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Many of those seemingly innocuous items in your pantry or fridge have been the root cause of most of world history: New England was discovered because Catholics needed more fish for Fridays, the Dutch sold Manhattan to get into the sugar and spice trade, Columbus discovered Central America accidentally while seeking the shortcut to black pepper. So we’ll look at how powerful food really is.

Sandy Garson has been a caterer, cookie biz owner and cooking teacher who studied Food History at Radcliffe and began writing about food for magazines and in two cookbooks using her professional journalism skills. Now she’s sharing all the fascinating food history she’s learned in the last 35 years, bragging about inventions more powerful than the IPhone.

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Patagonia is an incredibly special place. Comprising about half of southern Chile and half of southern Argentina, it's famous for its breathtaking landscapes; vast forests; natural reserves; national parks; glaciers; and native wildlife. In short, it's a hiker's paradise. Join world traveler Eve Fralick as she shares her adventures trekking through this amazing region in one of the earth's least populated regions.

Eve Fralick began her career as a United States Air Force officer traveling internationally to develop and implement multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art, telecommunications programs. After leaving the military, she worked in healthcare technology and as an adjunct faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University's Graduate School of Business. She holds Master degrees in Public Health and Systems Management. Eve's passion is hiking far off the beaten path around the world. She develops, and presents, travelogues of her adventures to libraries, assisted living facilities, senior colleges, and other organizations.

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Several years ago, my wife and I decided to hike two hundred miles along the Southwest Coast Path on the northern coast of Devon and Cornwall, England. We encountered lovely vistas, lots of steep hills to climb up and stagger down (called combes by the locals), many historical sites, and many charming little fishing villages that cling to the rugged coast of Southwest England. When our legs grew weary we “hop scotched” around the southern coast of Cornwall utilizing public buses and trains to eventually reach the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral and the incredible stones of Stonehenge. Come with us while we revisit our journey.

After through-hiking the Appalachian Trail Tom, who was later joined by his wife Judy, simply could not stop walking. Their hikes include long-distant trails in Vermont, the United Kingdom and Spain.

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This course will present a brief history of the iconic Scottish garment, the kilt. The evolution of kilts will be presented from the belted plaid, or great kilt, to contemporary kilts. Some examples of different kinds of kilts and kilt accessories will be available for students to see first-hand. A discussion of the history and significance of tartans will also be presented. Contemporary kilt fashion will be presented with a focus on practical aspects of wearing a kilt. Students will be shown how to don a belted plaid. 

Eric has been wearing kilts for years and is an avid aficionado of kilts and kilt fashion.