Every time I fly across even half the continent, I wonder at how easy it is. OK, airplane travel isn’t exactly pleasant but compared to walking next to a covered wagon or even sitting on the wooden seat on a … Continue reading Fractals and Fractures, Potholes and Oxbows
You’re “In the Zone” when you see the “Dave Ray Avenue” sign. The street is a renamed portion of Franklin Ave. in St. Paul, honoring Minnesota folk and blues legend Dave “Snaker” Ray of Koerner, Ray and Glover. On our … Continue reading “In the Zone”
Several posts in this blog have discussed Titanic. But the moral is that sometimes you can’t resist a force of nature. On our flight out of Keflavik we crossed over Greenland. We got good views of the East Coast. The … Continue reading Titanic’s Back Story
I had used UBER before. Once while staying with a friend in Maryland, she used her UBER app to get me to the airport. It seemed a bit apocalyptic when a message popped up on her screen “Jesus is coming … Continue reading Rich Learns about Uber
I suppose we could Keansburg, New Jersey a pre port of Call. On the 20th we went to Brick, New Jersey for a cousins’ reunion at the Tuscany restaurant, the scene of several earlier reunions. The 6 surviving first cousins, … Continue reading A Poor Man’s Asbury Park
The kids arrived in Newark on Wednesday afternoon excited about getting on the ship. But we were not getting on the ship until Friday but there is plenty in Jersey to keep them interested. First off I had to explain … Continue reading Meetup in Jersey.
In Mid-July it costs less to travel to the United Kingdom in an ‘enclosed’ balcony room on the Queen Mary 2 than it does to spend the same number of nights in an Anchorage hotel (Fairfield, Marriott’s low-end brand) and … Continue reading A 21st Century Crossing — QM2
The fall colors in a hardwood forest take me back decades. While we were primarily in New Jersey to enjoy being with family I took some time to explore places of memory. We started our drive on Paramus Road going … Continue reading Hardwood Fall
Highway 61 is one of the most celebrated highways in US music, riveling Route 66. While Nat Cole sang of Route 66 and Nelson Riddle did the TV theme, Highway 61 was celebrated by Robert Johnson, Roosevelt Sykes and Bob … Continue reading Highway 61 Revisited
Grand Marais was founded by French Canadians. It means Big Marsh, or swamp. It was involved in early fur trading, then it became a logging center where huge log booms were assembled and towed to mills in Wisconsin near Duluth. … Continue reading Community Radio in the “Big Swamp”
For one brief moment in time a wilderness outpost on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Northern Minnesota was the center of an international commodity trade. That commodity, Beaver pelts. And it was all done to make silly hats. … Continue reading Global Trade in the Wilderness
Psychedelic Deco. Nanioujou Club Lodge I go out of my way to find quirky old hotels. I collect them. In Slovakia there was the Hotel Junior, which was a satellite themed space aged Soviet Era fantasy with extremely hard beds. … Continue reading Psychedelic Deco. Naniboujou Club Lodge
John Sebastian sounded old when he started singing and I was beginning to wonder if this would be one of those festival workshops that would make me sad, reminding me of my own diminished abilities. But his guitar was sure … Continue reading Winnipeg Folk Festival, 2019
84 years ago Radio came of age. In one terrible — beautiful hour the third rated program in a three network universe managed to entertain, terrify, and motivate millions of people by stimulating the imagination. If it happened today it … Continue reading 2X2L Calling CQ
I’ve spent a lot of time in cities from Belgrade to London to New York, but last weekend in San Francisco I noticed things I’ve not seen in other cities. We were in San Francisco for a memorial service and … Continue reading The City by the Bay and a 35 Foot Polar Bear Made From Smashed Car Hoods.
We had a great time riding the cable cars in San Francisco. The California street cable car climbs Nob Hill, past China Town, the Mark Hopkins and Grace Cathedral. We rode it at night and the next day at dusk … Continue reading Ding, Ding, Ding, a Ding, Ding, a Dinga Ding. Cable Cars and Other Delights.
Frank Gehry’s Frederick Weisman Art Museum on the East Bank of the University of Minnesota is at least as interesting as the art it houses. From the West Bank, looking across the Mississippi it is a sculpture of stainless steel, … Continue reading Frank Gehry in Minnesota
John Luther Adams, a composer who spent most of his professional life in Alaska, won the Pulitzer prize for his composition “Become Ocean” an orchestral piece performed by the Seattle Symphony. The peace is about the Greenland Ice sheet becoming … Continue reading “Become Ocean”
Aappilattoq, Greenland, August 29, 2017: Aappilattoq is a village at the entrance to Prins Christian Sund. Prinsendam called at a few days ago to deliver pizza. Today we returned. The Captain had arranged for a limited shore visit. He set … Continue reading An Accidental Cruise Port
Hvalsey, Greenland, August 27, 2008: For twice as long as the United States has existed, from the tenth to the fifteenth centuries, almost 500 years, the Norse hung on as farmers in southern Greenland. Then they disappeared. There is speculation … Continue reading 500 Years and Gone.
Qaqortoq, Greenland, August 28, 2017: Walking around Qaqortoq is like participating in a scavenger hunt. In the 1990s Greenlander artist Aka Hoegh commissioned 18 Norse artists to carve reliefs into many of the town’s rocks. The project is called “Stone … Continue reading Stone and Man in Qaqortoq, Greenland,
Qaqortoq, Greenland, August 28, 2017: Qaqortoq is three times the size of Nanortalik with half its charm. It’s the administrative center of Southern Greenland. It has bright painted houses, like Nanortalik but many of them are apartment buildings. You may … Continue reading A Fountain in the Center of South Greenland.
August 27, 2017, Nanortalik, Greenland: Nanortalik is the southernmost town in Greenland, it has about 1,300 people, which makes it a pretty big town for Greenland. Lonely Planet says it is magnificent with soaring mountains surrounding the town. This Sunday … Continue reading “Nearer My God to Thee” and Icebergs
I would wager that not many of you have been through Prins Christian Sund. I would also wager that some of you will never go through the Sund. If you do it will be different, with changing weather, day to … Continue reading Prins Christian Sund Redux