Catastrophe and Compassion
Like my colleague Becky Lower, I am moved by generosity in hard times. Researching fiction always takes us in unexpected directions. This week was no exception. While researching floods along the east… Continue reading
Like my colleague Becky Lower, I am moved by generosity in hard times. Researching fiction always takes us in unexpected directions. This week was no exception. While researching floods along the east… Continue reading
… a defining moment for Canada, when the country emerged from under the shadow of Britain and felt capable of greatness. Tim Cook, Canadian War Museum Last Tuesday, as I prepared this post,… Continue reading
Did you know there are two Jamestowns to visit? It is a bit disconcerting when you follow the Colonial Parkway and come to signs pointing in two directions. We went straight, toward Historic… Continue reading
Relaxing, slow, refreshing… What words do you think of when you hear the word cruise? River cruises have become particularly attractive, and in spite of worldwide unrest. How about challenging and adventurous? That… Continue reading
Lately I’ve been envisioning stories set in 1840, with an interest in Egypt. When I began to survey the historical landscape I kept coming back to Egypt. In many ways the fate of… Continue reading
“It isn’t a real chapel.” I heard that twice last week; both speakers referred to the Saint Francis Chapel at The Mission Inn in Riverside, California, and both put the emphasis on “real.”… Continue reading
Writers often wander down some winding roads; many call it “the research rabbit hole.” This past week I got lost in one when I began by asking about public gardens that may have… Continue reading
… the enemy makes a wilderness and calls it war. Richard Harding Davis, NY Tribune, witness to the burning of Louvain, 1914 Cultural treasures disappear at a disheartening rate, often due to… Continue reading
Historians suggest a variety of causes for the Opium Wars. Some declare the cause to be “extraterritoriality,” the refusal of one sovereign nation, in this case, the United Kingdom, to allow their citizens… Continue reading
Folks from the Orkney Islands in Scotland impacted the exploration and settlement of Canada by Europeans heavily, particularly through their close connections to the Hudson’s Bay Company. It isn’t difficult to understand why… Continue reading