stern Grove concerts: through Aug. 19  info  
• San Jose concert series  info
• Chicago
• Grant Park concert series   info 
• The Art Institute - free admission on Thursdays and Friday evenings with live concerts in the garden.
• Newport, RI
• Newport Folk Festival: Aug. 3-5  info 
• Newport JVC Jazz Festival: Aug. 10-12   info 
• Orange County concert series:  info
• Seattle
• Chateau Ste. Michelle concert series:  info 
• Bumbershoot: Sept. 1-3   info
• Lollapalooza Chicago: Aug. 3-5   info 
• Austin City Limits Music Festival: Sept. 14-16  info
• Monterey 50th Annual Jazz Festival:  Sept. 21-23  info

I’ll admit it – I’m an emotional push-over when it comes to patriotic events.  I get choked up when I sing the Star-Spangled Banner at sporting events.  When it comes to Fourth of July parades, it’s seeing the men and women who have served our country that moves me. I’m incredibly grateful to them and for the free country we live in. 

As American women, we enjoy many freedoms, and one of our most precious freedoms is our right to vote.  Thanks to the women who struggled before us, females gained the right to vote in 1920.  That seems pretty recent to me – Hershey’s Kisses have been around longer than our right to vote.  Besides celebrating the 4th of July, I intend to celebrate my freedom throughout the year by voting in every election.

Here are some Fourth of July celebrations worth checking out: (more…)

Now that the trees are starting to blossom across the Southern US, it reminds me of all the spectacular gardens there are to visit.  

Here’s my top ten list of favorite gardens:

1. Butchart Gardens (Victoria, B.C.)
What started out as a limestone quarry and cement factory has turned into one of the most beautiful gardens in the world…more

2. New York Botanical Gardens (New York City) 
Located in the Bronx with over 250 acres and 27 gardens, the New York Botanical Gardens is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world. web site

3. Huntington Library and Gardens  (Los Angeles)
Known for its important collection of rare books, arts and botanical gardens, the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens is definitely worth a visit when in Los Angeles…more

4. Kew Gardens (London)
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew have 300 acres of public gardens as well as the renowned Millennium Seed Bank.  web site

5. Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain, GA)
Just 1 hour southwest of Atlanta, Callaway Gardens is a 13,000 acre resort and is the first-place winner for 11 consecutive years of Southern Living Reader’s Choice Award for Best Public Garden. web site

6. Biltmore Estate (Asheville, NC) 
The Biltmore Estate, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, is one of America’s great estates. The mansion, which is the largest private residence in America, has 250 rooms and covers 8,000 acres… more

7. Magnolia Plantation (near Charleston, SC)
Created in 1676, Magnolia Plantation is known as the oldest major public garden in the country. The 500 acre plantation has been owned by the Drayton family for over 300 years… more

8. Skagit Valley Tulips (near Seattle, WA) 
One of the most spectacular floral displays in the country occurs in Skagit Valley in April.  Every year over 1,200 acres of bulbs are planted which reach their peak bloom in April… more

9. Filoli (San Francisco) 
Located 30 miles south of San Francisco, Filoli is recognized as one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century… more

10. The Flower Fields (Carlsbad, CA)
Located in Carlsbad, the Flower Fields have been a favorite spring-time stop of flower lovers for decades… more

Every year I convince my family to go with me to see the gingerbread houses at the local Four Seasons Hotel.   I love visiting gingerbread villages to see the incredible detail and inventive use of edible materials for construction.  Since we rarely get snow around here - and I like it that way - the gingerbread houses take me as close to a wintry village as I want to get. 
I’ve seen hand-made stained-glass windows from sugar, ironwork made of chocolate, a river made of melted Jolly Ranchers and molded fondant people.

Some of the more impressive gingerbread villages are joint efforts between architects and pastry chefs which are auctioned off for charities.  The results are usually amazing. 

Here are some of the bigger gingerbread displays around the country that you may want to check out before January: (more…)