In which Thor takes another turn to explore our cabinet of curiosities, this time selenite and adamite crystals gleaned on a geology adventure in remote Mexico. Thor is taking up the slack as I recover from the latest round of cancer treatments (my hero!), so here we go on one of his adventures years before we […]
The Rambling Writer: Sara and Thor’s Cabinet of Curiosities, episode 2a Read More »
For the 250th Fourth of July (and our 52nd believe it or not wedding anniversary), we drove to Jeffersonville, Indiana, an old port town on the Ohio River. This is the county seat of Clark County, and also functions as a suburb for Louisville, KY, which is just across the river. (Interestingly and infuriatingly for
Fireworks over the Ohio River Read More »
On the second day of our Sister Trip, Jo and I found another memento of Charlottesville’s past, The Memorial to Enslaved Laborers (MEL). The University of Virginia, like many important institutions and buildings in the south, was built by people kept in slavery. This monument—a circle of local “Virginia Mist” granite — commemorates the more
A Poignant Memorial to a Complex Past Read More »
The final stop on our sisters’ trip was Harpers Ferry, up in the eastern corner of WVa, where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet. It’s also a tri-state moment: West Virginia in the point of the triangle, Maryland just across the Potomac, and Virginia just across the Shenandoah. We travelled through all three states in
Harpers Ferry– A Historical Hotspot Read More »
My sister Jo and I had academic parents, and we grew up in college towns in Virginia. She now lives in Richmond, Virginia. Last year we realized we hadn’t laid eyes on each other for two years. We decided we’d do a sister trip every year in June. This year, we drove about an hour west
June in the Shenandoah Valley! Read More »
Back Home Again in Indiana “Back Home Again in Indiana” is our state song (composed, btw, by the brother of the great author Theodore Dreiser), and it’s sung to start our little local race (aka The Indianapolis 500). Here is the annual rendition by the late great Jim Nabors. Now I am always “back home
Back Home Again in Indiana…. Read More »
My husband Jeff and I have spent the last few years travelling throughout Indiana, with plans to write a bestseller (just kidding) book describing the many small towns we’ve found. From James Dean’s birthplace (his image is EVERYWHERE in Fairmount) to the idyllic utopian New Harmony, we’ve seen many intriguing places in what is generally
Roberts Chapel: A Historic Hoosier Settlement Read More »
I’m constantly researching medical history these days. No, I’m not heading for med school. I’m just writing a series of romantic mysteries set in the Regency era (early 19th C). One of the main characters is Dr. Holt, a former ship’s surgeon, a current consulting physician, and now a forensic detective. He and Lady Danford
Body Snatchers and Resurrectionists: A 19th C Necessary Evil? Read More »
Join me for a celebration of Easter on my first trip through the Greek islands. I’m revisiting memories of my first backpacking trip around Greece in 1981, including an Easter week stay at a remote village on the south coast of Crete. I have only a few photos remaining from that trip, so some here are
A Rambling Writer Memory: My Greek Island Easter Read More »
Last week, I discussed how Shakespeare used the Ides of March assassination of Julius Caesar to explore human complexity—moving through skepticism and beyond cynicism to show that it’s in the contradictions that we see the real person. In JC, Shakespeare uses characters’ actions and reactions to reveal their character’s real intent. But more subtly (and
Shakespeare and Caesar and Contradiction: “Elements so mix’d.” Read More »
The Ken Burns documentary of the Lewis & Clark Expedition fleshes out the amazing adventures and challenges of the daring exploration of the new U.S. Louisiana Purchase and beyond. After Thor and I had watched the Ken Burns documentary of the American Revolution, we were eager to watch more history, so we settled in with
The Rambling Writer Review: Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery Read More »
The Unique New Harmony In the beginning of the pandemic, my husband Jeff and I wanted to keep up our travelling hobby, but do it safely. So we started driving to small towns within 100 miles of our home in Indianapolis, lunching in a downtown diner, taking photos of 19th Century bank buildings and main
Temporary Utopia: The Lovely New Harmony commune Read More »
Join Thor and me as we finally escape for some delayed R&R on Maui, with sunshine and daily snorkeling. But first, a tribute to Lahaina after the terrible wildfire of 2023. It’s been busy here since returning from our trip, and I’m still sorting Thor’s underwater photos with the promised images of snorkeling among sweet
The Rambling Writer’s Maui Vacation, part 1: Lahaina Memories Read More »
