Category: History
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When Life Ends: Still Rich: Still Poor
One of my pastimes is to wander cemeteries. The older the better–and more interesting. The artwork on gravestones is full of imagery and symbolism. I’ve been in classic world-famous cemeteries like Pere Lachaise, in Paris, Evergreen, in my hometown and quaint very old graveyards that sit in the quiet spaces beside churches in England. And,…
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Waiting For All Hallow’s Eve VI: “A Light Hearted Look at Demonic Bloodsuckers”
There are creatures that can crawl up a wall, head down, in an upside down position (like a spider), turn themselves into bats, rats, moths, mists, and clouds of dust. They ‘live’ by sucking the blood of a live person. We call these demon-like beings vampires. They would not make very good neighbors, although, I’ve…
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Two Elderly Gentlemen Walk Into A Pub
An older man walked into a pub in Burlington, Vermont on a recent Saturday afternoon. It was minutes away from a heavy rain. The guy went downstairs to the men’s room. He was there at the pub to meet an old friend and he was about two minutes late. As he climbed the stairs,…
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Along The Red Tavern Road
In the northwest edge of the Adirondack Park is a lonely road. It winds through the forest connecting a highway intersection with a small hamlet that sits beside a waterfall and a small dam. This is a place founded on the lumber industry. Now, it’s a country for hunters, trappers, snowmobilers, fisherman and retired…
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A Solitary Child in the Woods
You won’t find it in the guidebooks. You probably won’t find it at all without sitting in a dusty room of a Historical Society and doing your homework. Not many people know it exists. I found it because I had a decades-old topographic map in my possession. And still, I found it by accident. The…
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To Betty: An Alpha and Omega Life
On a Tuesday Betty sat in the passenger’s seat of her car in our driveway. Her husband, Bob, was behind the wheel. They took our Netflix DVD (we share an account) and drove home. On Wednesday, she became unresponsive at her kitchen table. She suffered a stroke. On Friday, she was in the ICU for…
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Forever Janis
If you’re busted flat in Baton Rouge…then pull out your harp from your dirty red bandanna…and play the blues, softly. Pull out your file cabinet and check that your Elvis and Marilyn stamps are safe. Make room for another lost soul. Today, the Janis Joplin Forever Stamp is on sale at the Post Office. Why…
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Coney Island With Princess Pat and Eddie
I was on the stage of the Sideshow at Coney Island and I was standing on the thighs of a woman who was lying on a bed of real nails. Her name was Princess Pat. I’ll get back to her. I’m in New York City. We came for a few doctor appointments. It was Tuesday…
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At The Hound Tor
This is the place of legends. Arthur Conan Doyle saw these rocks and promptly went home to write The Hound of the Baskervilles. Our walk was five miles, beginning in the car park on the north side of Hound Tor. We were to end our day climbing up and over and between the rock outcrops,…
