2026

Living in Reno, we are often asked what there is to do when friends come to visit. My usual answer is, “Not a lot.” Which is not to say Reno isn’t a lovely and remarkably easy place to live, surrounded by spectacular mountains, with abundant sunshine and some of the best outdoor recreation in the American West. But as I’ve written in a previous blog, Reno itself has never been much of a tourist destination beyond its casinos. Historically, it has been more of a regional busin

Samuel Courtauld, born in 1876, was seven years older than Stephen and became chairman of the family textile company in 1921. By then, the business was generating enormous profits, giving him the means to pursue what would become his great passion: collecting art. What is remarkable is that Samuel did not begin collecting seriously until he was in his forties. And when he did, he developed a particular fascination with French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting. Tod

Like most people, I had heard of St. Andrews, Scotland, primarily for two reasons: its legendary place in the history of golf and its rather more romantic claim to fame as the university town where Prince William met Kate Middleton. Beyond that, I knew remarkably little about the place. So when our travels through Scotland provided an opportunity to visit a beloved niece who is attending university there, I was delighted to finally see it for myself. What I hadn’t expected wa