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 »
Join me in celebrating the blossoming of spring! The peak of spring — halfway between spring equinox and summer solstice — brings such a burst of bright greens, blossoms, and fresh energy that it calls for celebration. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the earth seems to be throwing off the rainy gray mantle of winter
The Rambling Writer: Happy May Day! Read More »
For Brutus Is an Honorable Man (Repeat 3 Times) Last week we looked at the response of Mark Antony to Caesar’s assassination, and how his central grace and failing –his ability to love—led him to act with trickery and self-abnegation to achieve vengeance. Even in his trickery, however, his words reveal truths. This trick is
Ides of March Part 3: For Brutus Is an Honorable Man (Repeat 3 Times) 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 »
In recognition of the Ides of March, March 15, the death date of Julius Caesar, I’m doing a short series about that fateful day, as transcribed by William Shakespeare. Before 44 BCE, The Ides of March was just a calendar designation—the midpoint of the month. But of course, in that year, the Ides was the
Beware the Ides of March! No, really! Read More »
What would you do if caught in a “Groundhog Day” time loop? On February 2, 2026, Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so it’s six more weeks of winter – so sorry, all you folks caught in the freezing storms of the eastern U.S. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s seemingly just rain and
The Rambling Writer: “Groundhog Day” and Weather Read More »
Our funky nearby community of Birch Bay pulls out the stops for New Year excitement with a Ring of Fire and Hope and a rousing shot at breaking a Guiness World Record Polar Bear Plunge! Growing up in our “far corner” of the Pacific Northwest, I loved our family outings to Birch Bay, which boasts
The Rambling Writer: New Year Hope and Record-Breaking Polar Bear Plunge Read More »
It’s a challenge to write a Christmas Eve post that has nothing to do with standing tall in tough times. Except that singing is the tallest way to stand that I can think of. This opens the door to the subject of favorite Christmas carols. Raised as a Christian Scientist and now one of those
UGLY HOLIDAY SWEATERS The first time I heard about Ugly Holiday Sweaters happened when I watched Bridget Jones’ Diary. Colin Firth arrived to a party wearing a too-loosely-knit sweater his grandmother had made for him. Just for him. Only for him. Granny was in attendance, so he had to wear that sweater. We all groaned
Ugly Holiday Sweater Read More »
Join Thor and me as we celebrate the season with our new community of Blaine, WA, on the border with Canada. NOTE: This event took place in a lucky lull between many days of rain in late November, but before the devastating atmospheric river that is now taking place, bringing catastrophic flooding to the Pacific
The Rambling Writer: A Pacific Northwest Small-Town Holiday Festival Read More »
Could a computer run the United States? Let’s suppose we’re not that far off from this. I probably won’t be alive and neither will Donald Trump (fortunately) but it could happen. (Consider WestWorld—or is it Disney World?) Today’s political arena is a lot like a Disney ride. I ask you, would we feel any more
What I said in 2017 Read More »
