We moderns are in the habit of carrying our own water with us. There are entire sections for bottled water in the grocery store. Plastic or steel or whatever water bottles are sold everywhere so we can refill them and … Continue reading
Brenda Clough
We happened to stay in a house in Eugene, OR that was quite, quite new. I would say it was built within the last three years or so. The first picture is of its front door. Can you see the … Continue reading
The foodies will tell you — eat what’s available, in season. North Carolina barbecue should be eaten in North Carolina, and Maryland crab in Maryland. This is my excuse for making a systematic tour of French pastries. It’s research, OK? … Continue reading
In his short story “–And He Built a Crooked House” the great Robert Heinlein had a character cautiously opine that a house is, by and large, a device to keep off the rain. This is quite accurate. If you are … Continue reading
There are many, many things for the prudent author to consider when naming a character. I’ve blogged about some of them before. I’m writing a long series of novels (the first one will be out this month!!) and have been … Continue reading
Due to current events, a lot of people have been talking about leaving the United States. Just pulling up sticks and going somewhere else. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It’s the classic fantasy … Continue reading
I haven’t posted much about food in this blog, because those posts went to the frothier venue of Facebook, where you can go and look at them if you like. But I am sure I do not need to mention … Continue reading
Oh, the burdens of living in an area that’s been inhabited since the Neolithic. All the good citizens of Saintes, a small city near the Atlantic coast of France, dreamed of was a nice golf course. A suitable site was … Continue reading
One of the themes of this little blog series is reusing old stuff in modern times. It’s creative. It reuses resources. And it allows you to live in an old area, an old city, an old house, and still live … Continue reading
It has always seemed to me that it’s careless, to mislay a Roman road or a villa or a city. Look at this picture — there’s a big pavement under there, and they completely mislaid it for thousands of years. … Continue reading