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My Day at Coney Island
[The Luna Park Icon. Photo: Google search.] It wasn’t a humid heat or a muggy heat. Nor was it a roiling heat or a smoldering heat. It was a seething heat, like a kettle of water about to boil. It was so hot, my fillings softened. It was so hot the sweat glands on my…
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Fifty-Six Years of Darkness
[Sinead O’Connor. Unknown date. Photo: Google Search.] This is probably the shortest blog I have or will ever post… I was propped up in bed on a warm afternoon. It was July 26, 2023. My iPhone was in my left hand and I making a stab at the New York Times crossword. It was a…
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Heart of Glass
Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~~Anton Chekhov [Our glass horse from Murano, Italy. Photo is mine.] Sometime in the ancient distant foggy and shadowy history of human existence, someone discovered how to make glass. This is thought to have occurred around 4,000 years ago.…
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My AI Birthday Wish to My Son
Sometimes when I need a miracle, I look into my son’s eyes, and realize I’ve already created one. –Anon What follows is an AI generated birthday wish for my son, Brian. I fed suggestions into ChatGBT that included Ireland and his future projects. I have edited it slightly to eliminate places in Ireland he has…
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Last Thoughts From The Cathedral Crypt
[One of the many small chapels in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral. Photo is mine] I’m sitting with Mariam in a small chapel in the crypt of this amazing Cathedral. There are several reasons why I’m sitting here on a small very hard wooden chair. One is that the temperature is probably close to 65º…
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It’s The End, But It’s Far From Over
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain I wish, I wish I was a youth again But a youth again I can never be Till apples grow on an ivy tree. ~~”Love Is Pleasing” The Dubliners [The Bridge of Sighs, Venice. Photo is mine] I didn’t think I could do it. I worried that…
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Rigorous Days and Restful Nights on the Kennet & Avon Canal
[Sunset on the Kennet & Avon Canal. Photo is mine] Part 1 ~~ Starting Out And Mooring After arriving at Devizes we had little trouble finding the Foxhangers Canal Boat Rental building. Our boat wasn’t quite ready so we strolled down to the canal and found a lock. I (having watched three YouTube videos on…
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A Field Guide To English Hand Signals Whilst Encountering Oncoming Vehicles On Country Lanes
[A typical country lane in Dorset, England. Note the lay-by on the right. Photo is mine] THE ROADWAYS OF ENGLAND The very first thing you need to know about British driving is that they drive on the left side of the road.! This knowledge can help to keep a casual road trip through Devonshire from…
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Seeing Sally Again: Part One
Due to issues with my blog provider the last post about Sally was incomplete. Some text was missing. It was several paragraphs about how I came to be in England and how I met Sally and her friend. More importantly perhaps is that a photo was also missing. Below I will publish two photos: one…
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Seeing Sally Again
[Sally and me at The White Hart Inn, Wimborne, Dorset. Date: June 7, 2023. Photo is mine] This afternoon, Sally took time out of her life to make the trip to Wimborne and meet with me and Mariam. We talked of that year (Mostly I talked). And I finally had a chance to thank her…