I come Des Moines. Somebody had to.

18th century scientists, the French in particular, seldom did things simply if an absurdly demanding alternative was available.

"Croissant": However you choose to pronounce it at home, it is perhaps worth nothing that outside the United States, the closer you can come to saying "kwass-ohn," the sooner you can expect to be presented with one.

It is unthinkable to have a British countryside that doesn't have actual functioning farmers riding tractors, cows in fields, things like that.

... it occurred to me that never again would he be seven years, one month and six days old, so we had better catch these moments while we can.

Every kid I knew had a father with a little stash of men's magazines which the father thought was secret and which the kid knew all about.

I love everything about motels. I can't help myself. I still get excited every time I slip a key into a motel room door and fling it open.