Nestled among the rolling hills near Banchory in Aberdeenshire, is a Highland cattle farm where the stars of the Scottish countryside graze—long-horned, shaggy-haired, and unmistakably charming. Inside the barn is Duchess, a Highland cow with a touch of celebrity. She’s graced calendars, appeared on cooking shows, and even turned up in documentaries, her photogenic fringe … Continue reading Dutchess: Queen of the ‘heilan coos’ →

Their faces peer into a century-old camera, framed in the fashionable, wide-brimmed hats of the 1910s — unsmiling, as if they could see what the future held for them. These sisters were the eldest daughters of Noah and Phyllis Brisbois of Ecorse Township, now part of Lincoln Park. The young woman with "Vernie" scrawled across … Continue reading Looking for Stella →

I was always good at geography. I could fill in a blank map of Europe in sixth grade and spell “Czechoslovakia” without looking it up. Those elementary years were a time of global turmoil—reflected in the maps I memorized, divided into Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Western Europe was considered the “good” side: the United … Continue reading Across a great divide →

My sister Catherine prefers to be called “Kate.” She is 63 years old and in the final stages of Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare and progressive neurological disease that has slowly taken almost everything from her body. She has been in a wheelchair for decades and is dependent on others to meet her most basic needs. … Continue reading Finding joy in a horse barn →

“The best grapes come from the hardest ground,” said Julian Ostermann, our guide at Domäne Wachau, one of Austria’s oldest wineries. He was talking about the terraced vineyards of the Wachau Valley, but the phrase lingered long after the tasting ended. It seemed true not only of the vines rooted in stony soil, but of … Continue reading The Soul of the Danube →

My 53-year-old brother Rich Lapham died September 13, 2025, and our family will never be the same. He was the first boy after six girls, born when my dad was 52 and my mother 44. Family lore says Dad nearly fainted when the doctor came out of the delivery room and announced, “Herb, it’s a … Continue reading Loss leaves a hole in the heart →