When Reginald Smith heard about a bridge club at his school, he thought he and his friends “would be building” — making model bridges or learning about construction. “But then I found out that it was cards,” he said late last month, standing outside a bustling ballroom at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel in Washington. […]

On any hot August afternoon, if you step inside the sleek lobby of Auburn’s Hilton Garden Inn, you’ll be greeted by the friendly front desk staff. But you’re not here for a room; you’re off to the hotel’s cozy restaurant and lounge, which evoke a cool city vibe. In fact, it’s more metropolitan than you […]

Imagine a 60-pound bumblebee, a seven-foot-tall rose or a butterfly with a five-foot wingspan. You can actually see these and 24 more incredible Lego sculptures at the “Nature Connects” exhibit at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia. Yes, artist Sean Kenney uses the same Lego pieces you use in your much smaller creations – […]

The garden is looking a bit dry. The tomatoes have those deep indentations that show they haven’t been growing properly with the right amount of water. And pulling weeds is easy because the soil is almost like sand. If you are able to water your garden, it should be done regularly these days. I keep […]

Big Daddy Tug offers seasoned advice on the best ways to barbecue There’s nothing like the aroma of wood smoke and the flavors it creates in a well-smoked meal. We’re talking authentic barbecue: Slow cooking at low temperatures with tiny tendrils of thin, bluish-white smoke allowing the natural juices to break down the essence of […]

Humans are amazingly resilient in crises, but some cope with life’s stresses better than others. On any given day people face any number of minor annoyances such as being stuck in traffic or spilling coffee on their shirts or forgetting their keys. Then there’s the persistent stressors that come from work, relationships and finances. And […]

Hallways are the most underappreciated, overlooked design opportunity in your house. Think about how many times you pass through them each day. What if they were something special? When designing halls for his clients, Washington interior decorator Jonathan Senner prefers more of a classic look, with neutral walls and a salon-style gallery. In hers, Seattle-based […]

Kate McDermott, the Piechiatrist, once spent 2 1/2 years testing just crust recipes and owns 98 pie pans. She conducts workshops in her Port Angeles, Wash., home, which she has dubbed “Pie Cottage,” and holds frequent therapy sessions on Facebook Live. So, who better to turn to for piemaking advice – especially after pulling a […]