My previous posts about colorful Victorians have covered a wide range of eccentric entrepreneurs, con artists, and whatnot. Today’s subjects’ eccentricity—if I dare call it that—consisted in dogged devotion to religion and unwavering… Continue reading
No, not the football one either! The horrible fire in Paris made me wonder about the other great cathedrals. There are hundreds of churches named “Our Lady” of something or other in many… 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
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
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
In an era of British imperial expansion, with limited social mobility at home, men with ambition, energy, and imagination looked to the wide world for opportunities to make their fortune. It didn’t seem odd… 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
