Some of the best matches are these quarterfinal games - Argentina v. Switzerland on now. It slow and fast, gripping with sweat and grit, good and bad referee calls (with cards or no cards), and young men stretching themselves to their limits as they try to bring home a win for their respective countries. Not only that, a win gets them into the semi-finals, on the road to the final game. The hot and humid weather in the USA and Mexico (maybe a few early games in Canada) have b

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the USA, if not the world. I love to play this game. It has intrigue, skill, is fast-paced, and has a whole bunch of geometry. So, when my Pickleball club was having another 3v3 women’s “tournament,” I gathered my paddle princesses, Deb and Beth, and we went into this tourney as The Spice Girls (Beth's last name is Spicer- hence, the name used for our team). We had a blast! It was all very competitive, and my partners were aw

What a day to celebrate our country! Can you believe the USA has kept up the “experiment” for the past 250 years? It is the home of the free, because of the brave! Fifty years ago (I can’t believe it’s been that long), it was a big deal for the 200th anniversary of our nation’s birth—1776 to 1976! In commemoration, at the tender age of 14 years old and going into the 8th grade, I wanted to make a quilt, Betsy Ross style. I told my mom about my grand plan to create a quilt, th

France is famous for its flowers because of its rich royal history, its booming perfume industry in Grasse in Southern France, and its deep cultural love for nature. It’s like the French perfected the love of flowers, as they did with wine, and for centuries at that. Flowers are a major part of French art, fashion, and daily life, and it’s noticeable, or at least it is for me. Everywhere my eyes landed around Nîmes, Monoblet, Uzes, and little towns in Provence, they were met