Last night was the second time I've attended a Pecha Kucha event. This one featured six artists, one of them my sister, Dorette Amell. Each presentation is formatted in the same way: 20 slides for 20 seconds as the presenter speaks about his or her work. It's an interesting way to share projects, information, and see what others are up to. If a Pecha Kucha Night comes to your town, I encourage you to check it out.

Dorette's presentation was about her Fuji series. She's created over 150 pieces of artwork that feature Mount Fuji juxtaposed with another element. You can see more of her Fuji's here and sign-up for her Fuji Friday blog, too. A Fuji every Friday!

Other presentations included a talk on murals in the city, building boats with teens, and a librarian who talked about her work and what the library has to offer.

The library talk got my interest because I love the library. The internet has certainly changed the landscape of libraries and how we access information, but libraries remain an important source of information. You can get lots of information on the internet, but if there's a book you want to look at, you'll probably have to buy it or . . . go to the library!

The 18th is National Friends of Libraries Day. I encourage you to check out your local library . . . you may be surprised at all they have to offer! Here's a link to our library in Portland, Maine.

Today is National Chess Day - if you're looking for a challenge, give chess a chance!

Photographs and article by our favorite travel writer:  Elizabeth Margolis-Pineo/Epicurious Travelers

Travel Light in 3-D

I love New York.  I love the East Side, West Side, Bronx, and Battery. I want to stuff the Big Apple in my suitcase and take it home. My travel-savvy friend Julia recommends a model or kit instead. “They’re flat, light, and a creative, meditative way to spend an afternoon with a glass of wine,” she says. Hmmm.

I arrive via yellow cab at the Hotel Empire at 63rd and Broadway. My cabdriver, Harry, warns, “Beware the Eurotrash,” and squiggles his eyebrows like Vincent Price. The cavernous Empire lobby’s leopard-print chairs suggest Sunset Boulevard by way of Vegas. Dim, mile-high chandeliers twinkle like mid-century Miro satellites.

I check in and cross Columbus Circle to the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), and the Richard Estes exhibition. It’s a little freaky looking at Estes' photographic paintings of Columbus Circle reflected in the windows of MAD while inside MAD looking at a painting of Columbus Circle reflected in the windows of the MAD.

In the MAD shop I find a yellow cab model, “ages 3 and up.” As Julia says, it’s cute, flat, and a nice way to remember cabdriver Harry and my day at MAD.

The evening brings me to Esca, "lure" in Italian, for Carciofo Negroni cocktails adorned with a trademark flourish of orange. Recreating recipes is another great way to recall a treasured travel experience, DIY-style.

Carciofo Negroni al’Esca
1 oz. Plymouth gin
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 oz. Cynar
Pour the gin, vermouth, and Cynar into a chilled glass over ice.
Garnish with a serious twist of orange peel.

I'm lounging high on the vertiginous Hotel Empire pool deck enjoying the view.  The pool is a single turquoise lane in which no one is swimming, and the piped-in 1980s music is torture. AC/DC yells, "You. Shook me all night long!" The international rooftop crowd seems to love it. A nifty model of New York City’s iconic water towers (skill level intermediate, a little more of a challenge) will definitely help recall my noisy and convivial rooftop experience.

I make my way to the once-gritty, now-stylish Meatpacking District to the Circle Line. On a sunny day, there is no better way to see the island of Manhattan than by boat. We chug by the Statue of Liberty, Gracie Mansion, Brooklyn Bridge, Yankee Stadium, The Cloisters, and Grant's Tomb.

Our Manhattan odyssey ends with soaring panoramic views from the new Whitney Museum. I flip through my lightweight, packable postcards and souvenirs and enjoy the sunset. I find a postcard-model of the Statue of Liberty — way beyond my level of skill — but vow to give it my best effort.  I buy two, just in case.

Elizabeth Margolis-Pineo is a travel writer who created EpicuriousTravelers to feature her published work and ongoing trips throughout Maine and abroad.

It was a beautiful, clear morning with light wind, and one by one, members of the Sky Streakers R/C club arrived . . . eager, focused, and ready to fly.

Remote control aircraft. This is a hobby that allows for craftsmanship and skill on many levels, and can range in cost from under a hundred to thousands of dollars, attracting all ages.

The youngest "pilot" we encountered was 11-year-old Seth Dixon who builds his own planes with help from his dad. They had at least three planes built from scratch (no kits for these two) using plans they found online. And they were beauties . . . gliding, rising, and swooping under Seth's deft control.

Burt Dumond and Ray Labonte from Ray & Robin's Hobby Center were onsite. Burt, who usually goes for model helicopters, came out today with his first model plane; Ray was there with his super sleek (and super fast) sport jet; and David Skillings took flight with his TW-5 Navy VT-16.

Clubs like the Sky Streakers offer camaraderie, experience, and buddy-box remote control training (recommended for your first flight). If you're interested, look for a club in your area.

And the next time you hear the buzz of a plane, look up(!), it could be a quarter size model of the real thing.

The cool air and some dark nights have got me thinking.

Working on this site, PURSUITS magazine, and all that goes with it has, and continues, to be a learning experience. What works, what doesn't work . . . it's all a work in progress, and like the seasons, change is in the air.

We're planning more interviews and a new series for our blog . . . it's not just October, it's ROCK-TOBER, and we're planning to rock it! Is there something you'd like to see on this site? Share your ideas with us and we'll make the site the best it can be.

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TODAY IS OLDER PEOPLE'S DAY - take the time to talk with an older person. I can say from experience that even though I'm getting older, I don't feel old (well some days I do, but I still think the same, laugh the same and have the same and more interests!).

If you come across an older person, or if you live with an older relative or friend, take some time today (and more often), to ask a question and start a conversation, you'll be surprised at what that older person can share.

If you've had a great relationship with an older person, tell us about it! Post a comment, we'd love to hear from you.