LOS ANGELES — The wave is all anger and elegance. Shaped like a cursive C, it hurtles toward the Santa Monica shore.

A child on a surfboard balances on its crest. Or at least he tries to.

The boy wipes out. Hard.

But then he pops up in the whitewash, all smiles. His Aqua Surf School instructor is grinning too.

On this happy day, the ...Read more

If Alexander Graham Bell, who is credited with patenting the first telephone, were alive today, he’d be:

(a) On hold.

(b) Getting relentless calls about his car’s extended warranty.

(c) Convinced that my new smartphone has a dumb owner.

The correct answer is:

(d) All of the above.

At least Bell has the good sense not to call me — and...Read more

Dear Anna,

I've been with my girlfriend for eight months, and I'm starting to feel like I'm competing with her phone for her attention — but not in the way you'd expect. She's become obsessed with AI chatbots. At first I thought it was just a novelty thing, but now when she's stressed about work, upset with her family, or even excited about ...Read more

A few weeks ago, I was bound to crutches after fracturing the neck of my femur while running a half-marathon with Image's fashion director at large, Keyla Marquez. This happened right before Paris Fashion Week for the men's spring/summer 2026 season, which we both had plans to attend, and I was left with two options: resign myself to a Frida ...Read more

In the past few months I’ve traveled to an extravagant, loveless wedding on the coast of Rhode Island, a midsize prep school outside Boston, a long, awful, gorgeous goodbye between two soulmates inside Graceful Shepherd Hospice, a retirement community in Maine, a beach-town rental on Cape Cod and a whole bunch of spots in Los Angeles, both ...Read more

As beaches fill up and grills fire up across California for the Fourth of July weekend, the state is offering another way to enjoy the great outdoors — free fishing, no license required. This Saturday, anyone can cast a line in a lake, river or the ocean without spending a dime.

July 5 will mark the first of two free fishing days offered by ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- For a “real lesson in torture,” try calling your local Social Security Administration office with a question.

That’s what Marcia Chestnut, a 62-year-old former housekeeper from Philadelphia, sardonically suggests.

In February, Chestnut — who lives with various disabilities — received a notice from the SSA saying her ...Read more

As a professional in the dating industry, I received a lot of questions over the last week or so about what I thought about the new movie "Materialists." IMDB describes the movie as, “A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.” But, I was less interested in the plot of the ...Read more

It is a prolific bloomer, in the sun or shade and it artistically cascades or tumbles over the rim of hanging baskets and containers. It is the new Surefire Cascade Red begonia, which is making its debut in 2026.

I love it when July arrives, giving me the opportunity to share with you new flowers that we see both in industry and our own ...Read more

CENTRAL CITY, Colo. — On the hillside of a Colorado valley ringed by bygone gold mines, a team of archaeologists-in-training wielding paintbrushes uncovered a buried treasure of their own recently — a 19th-century shoe that may have belonged to a lady of the night.

Jade Luiz, an assistant professor in Metropolitan State University of Denver...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I just finished a year of teaching the most ungrateful group of students I’ve ever taught. I feel like I spent half of the year telling these second-graders to say “please” and “thank you” and to be appreciative and it did not have any effect. Other teachers have seen this as well, including the first-grade ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Tim Gallaudet is not alone.

Literally, with his five dogs scampering underfoot at his Annapolis home on this particular day, but also cosmically: He believes extraterrestrials fly among us.

That Gallaudet is a retired rear admiral of the Navy and former acting and deputy administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric ...Read more

Turquoise colors the early morning sky as a granddaughter and I leave the house for a doughnut run. We turn out of the neighborhood, zip past the strip mall, clear two stop lights, lean into a roundabout and begin cruising a lovely stretch of road bordered by magnificent estate homes with manicured lawns and swimming pools.

My backseat ...Read more

Q. My biological brother is 17 years younger than me. My parents always said he was a surprise. He is now 8, and we have a very special relationship. I call him “my little buddy.” I am planning to get married this week and while preparing, he asked if I didn’t love him anymore. He knows that I am planning to change my name after I marry ...Read more

When you break a tooth that you’ve already had a root canal on, you root for your dentist to get to the root of the problem.

That’s what Dr. Anthony Fazio did on one of my molars, which he expertly repaired during a two-part procedure that was, I am happy to report, painless.

As Dr. Fazio said, “I didn’t feel a thing.”

The dental ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Drew Demko's hands are steady as he grabs a wooden hive frame covered in beeswax, and places it into an awaiting pail at Propel Andrew Street High School in Munhall, Pennsylvania.

Using a "hot knife" — beekeeper lingo for a heated brisket knife designed for slicing — he gently cuts away the white wax caps that cover the honey...Read more

Frustrated with dating apps, singles are are shelling out for high-end matchmaking.

“We had our biggest month of sales in the history of the company last month, and we’ve been around for 15 years,” Adam Cohen-Aslatei, CEO of the matchmaking service Three Day Rule says. “Our business is not shrinking.”

And he’s not alone. Demand ...Read more

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. — When Azania Lane-Majestic arrived at the beach with her family, her initial excitement gave way to concern. No lifeguards could be seen despite heavy, pounding surf.

So she held the hand of her 8-year-old daughter whenever they went in the water. And, just in case, she went online and looked up how to spot and escape a ...Read more

The Garden Guy had the opportunity to trial the Virtuoso dahlias last year and I started off muttering, "This shouldn’t take long." The thought of a hot Georgia summer and dahlias sounded like a horticultural train wreck. But when the first Virtuoso Pinkerific bloom opened, I thought "OMG, I am a dahlia grower!"

Sometime in July I was head ...Read more

A totally delightful man named Sam is in charge of maintenance and a million other things in my Chicago apartment building — including, especially, making every dog’s day.

Sam keeps an inventory of dog treats in the front pocket of his work shirt, and every time I’m on an elevator with him and a dog, he places a treat on the floor for the...Read more