Category: History
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At The Museum…For Decades
[I loved this Alaskan canoe when you could see the people in it.] The more things change, the more they stay they stay the same… -Anon. I never understood the above quote, except to say that I think it means that history repeats itself. I certainly can get that…considering the Trump Era. You can figure…
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Confessions Of A Gravestone Photographer
[At work in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Chateaugay, NY] I would strongly object to anyone who would dare call me morbid. It is not morbid, in any sense, to appreciate and love old (and new) cemeteries. It is not morbid to stand over a grave of a total stranger and contemplate his or her life. I…
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The Toboggan
When I enter our garage from the door that faces our house, I don’t often look up. What could be up there that I’m avoiding? Well, there is an old oak bed head-board and foot board that was mine when I grew up at 420 Front Street, Owego, NY. There are stickers of cowboys and…
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A Farewell Letter To Jimmy
Hey, Jimmy…I can’t bring myself to call you James. For most of my life you’ve been Jimmy, so there it is. Mariam and I were in Burlington just this past weekend. As I wandered up and down Church Street I kept wondering where the restaurant was that we met for the first time in over…
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The Night Of The Living AA’s: Report #3
I’m sitting on the sofa in our screened-in porch listening to the rain falling, heavily and with vigor, on our deck, roof and the new leaves of the maples. I want another mug of Dorset tea, but that would mean going into the kitchen one more time. I’m reluctant to do that. There is something…
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Gathering Dust
I was dusting some items in our home the other day. If you find that unusual, you should see the amount of dust that can accumulate in a house that was empty for almost six months. We weren’t even here. So, where did it come from? And, it’s not that we keep an unclean home.…
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I Married An Armenian Chess Shark
It was a perfect night in the Adirondacks, in April, when the gentle showers promise to bring the lovely early blooming flowers of May. Ok, it was snowing just a little–maybe 5 or so inches were predicted for tonight, and the temperature was hovering around 19 degrees. Like I said, it was a perfect Spring…
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Roadside Attractions From The Rearview Mirror
I feel like I’ve driven half-way around the earth’s diameter. Actually, according to the odometer on the red Ford Escape, we did indeed travel that far. Our total distance driven, including side trips for sight-seeing, came to an astounding 13,589 miles! If you’re into engine care and maintenance, that’s would be three oil changes (and…
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Has Enough Been Said About Burlap?
I would like to think that burlap is the next nylon. True, no woman will get “oo la la’s” from sporting burlap, but let’s face it…nylon is so ’40’s! I will also admit that burlap was never part of the black market trade during two World Wars, at least not in the books I’ve read.…
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A Short Walk Up Boot Hill
[An unknown prostitute of Dodge City] My reason for being on the road for so long has a great deal to do with my growing dislike of the winters of the North Country. It also enables me to wander and explore my interests. I love history, I am attracted to stories of the pioneer…
