Pamela Casella: The Italian Renaissance
July 3, 2026
Would you rather speak to a crab boat operator or an opera singer? … More Pamela Casella: The Italian Renaissance
Category: Cultural Foundations
Christmas in England
December 22, 2024
There is nothing more delightful than Christmas in England. It is a peaceful time of joy and hope, and as I have come to believe, it is the experience of the British as a people that makes it so. This thesis has been long incubating in the back of my mind. Christmas dinner two years … More Christmas in England
The Pope’s Old Ford: Lessons in Simplicity
December 1, 2024
Fr. Karol Józef Wojtyła drove an ancient Ford Escort with a 1.1 liter engine and a 4 on the floor manual shifter. He kept a small tin for mints on the dashboard with an image of Our Lady on the lid. In this most holy expression of unassuming transport, he completed the journey from Poland … More The Pope’s Old Ford: Lessons in Simplicity
Truckasaurus Rex: The Colossus of Roads
March 26, 2023
Truckasaurus Rex is just the most recent manifestation of how a civilization memorializes its perceived heroism. Like the Colossus of Rhodes it too is doomed. Meanwhile life on the freeway is a bit like the science fiction film The Matrix. … More Truckasaurus Rex: The Colossus of Roads
Never Read the Comments
May 11, 2020
By now in the lock down we have read everything remotely interesting on the web and have, with great courage knowing the risks, began to read the comments our countrymen post after each story. We have a theory of the country promulgated by Thomas Jefferson which has a its foundation the yeomen farmers know all … More Never Read the Comments
Condo Canyon
March 13, 2020
In line with the notion that folk songs all need to be updated, this tune came to mind driving through Ballard, the formerly Norwegian town which was consumed by Seattle at one point. Like Ballard, the song is completely original. It starts with a the Chorus: I want to go down to Condo Canyon. … More Condo Canyon
Men at Work
November 28, 2019
We more or less live in a time where we have come to expect a quantum of leisure time and a variety of experiences. I recall early in the primary grades reading comments about how Americans had more time and more money than ever before to pursue relaxation and generally fun activities. What was not … More Men at Work
My Parents Big Fat Catholic Wedding
October 19, 2019
My parents wed in 1956 and they went the distance; 62 years, until Mom died this spring. This is the story of the wedding. It is 1955. My parents announce their engagement and party is held in the house my grandparents built during the war. They set the date for July 14th, 1956, which is … More My Parents Big Fat Catholic Wedding
A Love Note to My Canadian Cousins
June 23, 2018
Please excuse us in the USA. We have gone a little bit arrogant this last election season and the fallout appears to have damaged our relationship. I am dreadfully embarrassed. I am here, cowboy hat in hand, to apologize. I am sorry our President has insulted your Prime Minister, and repudiated agreements he had just … More A Love Note to My Canadian Cousins
The Rusting Seagull
April 28, 2018
Suddenly the skies opened up this week and we had a taste of high summer. No better time to get out on the bike and find out how rusty the muscles became over winter. It is pretty bad but not irreparable. On the waterfront I encountered the art work that represented my body, the rusty … More The Rusting Seagull
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