I sang with bands for years, and it was a blast. Weddings, dances, black-tie galas…we played them all. I could tell you that I did it because I wanted to share my music with others, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. While I got great satisfaction from helping to make special occasions memorable, I also…
Halifax
On the morning of December 6, 1917, residents of Halifax, Nova Scotia began a day like any other. The city was busy. Halifax had been a wartime port since 1914, when Canada’s legal status as a British Dominion had brought the country into the Great War alongside Britain. As Canada’s largest Atlantic port, Halifax had…
O Columbia
I’ve driven westbound through the Columbia River Gorge twice, the first time because I’d never done it before and the second time because I had. It’s a breathtaking drive through Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, with scenery that never bores or disappoints. The first time I made the drive I stayed on I-84, which runs mostly alongside…
Attention to Detail
My daughter’s wedding is approaching, which means we’re in the midst of tying up loose ends that rely on other loose ends that can’t be determined until a completely different set of loose ends is resolved. Some tasks, at least, are more straightforward. We needed signage to guide guests from the curb to the backyard…
Use the Force, Luke
It’s a classic scene: Luke Skywalker is learning to use his lightsaber under the wise tutelage of Obi Wan Kenobi. “A Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him,” Obi Wan says when Luke’s lightsaber once again misses the targeted training remote. “This time, let go your conscious self and act on instinct.” Because, of…
Happy (Non)Birthday!
My grandmother had two birthdays. For most of her life she celebrated on August 26th, the birthday she’d known since childhood. Then, sometime during the late 1960s, her husband found a box on the upper shelf of a closet in their Bronx apartment. Among the important papers it contained was Rachel’s birth certificate, something that…
Blurring the Boundaries
I was one of those kids who knew my dolls were alive. I figured that whenever I left the room, they relaxed and chatted casually amongst themselves. (I ignored the idea that this could happen while I was asleep. The thought of them dancing around while I was present crossed the line into terror, and…
The Allegorical Window
Welcome to my new website! Make yourself at home–I’d offer you a drink or snacks but, you know…virtual experience. At least after a year-plus of socializing via Zoom, we’re all accustomed to lax hospitality. Feel free to poke around. I’ll leave you to it, but before I go, I’d like to point out the gorgeous…
Japan House Suites
During my last road trip, I stayed in a Coeur d’Alene, Idaho motel called Japan House Suites. I didn’t know much about it, but it offered the best price in a relatively expensive town and had solid reviews. For one night on the road, that was enough. I booked online before leaving home. Crossing Montana…
