The Compass Rose: Kindred Spirits
January 25, 2010 by Ainslie Jones Uhl

An attractive blonde, wine glass in hand, sidled up to my husband. I could tell she was smart. She subtly moved her gaze from one end of the room to [...]
Read More »The Compass Rose: Saving Father Christmas From Kris Kindle
December 13, 2009 by Ainslie Jones Uhl

My office, right now, is a shameless jumble of multiple typed drafts of works in progress, random but important thoughts penned on index cards, carefully considered newspaper clippings, half-filled Moleskines [...]
Read More »The Compass Rose: Thicker Than Water
November 25, 2009 by Ainslie Jones Uhl

“Let’s have a family Thanksgiving,” I said to my friend Mary, “without any blood relatives.” It was a time a few years ago when I had had my fill of [...]
Read More »The Compass Rose: Dealing With the DMV and Other Tales
October 27, 2009 by Ainslie Jones Uhl

My birthday in early October was not particularly noteworthy until I realized it was the day that my North Carolina driver’s license was to expire. For years, I renewed my [...]
Read More »The Compass Rose: Freedom, Sunshine and West Coast Casual
September 20, 2009 by Ainslie Jones Uhl

My husband invited me to dinner last week. He made reservations at the finest restaurant in our neck of the woods: a white tablecloth sort of place, with a dining [...]
Read More »The Compass Rose: Echoes of Divine Harmony
August 18, 2009 by Ainslie Jones Uhl

Henry’s extraordinary musical gift is filling the house again. It keeps stopping me in my tracks. His fingers move so easily — from the achingly beautiful deep sobbing of his [...]
Read More »The Compass Rose: Talking to Strangers
July 14, 2009 by Ainslie Jones Uhl

In the newest installment of her column “The Compass Rose,” Ainslie Jones Uhl writes about California’s Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage, her own civil marriage in Brussels, and how random conversations with strangers can yield unexpected, important insights.
Read More »The Compass Rose: Living Incognito
June 24, 2009 by Ainslie Jones Uhl

One of the more surprising perks of our relocation from North Carolina to California has been the thrill of complete anonymity. I did not think I would ever see this [...]
Read More »The Compass Rose, Part Two: There’s No Place Like Home
June 3, 2009 by Ainslie Jones Uhl

After a number of days of power outages and telephone disconnects, I finally got through to our son, Hart, whose 21st birthday was in early May. He has been studying [...]
Read More »The Compass Rose: View from the South Wall
June 1, 2009 by Ainslie Jones Uhl

The house sat facing the street, on a gentle grassy slope punctuated by liriope and ivy. The curving stone wall which graced the front boundary and each side of the [...]
Read More »

