Bonni Brodnick Blog

                                                                                                           Photo: Bonni Brodnick "President Obama will go down in history with Abraham Lincoln as one of the presidents best able to articulate a nation's anguish as well as its promise. I don't think we'll see his equal for a while,"  writes my longtime friend, Jack Ewing,  European Economics Correspondent for the International New York Times. Here is part of Obama's speech at the DNC convention in Philadelphia. He is brilliant and should be knighted for his leadership and integrity. " See, my grandparents, they came from the heartland. Their ancestors began settling there about 200 years ago. I don't know ...

It's hot. It's humid. Stop the bitchin' and get in the swim! Whether mimicking Esther Williams in the aquamusical "Million Dollar Mermaid," or diving in just to lap it up, swimming pools are the elixir on a 94-degree day.  Grab a lounge chair and check out my Huffington Post,  "Town Swimming Pools: A Suburban Paradise."

Two of my good friends just finished Pacific Cup 2016, sailing high and confusing seas from San Francisco to Kaneohe, Oahu. Their crossing was anything but the calm of this tranquil clip.

Today's temperature soared to 90. What cooler idea than to go to the movies in the late-afternoon after broiling poolside? "Ghostbusters" was funny enough (thanks especially to Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth [who is hilarious] And no, I didn't leave out Kate McKinnon [who plays the same snark and expression in most everything she does. In "Ghostbusters" she is exactly like the Justin Bieber impersonation she does on SNL. Leslie Jones should have been cast as the scientist.]) I loved the cameos of original "Ghostbusters" Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver. The bust and quick-frame tribute to the brilliant Harold Ramis was a great Hitchcockian twist. The new theme song is nowhere near as bitchin' as the original "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. When I saw the movie in 1984, the house rocked as credits rolled. Click here for the original mix. When they ask, "Who ya ...

Outdoor concerts abound this time of year. Time to bone up on the do's and don'ts of concert etiquette and get with the program. Don't be the nudnik in the next row. Click here for my rant on the topic in Huffington Post .

I am fond of letter writing. I am even fonder of the responses. I have a collection of letters (to ME!) from Princess Diana's Lady-in-Waiting Sarah Campden, Elizabeth Taylor, Jimmy Stewart, Robert Goulet ... and more. When my son was a few years old, I wrote fan letters to his favorite television idols. (I must have done it while he was napping.) Here are two treasures from "The Brodnick Family Archives:" My early inspiration and love for letter-writing was inspired by my father in 1960 when he wrote to the First Lady. A beautifully written thank you note came back. I love the closing, the spacing, the elegance of the signature. (Unfortunately, our housekeeper dripped coffee on the letter. Ah-hemm.)   My mother, too, is renowned for her notes. She's got boxes and boxes of personalized letterhead, note and gift cards. One of her first gifts to my son was stationery with sailboats floating across the top blue banner. Although I wrote his thank you not...