Auburn, ALSeptember 6, 2021 I started last week eating dinner in Ohio. We begin this one cleaning a kitchen in Alabama. A month ago, we helped our son into his new apartment. Unbeknownst to us, we’d moved him into Spicoli’s van. We didn’t meet his new roommates while we were there. And Alexander hadn’t seen […]
Atlanta, GA August 11, 2021 “I’m sorry. I know people must like to have their individual freedom. But I think that we’re in such a serious situation now, that under certain circumstances, mandates should be done”. – Dr. Anthony Fauci, yesterday on MSNBC It’s been said that people go insane in groups, but come back […]
Auburn, ALAugust 7, 2021 “I wish I were calling with better news.” This isn’t usually the first thing a father wants to hear when he answers a Sunday morning call from his son. Alexander is between semesters at college, and is spending his summer in Auburn. He’s working most nights, helping out at a bowling […]
(Photo credit: Brett Breen) Atlanta, GA July 29, 2021 One of the blessings of vacation is that we can avoid the news. We close our ears, avert our eyes, and open our minds. Among the detriments of going away is that we eventually come back. That’s what we did last week. Big mistake. Hard as […]
Atlanta, GA July 24, 2021 When I was a kid, my mother would give a treat to her sons (and gift to herself) by occasionally sending them to Washington, D.C. At the time, she had an older sister and younger brother living there, neither of whom had children. This would provide her siblings a taste of […]
Walla Walla, WA July 19, 2021 A couple weeks ago, we celebrated the Fourth of July. I noted how I love the idea of the day, but hold some contempt for the fireworks by which it is celebrated. I think that’s a mistake. Rituals are important. Especially after the last year, we can’t take them for […]
Walla Walla, WA July 15, 2021 During our three-day interlude between Walla Walla weekends, we discovered (or re-discovered) a few jewels in Oregon’s crown. As our cousin Ashley steered us right by sending us to Joseph last Friday, she hit the bullseye advising us to visit Hood River this week. Till then, we’d never been […]
Portland, ORJuly 13, 2021 After a beautiful Mass Sunday morning at St Patrick’s, a lovely couple hours with Ashley and Alice, and some lunch at the Walla Walla Bread Company, we swung by Brook & Bull, grabbed a few bottles of wine, and headed into the great expanse of northeast Oregon. Over a couple hours under […]
Walla Walla, WAJuly 10, 2021 Throughput their lives, the Apollo astronauts had seen the moon. Throughout their mission, they were in constant contact with the earth. When they were in trouble, they could ask questions, and get help. But the Lewis and Clark Expedition had no idea where they were going or what they would […]
Seattle, WA July 8, 2021 Today we’re in transit. To pilfer Pascal, I’ve no time to write a short note, so I have to squeeze in a long one. We’ve just come off a flight from Atlanta, on our way to Walla Walla. Our connecting flight is delayed about an hour, so we’re camped in […]