Author: Rich McClear

SitkaLeave a comment

Sitka Sea Walk

Rich McClear

On Thursday we had 1.7 inches of rain, it was dark and wet.  I had the feeling that the season had changed.  We were finally going to get payback for our beautiful summer and fall.  On Friday I woke up to blue skies and sunrise alpenglow on Mt. Edgecumbe.  This morning (Saturday) I woke up to — snow. Friday was a good day for walking.  I took my usual turn through the National Park and then walked Sitka’s new Sea Walk.  The Sea Walk opened on Alaska Day.  I have never driven by without seeing people enjoying the walk and … Continue reading Sitka Sea Walk

EgyptLeave a comment

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, The Great Library at Alexandria redux

Rich McClear

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, or “New Library of Alexandria,” is an attempt to recreate the tradition of the first “Great Library of Alexandria” built by Ptolemy in the third century BC.   It is either a stunning triumph of modern architecture or “The Rotten Oyster” depending on your point of view.  It is a stunning building, designed by a Norwegian firm incorporating types of natural wood never seen in Egypt.  Some Egyptians wonder “why a Norwegian, why Norwegian wood?”   I like it.  The outer wall has carvings of letters from most of the world’s alphabets reflected in a blue moat that surrounds … Continue reading Bibliotheca Alexandrina, The Great Library at Alexandria redux

Holy Land, Jordan, ReligiousLeave a comment

Mt. Nebo, Jordan

Rich McClear

When Moses got to Mt. Nebo he could see the Promised Land, but he could not enter. The mountain has a commanding view down into the Jordan Valley and across.  It is more than 2.600 feet above sea level and the Dead Sea at the foot of the Jordan Valley is more than 1,400 feet below sea level.  That’s quite a drop and quite a view.  You can just see the gold glint of dome from the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. You can also see Jericho, the Dead Sea and practically all of modern Palestine and Israel.  I … Continue reading Mt. Nebo, Jordan

Poland, ReligiousLeave a comment

Salt Pope, Krakow, Poland

Rich McClear

I’m not sure of the theological meaning, but Pope John Paul II has been turned into a pillar of salt.  In Genesis it was Lot’s wife who became a saline pillar.  Her sin was looking back at Sodom, the home from which she was being evacuated by angels before its destruction. The Wieliczka mines in Krakow Poland are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We took a bus to the salt mines and went on the tour.  We went down about 438 feet, although the mines go down much further than that, and walked for about three kilometers underground.  The wondrous … Continue reading Salt Pope, Krakow, Poland

Contiguous US, ReligiousLeave a comment

Yankee Stadium

Rich McClear

If my parents could see me they would die a second time.  Last night Suzi and I went to Yankee Stadium and I rooted for the Yankees.  I was thrilled when the Yanks popped 4 homers and scored 9 runs in the second inning.  I cheered when the scoreboard showed Baltimore losing to Tampa Bay giving the Yanks sole possession of first place with two games left in the season.  At the end of the game I sang along with Frank Sinatra, long gone but still beloved , in a chorus of “New York, New York.” We had planned to … Continue reading Yankee Stadium

Holy Land, Jordan, ReligiousLeave a comment

Bethany Beyond the Jordan.

Rich McClear

This is the first of my posts on Holy Land sites.  Over the months there will be more.  We cannot be sure where most things in the Bible actually happened because, at the time, people didn’t put down GPS markers.  For instance, there are two competing sites of the crucifixion in Jerusalem.  The Via Dolorosa has changed routes several times.  The upper room touted as the site of the Last Supper is in a building erected in the 11th Century – AD.  This is one of three sites claiming to be the place Jesus was baptized.  If you’re looking for … Continue reading Bethany Beyond the Jordan.

Armenia, ReligiousLeave a comment

Khor Virap Monastery, Armenia

Rich McClear

Khor Virap is the Armenian monastery closest to the sacred Mt. Ararat.  Because of a combination of fog and cloud we were only graced with fleeting glimpses of the mountain and never got its picture.  But when we got to the Monastery a man pushed pigeons into our hands (he said they were doves) and told us to release them with our fondest dreams so they could fly off to the holy mountain (which is in Turkey, behind barbed wire and watchtowers that the clouds did not obscure from the monastery).  Apparently, by releasing doves we were following the example … Continue reading Khor Virap Monastery, Armenia

Morocco, ReligiousLeave a comment

Sacré Coeur in Casablanca.

Rich McClear

The French Cathedral Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart Cathedral) is at the heart of French Colonial Art Deco Casablanca.  It was built in 1930, abandoned for Catholic worship in 1956 on Morocco’s independence.  It sat derelict for years and reopened as an art gallery just before I got there in 2005.  It is built in a mix of Gothic and Art Deco styles with Islamic touches.  The stained glass is set in cutwork geometric patterns much like the decoration in a mosque.  Paul Tournon was the architect for this church turned art gallery.  It serves its new purpose well.  For more … Continue reading Sacré Coeur in Casablanca.

MoroccoLeave a comment

Casablanca Art Deco

Rich McClear

Who wouldn’t want to visit Casablanca made famous by the Bogart film?  Of course that movie was shot in Hollywood, not North Africa.  Some current guidebooks tell us that Casablanca is good as a portal to pass through on your way to more interesting places like Fez and Marrakesh.  One book said that aside from the Grand Mosque of King Hassan II there is not much in the way of ‘sights’ of interest to the tourist, unless you want visit made up sites, two bars designed after the movie set, “Rick’s” and “Casablanca.” My work took me to Casablanca three … Continue reading Casablanca Art Deco

SitkaLeave a comment

Termination Dust, Sitka Alaska, November 2, 2013

Rich McClear

This has been a wonderful weekend in Sitka.  While we see snow on our mountains all year, those closest to the sea are bare in the summer.  We had a lot of rain at sea level during the week; in the mountains it was snow.  On Saturday it cleared and the near peaks and our volcano got their white snow caps back. “Termination Dust” is what Alaskans call it, the snow that means summer jobs are over. Some of these are shots taken on the water this weekend on a whale watch sponsored by Sitka WhaleFest (the whales I will … Continue reading Termination Dust, Sitka Alaska, November 2, 2013

EgyptLeave a comment

Fayoum’s Water Wheels, Creating an Oasis in Egypt

Rich McClear

At the roadblock the police asked where we were going.  Our driver mentioned several towns in the Fayoum Oasis (Faiyum) I wanted to see.  “But no tourist ever goes there,” which, of course, is the point.  Egyptian friends told us about these villages, each dedicated to some traditional manufacture, like pottery.  The roads into them are bad.  They don’t have bus service.  Pickup trucks act as public transport.  Because of security concerns westerners are not allowed to use public transportation here.  We must either travel in protected tour busses or a private car, which the police told us, require an … Continue reading Fayoum’s Water Wheels, Creating an Oasis in Egypt

Contiguous USLeave a comment

Jefferson’s Monticello, Reflections on Our Democracy

Rich McClear

I wrote this on my 55th birthday, November 21, 2001.  We had just finished work in Serbia and Kosovo and were home.  We had been expats for the better part of 8 years.  We had no idea what we would do next, but we came home to a different America.  We had watched the World Trade Center Towers collapse on CNN from Kosovo. We had worked with independent media in Serbia, Albania and Slovakia.  Our re-entry to the States was a road trip across country, from New Jersey to Bellingham, Washington and the ferry that took us home to Alaska. … Continue reading Jefferson’s Monticello, Reflections on Our Democracy

EstoniaLeave a comment

Wooden Tallinn, Estonia.

Rich McClear

In Tallinn, there are architectural rings.  Right outside the old town is the “new town” a mix of modern steel and glass and Stalinist “wedding cake” architecture. Beyond that are working class Tallinn neighborhoods that consist of almost all old wooden buildings, single family dwellings, shops, workshops, and wooden apartment houses. Many have carpenter Gothic touches and are painted in different colors. The most famous of these neighborhoods is Kalamaja.  I hope that at least some of these neighborhoods can be “protected,” as the old town from the modern “new town” encroachments.  More than the German styled Hanseatic League old … Continue reading Wooden Tallinn, Estonia.

Belgium, NetherlandsLeave a comment

Soft Borders, Belgium and the Netherlands at Baarle.

Rich McClear

Our friends Dave and Carol Lam took us to Baarle when we were working in the Balkans.   We wondered about the possibility of ever being able to draw borders that reflected ethnic realities.  Dave said he had something he wanted to show us, the municipality of Baarle in Belgium, or is it the Netherlands?  The map of Europe has many geographic anomalies. But one of the strangest borders runs through Baarle.  The town is divided between the countries, Baarle-Nassau is Dutch and Baarle-Hertog is Belgian. The dividing line is anything but straight, or rational.  The border was set in the Treaty … Continue reading Soft Borders, Belgium and the Netherlands at Baarle.