We didn’t get around to tie-dyeing t-shirts. That was the one thing I wish we could have fit in before the kids went back to school. We still have many balmy weekends left, but they will undoubtedly be filled with soccer and friends and all sorts of school year pleasures. Tie-dyeing will have to fill in any blanks left in the schedule.

As my children started back on August 25, I felt sad to see them go but also more satisfied about this summer than I had been in the past. We had fit in… Continue

Last night, I attended a community meeting for The Cary News about road improvements along Highway 64 in Cary and Apex. Residents in the area turned out in large numbers to hear the NCDOT study group speak and to voice their concerns.

Some were parents of Apex High School students, although I would imagine many parents live far enough away from the Laura Duncan intersection that they may not have heard much about the proposed changes. The NCDOT sent letters to residents who lived in homes… Continue

I am very fortunate—as part of my job as writer, I get to meet and interview people from all walks of life: restaurant owners, teachers, artists, mechanics and software engineers. What strikes me over and over again is that some people take a round-about route to get there, but when they find their calling, something clicks.

For most of us, we were not “discovered” and settled instantly into perfect jobs. No book publisher or magazine editor plucked my writing from obscurity at age 15 and… Continue

I have an unhealthy attachment to water to this day because of the long hours my friends and I spent at the pool when we were kids. Our neighborhood pool was a short walk through some backyards--we often arrived before it opened and stayed much of the day.

Time flew by, and I never remember being bored while we were there. We played sharks and minnows, made up quirky races, pretended we were dolphins and choreographed synchronized swimming routines. Hearing Huey Lewis and the News and “The… Continue

You may have thought that last year was an “election year,” but for local public school children, decisions made in the ballot box this year may have a profound impact on the next few years.

The redistricting plan of 2008-09, resulting community groups formed to respond and former Board member Rosa Gill’s recent move to the State House (http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/1565981.html) may change the landscape of various long-standing Board policies.

“Neighborhood… Continue