One of my favorite movie quotes, from the 1954 classic “On the Waterfront,” is the lament by Terry Malloy, a washed-up prizefighter turned longshoreman: “I coulda been a contender.” Or as he pronounced it, a “contenduh.” Well, “I coulda been a librarian”! Librarians’ work is full of excitement and danger! And maybe I should have […]
Wonders
Posted February 20th, 2009 at 7:25 pm (UTC-4)
My last posting on Abraham Lincoln is the jumping-off point for today’s missive. Last time, I pointed out that Abe’s is one of four gigantic sculptures of the heads of former U.S. presidents that were blasted out of a granite hillside on Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Someone here in the […]
Abe
Posted February 12th, 2009 at 6:37 pm (UTC-4)
When I was knee high to a bobcat, as my mother liked to say, the birthday of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, was a huge day in school. We reviewed and recited the many accomplishments of “Honest Abe,” the “Rail-Splitter.” This classic photographic portrait of Abraham Lincoln was created by Alexander Gardner, a Mathew Brady […]
NewVerMaine
Posted February 6th, 2009 at 7:29 pm (UTC-4)
I’m at it again with another made-up regional name. Just as there is no such place as MassConnIsland to encompass the three southernmost states in the New England region, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine to the north don’t really come together as NewVerMaine. But they have enough in common to set them apart from the […]
MassConn Island
Posted January 30th, 2009 at 7:33 pm (UTC-4)
After reading my last post, Geraldo in Brazil sent along some flattering comments and closed with a suggestion: “How about writing something about Massachusetts or the whole New England?” I’ve been meaning to, Geraldo. I was waiting for the place to thaw! You provided the impetus for me to do so. But I must say […]
Pretty as a Picture . . . Postcard
Posted January 16th, 2009 at 9:45 pm (UTC-4)
I love to travel across America . . . by postcard! When I cannot actually get somewhere – or even if I do – I look for a beautiful picture postcard of the place. Not one of those overly bright and blue-sky-perfect cards made from cheap color slides, either. Even you and I can take […]
