A number of years ago a new acquaintance, Paul Hoffinger, called to invite us to get to know an organization he was involved in. We enrolled, and became a small monthly contributor to to the group, called RESULTS. Some years later we were part of a group traveling to observe the work of the micro-finance […]
On our recent trip to Salt Lake City, we had an opportunity to visit the Fielding Garr Ranch on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake. While the ranch, on the south end of the island, is only several miles west of Salt Lake City, the necessary driving trip is perhaps 50 miles or more, […]
I don’t know why 1969’s Woodstock fascinates me but it does. Here’s some YouTube clips from ‘back in the day’. I was 29 when Woodstock happened, and while certainly in the age range, I was about as far from the stereotyped Woodstock life style as I was from it geographically – Minnesota to New York. […]
In my own faith tradition, American Roman Catholic, today is the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the liturgical year. It is a part of the liturgical calendar in many churches, observed in various ways in the present day. As the visiting Priest pointed out today, the religious Advent has lots of competitors, primary […]
A great friend clued me in on a project a friend of hers was doing: to deliver 1000 greeting cards to military service persons, their families or veterans. It has a deadline of December 10, 2010, and the details are here. I bought in on the project and it was simple process to complete 50 […]
I write this on the afternoon of Thanksgiving eve, 2010. I’ve heard that this day is the heaviest air travel day in the U.S. I have also heard that Thanksgiving Day itself is the lightest travel day. At this writing I don’t know whether/if there have been slowdowns or many, if any, protests. All I […]
Last Friday morning in Salt Lake City we were treated to a vivid sunrise over downtown. It was a magnificent vista, even if spoiled by some cars in the parking lot and a nearby sandwich shop. I stepped out on our hotel balcony, and took two photos: Of course there is often a downside to […]
During an animated conversation on Sunday, some new friends, long-time residents of Long Island NY, and for a number of years residents in Salt Lake City UT, asked a question about an aspect of French-Canadian history, which I then rephrased for Dr. Virgil Benoit of the University of North Dakota, an expert on things Franco-American. […]
Today, my brother is 65. He’s the cherub in the blankets in the photo taken probably in very early 1946. If you could see this photo close up, even then you can imagine him squirming, hoping to break the shackles of those blankets and play in that snow! He would have been ready, that’s for […]
Back on September 5, 2010, I posted “A Close Encounter With a Mosque“, remembering a friendship in the 8th grade in Ross, North Dakota in 1953-54. In the mysterious ways such things work, someone saw the blog post, liked it, and on November 13, 2010, I found myself on stage at the annual celebration and […]