The promise of a greater share of Alaska’s $2.4 Billion tourism market has prompted Denali Lodges to launch Alaska Denali Tours, its new custom and packaged Alaska tour and vacation arm. Denali backcountry lodge Alaska Glacier Cruise Alaska wildlifeDenali Lodges, the 15-year operator of the Denali Backcountry Lodge and Denali Cabins, has now expanded into the lucrative Alaska tour and vacation market. Alaska Denali Tours offers custom and pre-packaged Alaska tours, vacations, lodging and transportation throughout Southcentral ... [full story]

With power equipment and antique hand tools, woodworker James King toils daily to preserve the techniques and furniture styles of the master craftsmen of early America. In his home in rural Hudson, Ill., King, 51, builds reproductions of fine furniture produced by artisans in this country from 1700 to 1850. Period-inspired furniture and historical reproductions are the focus of King's business, Post and Beam, which he has operated full time for eight years. He receives ... [full story]

For years, retired English teacher Merle Kimmel has been in the back of my mind as I put pen to paper. She called the first time to inform me gently that I had used a non-word, "heighth." I never made that mistake again. "The correct word is 'height,'" she explained, "and I'm not surprised you used the wrong one. So many people do." Fortunately, Kimmel, who was chafed by chalk dust in Louisville, Ohio, schools ... [full story]

From pre-game warm-up to post- game wrap-up and every play in between, a Super Bowl party just wouldn't be the same without the original Buffalo flavor created by Frank's RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce. As a matter of fact Chicken wings are the #1 appetizer on restaurant menus*. By following a few simple tips from Kevin Roberts, author of the cookbook Munchies you can get authentic restaurant-quality Buffalo flavor at home and be the MVP at ... [full story]

Paul Wilkinson, president of his neighborhood association, took the crime-fighting ideas behind Neighborhood Watch programs to high-tech levels when he installed a video surveillance camera on his home a few years ago. Footage he captured helped Peoria police shut down a drug house or two in his neighborhood. Wilkinson's personal video surveillance, part of a larger clean-up-the-neighborhood crusade, also may have prompted other "problem" neighbors to flee his block. But his video camera never caught ... [full story]

I'm trying to sort through my feelings about my first holiday season without Mom. The thing is, our family never really celebrated, so I didn't miss a big family party. But I did miss my mother more than usual. While all my friends were gathering with their relatives, I reached for the phone to call Mom more often than I had been. And I had been doing that a lot. While everyone else was opening ... [full story]

Q: Our daughter's mare is due to foal in about two weeks. Because we want to observe the foaling, we are wondering if we can have the mare induced just like it is done in women. That way we would know which day to stay home from work and which day to allow our daughter to stay home from school. We have been told by our friends that unless we have our mare induced, we ... [full story]

Every year, along with the geese and robins, thousands of snowbirds migrate to southern climates as winter sets in. Our friend Bob, an avid golfer, is one of them. "I'm out on the golf course every day. I love the sun and the warmth and I hate the cold back home." He figures he's got the ideal life: he lives in Frederick, Md., nine months of the year and in Boca Raton, Fla., the other ... [full story]

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, State Farm join forces to address the issue In a new national survey released Thursday, 5,665 high school students said they are driving under extremely dangerous conditions -- fatigue, talking on cell phones, strong emotions, multiple passengers -- and many are still not wearing seatbelts. The National Teen Driver Survey, released by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm, represents 10.6 million 9th, 10th and 11th grade students in all ... [full story]

An old man, living alone in a small, once-abandoned farm building on a Nebraska hillside died last week, following a brief admission to a nursing home. He died “intestate,” without a will, at age 84.  He left behind a 23-year-old Dodge pickup truck, a kitchen table, a bed, two rifles, a shotgun and $30,000 in savings. He had never married, had no children, and his parents were long deceased.  “Who gets his property?” asked his 82-year-old sister ... [full story]

As game day approaches, don't forget to include wine at your Super Bowl party. The Wine Market Council makes it easy by pairing game-day snack stand-bys with favorite wines. Super Bowl Sunday isn't just for beer drinkers anymore! Buffalo Wings Piquant and vinegary wings need white wines with a lot of acidity like Sauvignon Blanc or Albarino from Spain to stand up to the sharpness of the flavors. If the wings are exceptionally spicy, an ... [full story]

There aren't many places that escape the march of time over 75 years. But my friends and I found one that offers a retreat in both time and space that nurtures one's sense of priorities, feeds fond friendships, and steps lightly in a place of age-old natural beauty. It's called Cimarroncita, a 2,600-acre rustic property in northern New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Way back in 1931, Minnette Thompson, who hailed from Houston, opened a ... [full story]

THE CHEF Cathal Armstrong was as freaked out as an executive chef could be. An important woman expected for lunch the next day had arrived without warning. Armstrong and the surprised staff of the Washington, D.C., Bistro Bis whipped up the best lunch they could, then held their breath as she dined. When finished, the woman said she was so pleased that she would return with a friend. The next day, Julia Child was back ... [full story]