On Our Cover
Black Bean Christmas
Original watercolor by Annapolis artist Lali
“It doesn’t matter where we’re from,” said my grandfather, in his hand a glass from the bottle of rum that had been passed around the table. “What matters is we’re together with the people we love.”

More Days for a New Year
They missed our deadline but these Chesapeake calendars
are too good to miss
by Louis Llovio
Earth Journal ~ Courtesy of beaver, redheaded woodpeckers
by Gary Pendleton
11.5-Hour Reprieve
Surely a real Wye Oak leaf pin is as good an engagement ring
by Louis Llovio
The Train’s on Time in North Beach
Tickets are free on Tom Crockett’s 13 miniature lines
by Louis Llovio
Way Downstream
In Washington, Chesapeake Bay’s blue crabs win friends at the National Zoo…
and Green Party’s Ralph Nader, spoiler in the ’00 presidential elections, says there’s a “high probability” he’ll run in ’04…
From Austin, glow-in-the-dark, genetically engineered tropical fish now on their way to pet stores…
This week’s Creature Feature: In New Jersey, the state’s first black bear hunt in a third of a century scores 328 dead bears — and a public relations nightmare.

Fond Memories of Christmas Past A Tradition Worth Repeating: Fantasy and Memoir for the Holidays Our Bay Needs Less Sewage, Fewer Studies In Dirty Air, SUVs Not Guilty Department of Corrections

by C.D. Dollar The Luck of the Draw Holiday Folktales from Far and Wide by Martha Blume Our First Christmas by Connie Darago