New Year’s Eve is not my holiday. I’ve attended New Year celebrations in lots of places, but mostly as an observer, not a celebrant. The forced gaiety makes me uncomfortable. This year I observed New Year’s celebrations in Anchorage. Each … Continue reading New Year’s Eve, Albania — Anchorage
January 2004. We spent the last two nights at Chena Hot Springs, 60 miles North East of Fairbanks. The springs were discovered in 1905 and became a resort for bone weary gold prospectors. When we arrived the temperature was reasonable, … Continue reading Chena Hot Springs
On Saturday about 100 Sitkans took a swim in the Sitka Channel without wet suits, dry suits, or survival suits, although one was person in a Santa suit. The fire department had pressure hosed the ramp to get rid of barnacles. Apparently cut feet are the biggest medical danger in this operation, and there were rescue divers off shore. I was covering the event for Raven Radio and before the event I asked the swimmers one simple question “Why?” Here is what I got: “Why Not?” — “We’ll be leaving this summer so I figured this is our last Alaska … Continue reading Sitka Polar Dip
The Suez Canal may be the only place where blue water mariners find sandstorms a hazard to navigation. There’s something otherworldly seeing a huge container ship gliding toward you through a golden brown silicone fog looking like it’s riding on sand. The camel is not the true ship of this desert, SeaLand is. The MV Hanjin Helsinki glides by, name written in Chinese characters and Latin letters, hailing port, Hamburg, Germany carrying Costo containers through an Egyptian sandstorm — globalization. On Saturday we visited the Suez Canal, Ismailia, near the canal’s center, where the waterway cuts through Crocodile Lake (people … Continue reading Ismaïlia and the Suez Canal
Tallinn’s tourism agency touts the “best-preserved medieval center in all of Europe.” It’s not completely medieval, and that makes it interesting. Architecture in the old town runs from medieval through baroque and Russian empire style (the Tsar built a very “Alexander Nevsky” cathedral and an opera house in the old town) to Art Nouveau. The mix is what makes the Tallinn old town interesting. Tallinn was founded by Danes (In Estonian, Tallinn means “Danish Town. “) German knights bought Tallinn from them and pretty soon Tallinn (Germans called it “Reval”) was in the Hanseatic League, acting as middleman between the … Continue reading Tallinn
When the song of the angel is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the Kings and Princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flocks The real work of Christmas begins. To find the lost To heal the broken To feed the hungry To release the prisoners To rebuild the nations To bring peace among brothers To make music in the heart. -An unattributed Quaker quoted by Gordon Bok Continue reading Boxing Day, The Work of Christmas Begins.
Christmas Day — a good day to post pictures of Bethlehem. The focal point of any visit to Bethlehem is Manger Square. It is a pedestrian zone bordered by the Church of the Nativity, the Mosque of Omar, the Palestinian Peace Center and a wonderful falafel shop which also serves freshly squeezed orange juice. Star Street, Nativity Street and Manger Street converge on the square. Some claim that the Church of the Nativity is the oldest Christian worship site in the world. It was built during the rule of Constantine on a site selected by his mother, St. Helena. She … Continue reading Merry Christmas !! Pictures from Bethlehem.
It’s Christmas Eve. In the news we have constant reminders that “Peace on Earth” is still a hope not a fact. This is evident at Shepherds’ Field outside Bethlehem where you can easily see the security apparatus that meanders around the hilltop where shepherds first heard “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” (assuming the angels sang in Latin). The Franciscans control this hilltop and when we were there in 2010 we listened to them field questions from tourists looking out over the fields asking what exactly they were seeing. In one of the pictures in this post you can see an Israeli … Continue reading Christmas Eve, Shepherds’ Fields outside Bethlehem.
For years Sitka had a boat parade. Several years ago, after the mill closed, the boat parade ended. It is expensive to run boats up and down the channel while powering lights with a generator. The boat parade was replaced … Continue reading 2013 Christmas in Sitka, including the return of the Boat Parade!
It’s the turning of the season, Winter Solstice. Living in the North it really is midwinter, and while we have a lot of cold ahead the returning sun presents the promise of spring. Because we are closest to the sun … Continue reading Winter Solstice, Sitka, Dec 21, 2013
Henry Ford once said “History is Bunk.” While I love reading history I understand what he was getting at. Whose history you read can determine whose side you’re on. Every side has its own history. In the Balkans I have the experience to be able to interpret the different histories. In the Middle East I’m still trying to figure it out. Palestinians and Israelis read very different histories, and they portray different histories to their public monuments and museums. In Jaffa the historical sign outside the museum reminds us of each time Jews were driven from the city but does … Continue reading Jaffa, the other side of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv could not be more different than Jerusalem. It talks like New York and looks like Miami Beach. While it has more hustle than Jerusalem it was also more laid back. In Tel Aviv, the Bistro where we ate lunch offered ham sandwiches (we went for the corned beef.). We could also get a cheeseburger, not Kosher, and not Jerusalem. With each delivery the waitress said “enjoy” just like in New York. Tel Aviv has over 4000 Bauhaus school of architecture buildings, built by Jewish Socialists in the 1930s, and because of that, is a world heritage site. We … Continue reading Tel Aviv Bauhaus
Juneau pretends to be an old gold rush town. Behind the faux gold rush façade (logs covering concrete in some places, like the Red Dog Saloon) beats a heart of Art Deco. Juneau suffered fires and was largely rebuilt in an Art Deco era. Concrete seemed a safer bet than wood. Modern buildings like the “Spam Can” make reference to art deco. The Baranof Hotel, Palace Theater Building, Alaska Electric Power and Light Building and the 20th Century Theater all have nice deco touches. I took some of these pictures from the Mt. Roberts Tramway. These pictures are from 2004, Juneau … Continue reading Juneau Deco
The Dome of the Rock sits on Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It is the most visible site in Jerusalem. I have seen it’s dome glitter from Mt. Nebo in Jordan. The tile work is especially stunning. Continue reading Dome of the Rock
Many Holy Land sites are frauds, built after the fact; like the room sold to tourists as the “Upper Room” of the Last Supper but built in 1099 CE. But the Garden of Gethsemane is the real thing. Christ may or may not have prayed there, but the Garden of Gethsemane has very old olive trees. When Suzi and I visited the garden we were told the trees are 2000 years old. Since then, carbon dating in 2012 marked them as only between 900 to 1000 years old. DNA tests show the trees all came from a common parent. They … Continue reading The Original Olive Garden, Gethsemane, with very Old Trees
The Holy Land is mostly a fraud– a willing suspension of disbelief that allows you to believe that something happened at this exact spot and, therefore, this exact spot is holy. Stephen, one of the drivers who takes us to radio stations around the West Bank said “I hope you’re not Protestants because Protestants don’t seem to believe as much in these holy places.” Then he pointed to a gate in the Old City wall and said “that’s where Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.” I said, “But that gate was built in the 16th century.” “Protestants!” But to make … Continue reading Holy Land Kitsch
I must have flown between Sitka and Ketchikan at least 100 times in the past 30 years. Most of the times it has been overcast. When it isn’t, I usually have an aisle seat, my preference. Ten days ago, flying through Ketchikan to Seattle, Alaska Airlines upgraded me to first class in a window seat. It was midday and a weather front was coming in. The sun was low enough in the December sky and we were high enough to give the effect of sunrise at noon. We broke through the overcast as we crossed Baranof Island and headed south … Continue reading Sunrise at Noon, Sitka to Ketchikan
St. Paul Minnesota’s Summit Avenue runs from St. Paul Cathedral, towering above downtown St. Paul for about five miles, to St. Paul Seminary on the Mississippi River. Along the street you can visit The College of St. Thomas, Macalester College, … Continue reading Christmas on the Street of Dreams
September 8, 2012 Dear Friends, I got out of Africa last Friday but it was a struggle. When I got to the radio station I noticed two rips in the bottom of my brand new, “lifetime guarantee,” ultra-light, ultra strong suitcase. Turning it over I found another rip in the bottom and one of its “feet” coming loose. Getting a new suitcase in Juba on short notice was not an option so I used the whole roll of duct tape I carry to hold the suitcase together. Suitcase patched, Christina came into the office looking stricken. “I have a … Continue reading Final Letter from South Sudan, I post one last photo gallery and fly out.
August 30. 2012 Juba, South Sudan, Dear Friends, My mother once asked me why I didn’t stay home like she did, close to her parents. I told her it was because of her father, my grandfather, who at 13 was apprenticed to trade as a grocer in Derry City, hated it, and ran away to sea. His travels took him across the North Sea to ports exotic to him (Rotterdam and Hamburg) and then across the Atlantic to Halifax, and New York, and finally, coasting the Eastern Seaboard. He told me his favorite port was Baltimore, “A man can … Continue reading Letter 8 from South Sudan, where I wonder if I am getting too old for this.
August 25, 2012 Juba, South Sudan Dear Friends, Navigating Juba roads after two days of heavy rains is like navigating a large, ever shifting, river. The course of the road changes, what was high ground two days ago is now a sink hole, and when you enter a large mud hole you have no idea of how far down you will sink. I almost think I should sit on the hood of the Land Cruiser with a pole, poke it into the brown opaque water to see if there is a bottom. “Mark Twain” would be a bad thing on … Continue reading Leopards and Cows and Making Gravel in South Sudan (Letter 7)
August 19, 2012 (Note, this is an archive post, I am ok.) Dear Friends, Suzi left on Saturday, but she got to be part of the celebration Saturday Morning changing the name of the station from Sudan Radio Service (SRS) … Continue reading South Sudan, Eye Radio Relaunch and then I crash. (Letter 6)
August 17, 2012 Dear Friends, My camera case has a hole in it left by a leopard tooth. If you look closely, my crocks also have a little chew mark from the same leopard. The leopard is the last of the “big 5” (Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Lion, Leopard) that I’ve seen in Africa. But I didn’t expect to meet two so up close. Two leopard cubs were orphaned. They would normally have died but someone rescued them, and then left on holiday, or assignment, or something, and they ended up at Yei Road Camp (co-owned with the Jebel, where … Continue reading South Sudan, I return and am “attacked” by two leopards. (Letter 5)
April 20, 2012 Nairobi, Kenya Dear Friends, Suzi and I were upgraded to a suite at the Fairview in Nairobi, which is a good thing because every possible surface on which I could lay out clothes is full and any hook like object has clothes hanging from it. Everything I have is soaked, but that’s the end of the story of today’s travels. On Thursday the Germans working on building a brewery (one of those “peace dividends” after years of “dry” Islamic rule in South Sudan) were ordered out – now. So they left. Then we learned that Ethiopian Airlines … Continue reading South Sudan, Letter 4, Flying Out of Juba.