For years, I’ve been hearing about 10,000 Waves, a beautiful Japanese spa in Santa Fe. We stayed overnight in one of their minimalist cabins, and then we were pampered in all sorts of ridiculous ways. Decadent serenity, it was. Later: the farmer’s market in Albuquerque.
Author Archives: Jonna
Wildlands Restoration
These photos are from a trip to Heil Valley, where we helped the Wildlands Restoration Volunteers with meadow restoration. While picking the seeds of Needle & Thread Grass and Poverty Oat Grass, we took mandatory water breaks, as it turned out to be the hottest day of the year. By the end of the day, […]
Loveland Sculpture Garden
Loveland, Colorado is the site of an international sculpture competition. You can’t tell this from the photos, but we went to visit on a very hot day. Some of the most striking pieces are traditional bronzes depicting wildlife. Standouts among the human figures include this work called “Triangle.” My favorites, however, are the origami ponies. […]
The Magicians
Lev Grossman is the kind of fantasist who refuses to give readers what they want, which probably explains why his brilliant new fantasy novel The Magicians is so polarizing. Some readers hate Grossman’s sobering take on the whole Harry Potter genre: they expect a charming Hogwarts-like school with earnestly heroic young wizards fighting high-stakes battles […]
Rockport shoreline
I was in Boston for the weekend with friends, and on Saturday we took a drive up the coast to Rockport. Because it was beautiful, and because it was there, I had to photograph the iconic red barn on the water.
Poetry Fix: W.S. Merwin
Another Merwin poem, this one filled with visionary longing. Vision What is unseen flows to what is unseen passing in part through what we partly see We stood up from all fours far back in the light to look as long as there is day and part of the night.
The Graveyard Book
I just found out that Neil Gaiman’s riveting novel The Graveyard Book has been awarded the Newbery Medal. Well deserved! I bought my copy in Scotland and read it at Dalkeith House in one gigantic gulp. My UK edition features lovely and delicate drawings by Chris Riddell, while the US editions have darker, more atmospheric […]
Under Three Suns
One of my favorite works of alternate history is Ursula Le Guin’s short story “Sur,” in which a woman reminisces about taking a secret expedition with her girlfriends to discover the South Pole. On a day like today, when the temperature in Wisconsin is -28F and the wind chills are approaching -50F, I find myself […]
