Category: History
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Yesterday Afternoon And An Afternoon Thirty-Three Years Ago
[The tomb of Joseph and Caroline Damer] Thirty-three years ago I parked a VW Polo in a small space a short distance from the village of Milton Abbas. I was an exchange teacher at a school in Dorset, England. A teacher friend told me that I must visit an Abbey near Milton Abbas. I was…
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A Walk Through Lichfield Cathedral
[Lichfield Cathedral] Some people have life-lists of the birds they have seen. Some people have collections of autographs of rock stars or artists. A fair number of people pay a ton of money for signed baseballs; signed by Ted Williams, Goose Gossage or Ron Guidry. That’s great. Many of these things can be framed and…
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Her Husband Is Poorly: A First Walk In Yorkshire
[Grassington, Yorkshire.] We’re staying in Grassington, Yorkshire. I saw somewhere it was called the “Swiss Alps of England”. I can get the sense of that. No snow-capped peaks and Matterhorns, but the Dales are pure and English and brimming with grand vistas. There are enough walking paths to satisfy the Swiss Alpine Club, the Sierra…
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The First Full Day In Edinburgh
[The Scott Memorial being evacuated by the police.] I waited while Mariam took her shower and washed her hair. I felt like we were being delayed. We’re travelers, we don’t need showers. Tourists take showers. So, I snuggle deeper into the comforter and went to Spotify. She seemed to take forever to wash her hair…
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Real Place/Fictional Person
There are so many real existing places named for, dedicated to or all about fictional people. (How I wish Trump Plaza was in this category!). So, let’s visit one. First of all, I don’t write travel blogs such as those where the blogger is paid by the hotel or resort to write-up all the great…
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I Caught The Eye Of The Groom In The Brussels City Hall.
[Only a part of the Grand Place.] Unaware Americans. Yes, that’s who we were when we arrived in Brussels. Yes, that’s how I felt when we arrived here. Mapless. I need to know the urban geography of any place I am in. But, I had no idea about this city. Changing the B&B we left…
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Bruges Makes Me Sad
[Mariam and her husband after dinner at the Market Square.] Occasionally, during your life you arrive at a destination that forces you to hold your breath, for too long, and then exhale with an audible gasp. Your heart can hold off on a beat and then give you an extra pump. And a part of…
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NASA Director Sends Wife To The Moon
[A rare photo of the then Mr. Kramden, with wife, Alice and neighbor, Edward Norton. (ca. late 1950’s). Source: Google search] Washington, D.C. The Chief of NASA, Dr. Ralph Kramden, has big plans to celebrate his wife’s birthday. He intends to send her, literally to the earth’s only satellite, the moon. A short time ago,…
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Joshua Tree Diary: Christmas in the Desert
[Desert view outside Joshua Tree. Photo is mine.] This is where it all began, right? I don’t mean California…I mean the desert. The Nativity story is set in the desert; much like the one I see from my bedroom window. Very much like it, except that desert, with the Star, is half a world away.…
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Fathers and Coffee
One more cup of coffee before I go… –Bob Dylan [My photo] This gray, almost monochromatic morning, I lounged in bed reading yesterday’s New York Times. It’s something we did every weekend for years while we lived in Manhattan. The…
