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: Place in History
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
Churchill Recalls: The Fall of France- May 10 1940 to Dunkirk
November 11, 2024
Among the great surprises of history was the speed of which France fell to the German invasion in 1940. We armchair historians tend to gloss over the event, and focus solely on the heroic last stand Britian made that following summer. In doing so we miss a remarkable drama that unfolded in the few weeks … More Churchill Recalls: The Fall of France- May 10 1940 to Dunkirk
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
Baby Boomers: Born at the Right Time and Place.
December 30, 2023
In the Second World War, young Russian women, often just girls, would volunteer to fight at the front against the Germans. If assigned to a tank medical corps, their position was to ride on the back of a tank into battle while the male soldiers rode inside driving the tank and firing the weapons. Russian … More Baby Boomers: Born at the Right Time and Place.
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
The Probate Song
October 1, 2023
By now in my practice I have come to recognize those things I may cherish my children may find to be so much junk they have to off load when I have passed on from this earth. Regularly I hear the tale of houses packed with bits and pieces of personal property, often still in … More The Probate Song
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