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: Heros
Ride of the Valkyries
June 7, 2026
There is nothing quite as thrilling as pressing the accelerator in whatever car you drive, and heading up the on ramp to the freeway, particularly if the car stereo plays the right music. Back when I had my old 1970 Mustang we called it the “Jump to Lightspeed”, borrowing a term from Star Wars. The … More Ride of the Valkyries
Uncle Steve Served in Vietnam
April 12, 2026
Stephen R. Patterson gave up a National Merit Scholarship to join the US Marines and fight in Vietnam.Judging by the ages of my sister and myself, this was likely taken before his unit was surrounded by the North Vietnamese in 1968 at Khe Sanh. The family home, Bellevue Idaho near the Wood River. Steve was … More Uncle Steve Served in Vietnam
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
The Road Not Taken
June 1, 2024
By Robert Frost In this bit of a lawyer’s road review I wish to dedicate this poem to our daughter Rachel J. Patterson. Most of us from around these parts graduate from High School, maybe go to college but nearly always return to the headwaters of our family origin, a town a lot like Everett … More The Road Not Taken
Defend Ukraine Defend Ourselves
March 10, 2024
“I say this to Congress, we have to stand up to Putin. Send me a bipartisan national security bill. History is watching. If the United States walks away, it will put Ukraine at risk. Europe will be at risk. The free world will be at risk…My message to President Putin: We will not walk away. … More Defend Ukraine Defend Ourselves
A Christmas Greeting from Outer Space
December 24, 2023
Frank Borman, Commander of Apollo 8, died this November aged 95. He had a tremendous career in the military and aerospace, but nothing he left behind is quite as compelling as his greetings on Christmas Eve 1968 from orbit around the Moon. Earthrise, taken by Apollo 8 crew member William Anders, Christmas, 1968 At the … More A Christmas Greeting from Outer Space
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
Graceland: It’s a Heartbreak Hotel
July 16, 2022
The King and I, our visit to Graceland. … More Graceland: It’s a Heartbreak Hotel
Lawyers Road Review 