Lorraine Mason brings her walker on Monday nights and prepares to boogie. Mason, 89, is one of the "strutters" who strut their stuff to the music of the Ed Salmon String Band at the Aripeka Elks Lodge 2520, in Hudson. The strutters perform every Monday and don elaborate costumes for their act about twice a month and on special occasions. ...more

February 14, 2008

Long before Jon M. Chu directed a $25 million Hollywood film, he was behind the camera in his native Los Altos, where he spent many weekend nights editing videos of weddings and other events while his friends were out having fun. ...more

February 14, 2008

Dodging four men pushing a cart full of honeydew melons, I step out of the noisy traffic of Istanbul, pass through the horseshoe-arched door, and trade one commotion for another. Suddenly the air - heated by millions of watts of electric bulbs - is several degrees warmer. Like carnivorous flowers, merchants seduce from glittering shops. They say, "Welcome to the Grand Bazaar." ...more

January 6, 2008

Santa's back at the North Pole, kicking up his feet, but greeting card season is far from over - especially for the multitudes of hobbyists just looking for an excuse to craft a card. ...more

January 5, 2008

So you've designated 2008 as "The Year I Finally Go Somewhere." Loved ones gave you luggage for Christmas, and you responsibly turned in your passport application a month ago. Now the hard part: choosing a destination. ...more

January 4, 2008

I've never been able to roll my R's, but I do have a strong fondness for Mexican snack foods, especially tacos, tostadas and empanadas. ...more

December 26, 2007

These days, life moves so fast, and we are all so busy, it has become necessary to plan farther and farther in advance to make anything happen. At least in part, this is because we have somehow developed the need to make every occasion a major production. Compulsion to "wow" those who attend has robbed us of most of the spontaneity, and, in my opinion, much of the joy of special occasions. ...more

November 25, 2007

Two investment groups - one located across the state and one across the globe - have teamed up to buy one of Tampa's landmark office buildings. ...more

September 21, 2007

TAMPA - One of downtown Tampa's landmark office buildings has a new landlord. ...more

September 20, 2007