Mark Twain once said that the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. His point is well made. But it leaves us with the question of what is the right word for the insects that make our summer nights sparkle? Twain referred to “lightning bugs,” but many of us call them “fireflies.” So which is the right word?
As long as I can remember, I have always been attracted to cacti. I believe I imprinted on these bizarre plants during the accumulated hours of spellbound time passed as a kid in darkened movie theaters, transfixed by the endless procession of desert-strewn cowboy-and-Indian Technicolor westerns.
The pleasures of the seashore are numerous and varied. There are countless reasons we flock to the beach this time of year. While there are always new–and seemingly more complicated–things to do in the surf and sand (I’m thinking of you, kitesurfers!), most of us are content with the simple things: sitting, swimming, walking. The latter has always been a personal favorite of mine.