Veteran journalist and environmentalist Bill Kurtis paid a visit to Elmhurst Aug. 18 to lunch on Tallgrass beef from his Kansas ranch at 100 South Chop House and Grill and discuss healing gardens and the holistic approach to health with those associated with Elmhurst Memorial Hospital.

This summer, my activities included re-reading Alexander Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo.” Because it is more than 1,500 pages long, and since I have seen at least two movie versions of it, I wondered if it could still sustain my interest. It did. The power of the storytelling swept me along once again, and afterwards I thought about what makes a classic. Why do we connect so thoroughly and through so many generations with some works of art while others fall by the wayside?

James Dahle, a long-time Elmhurst resident, related to me his memories of how the Prairie Path evolved from dream to reality.

Longtime Elmhurst resident Claire Cronin said to me some years ago that she was a roamin’ Catholic, meaning that she went to several churches. I often feel like a roamin’ reporter or a sort of traveling observer — a variation on the theme of Christopher Isherwood’s book “I Am a Camera.”

Jan Vanek and Carol Rounds are among the many Elmhurst residents passionate about the environment. They are very pleased that the town became a part of the “Cool Cities Coalition” in 2007. This is a campaign created in 2005 to encourage implementation of energy solutions.

“What makes a great man?” I thought after a nearly three-hour, wide-ranging chat with Judge William Bauer. An Elmhurst resident since age 14, he has served as judge with the U. S. Court of Appeals with the 7th Circuit since 1974 and shows no sign of slowing down.

I met with Dick DuFort of the Elmhurst Fire Department to learn more about the Elmhurst Children’s Assistance Foundation and the painted fire trucks and Adirondack chairs gracing the downtown this summer. DuFort is the vice president of ECAF and co-chairs the “Kiddie Kool Art” committee with Debbie Conroy.

I come from the incredible shrinking family — a family that never spent much time procreating. I’ve never been sure why this is, although I’ve heard an array of explanations and have entertained the possibility that it was my Norwegian heritage because those northern countries have never been plagued with overpopulation, and, as far as I know, their interests lie mainly in drinking aquavit and collecting bits of string.

There are those who would say that Lee Daniels was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

June is drawing to a close. It was rainier than last year but without the cicadas, and during the middle of the month, we were blessed with decent weather for our uniquely Elmhurst brand of a summer kick off.

I met Dr. Ana Eng at Arby’s for lunch one day this spring. It was her suggestion because, as she said, “I have food allergies, so I have to be very careful. I know that there are a couple of things here that I can eat that won’t harm me.”

On the third floor of 110 Schiller St., and with a unique view of Elmhurst rooftops and the Fifth Third Bank building, is a large and cheerful room where people gather for Pilates classes led by either Stacy Krueger or Beth Reidinger.

I was sitting in a cafe one day, waiting for a friend while I nursed a cup of green tea — or maybe it was a nonfat latte or some bottled water. After all, it was a long winter of lots of sitting around, so I know I was keeping it light.

If you drive west on Grand Avenue from York Road, you will see a group of buildings off to the right that will make you do a double take.

In early April of this year, you may have noticed a lot of people in your neighborhood gathering donations of food from people’s front porches. Perhaps you were one of the people who received a flier asking for donations of items such as nonperishable food and cleaning or paper supplies.