"I missed those moments of joy and exhilaration, those moments of communicating with the horse, of flying, of floating, of traveling on the back of an animal and feeling his movements. "

Shortly after her fortieth birthday, author Katherine Maxwell made a list of all the things she wanted to do in her lifetime. The very first item was learning how to ride a horse.

Having been on a horse only once before as a teenager, Maxwell estimated that seven lessons would be adequate. She quickly realized that seven lessons could not possibly turn her into an equestrian, or even make her a...

Dallas is the ninth-largest city in the United States and the third-largest city in Texas (after Houston and San Antonio). Moderate weather, southern hospitality, world-class restaurants, and sporting events are just a few of Dallas' attractions. The city has the largest urban art district in the country and lots of entertainment options. Dallas is a melting pot of diversity, with many different lifestyles, cultures, and religions living peacefully in this Texan powerhouse. San Antonio ranks seventh in population in the U.S. and is the second largest city in Texas. The city is best known for...

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest city in the United States. It is a sprawling, cosmopolitan city with many ethnicities and nationalities. Houston is situated on the Gulf Coast of Texas and has the fourth largest port in the United States. Some of the world's leading medical and research institutions, including the Texas Medical Center and NASA's Johnson Space Center, are found in Houston. New Orleans is the crossroads of old world elegance and new world frivolity. The Big Easy is a patchwork of cultures and a seat of artistic innovation. Jazz was born here. Creole...

Phoenix is the sixth largest city in the United States and has pleasant, wide-open spaces with cacti, rust-colored mountains, larger-than-life sunsets and stars that you can just about reach out and touch. This desert city has an average of 325 sunny days per year and is a popular destination for winter vacations and as a second home. Tucson is the second-largest city in Arizona. The city has pleasantly cooler temperature than Phoenix and is located in the Sonoran Desert. Tucson is one of the "forty fastest growing metropolitan areas" of the United States. With a population of one million in...

Seattle, the Emerald City on the shores of Puget Sound, is the crown jewel of the Pacific Northwest. To the west are the jagged peaks of the Olympic Mountains and to the east are the rolling hills of the Cascade Mountain Range. On a clear day the towering peak of Mr. Rainier dominates the southern skyline while the cone-shaped peak of Mt. Baker can be seen to the north. Portland, Oregon sits in the shadow of the larger Pacific Northwest cities of Seattle and Vancouver, but is one of the most overlooked gems in the United States. The city is a leader in progressive social thinking including...