The perpetually surprised Catharine Hamm was born in upstate New York but now lives in Los Angeles because of her strong anti-snow stance. Her father, a federal civil servant, used to disguise the many journeys to his new assignments as “vacations.” She was well into her 30s by the time she realized she had been duped, but despite the sleight of hand, she still likes to travel and spent much of her career as a travel journalist.