Preserving Sound

A Wilmington high school is home to the fourth largest theatre organ in the world

Published on 8/13/10

Just because something is falling out of use doesn’t mean it isn’t worth saving. Read More »

Crossing the wooden threshold into the main room of Baldwin’s Book Barn is like stepping into a different world, where time seems slower and the network of non-stop technology is silenced. Read More »

The Conscience Of The Countryside

Remembering Mrs. Hannum

Published on 8/02/10

Under a dazzling blue sky in early April, about 800 family members and friends bid farewell to a Chester County icon. The memorial service for Nancy Penn Smith Hannum was held under a tent on the grounds of her stately home, Brooklawn. Read More »

Painterly Visions

Mary Page Evans’ natural lifescapes

Published on 7/27/10

The sleepy villages, the velvety purple grapes, and the glowing carpets of sunflowers define the Gascony countryside near the village of Auvillar. Unspoiled by changing times, life is slow and relaxed. It is a feast for the eyes and soul of an artist. Read More »

Spa Baths

Live it up in this once-utilitarian room

Published on 7/20/10

The bathroom is where your house uses—and wastes—the most water. So why not start your energy efficiency program with your toilet? First, there were toilets that conserved water when they flushed, which wasn’t always optimum. Now, there are toilets that allow you to choose between two flush strengths. Read More »

The Wild Bunch

New Bolton’s semi-feral ponies shed light on equine behavior

Published on 7/13/10

Their manes and tails flying, galloping over the dusty plains or roaming high hillsides of the American West, they answer to no one. Read More »

An Aesthetic Update

Local artists transform empty windows

Published on 7/06/10

Next time you visit Rehoboth, something may seem different. The sand will be warm, the Atlantic will be crashing on the shore, and the salt-water taffy will taste just as good, but you may find your stroll along the boardwalk more aesthetically pleasing than you did on your last trip. Read More »

Utility-free House Accommodates Modern Lifestyle

Annapolis-area home goes beyond green

Published on 6/04/10

Think about living totally off the grid – no utility company, no carbon footprint. Read More »

A Living Museum

A tour of the Brandywine Valley’s oldest trees

Published on 5/13/10

The London Grove Oak stands in front of a Quaker meeting house about two miles west of Route 1, where the West State Road jogs on to Newark Road. Read More »

To Have And To Hold

Bowls full of love for trees

Published on 5/13/10

I gave this bowl to my wife because she likes waterfalls,” says woodworker Tom Pleatman as he shows me a yellowwood bowl he made. It’s a frigid January morning with an icy wind blowing in the tall locust trees outside his Media, Pa., home studio. The bowl warms in my hands, its golden rings of sapwood and heartwood forming the cascading lines of a sonnet to fallen trees.
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Tom uses only wood from local trees felled by nature or necessity to, he says, “keep the memory of the tree alive. I make bowls as a tribute to trees. When I take a piece of wood, I feel a responsibility to do it justice. I try to communicate something about what the tree went through in its life.” There’s no room in his studio for anonymous lumber from faraway places. Sometimes Pleatman knew the tree in its glory days growing in a backyard or arboretum. More often, he sets eyes on the donor for the first time after it has lost a limb or its life. Read More »