Category Archives: General

2017: The Discovery of Asia

Posted on December 28, 2016 by smellincoffee

For several years now I have dared myself to take on a formidable challenge:  Asia.  Prior to the 20th century, it is a historical black hole for me. I have caught glimpses of it from time to time, but have … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Reads, 2016

Posted on December 27, 2016 by smellincoffee

This week the Broke and the Bookish  invite readers to think about their top ten books for the year. Twenty-sixteen started off with a bang: no less than five top-ten contenders appeared in January, and four of them survived to … Continue reading →

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LaForge Reads "The Night Before Christmas"

Posted on December 25, 2016 by smellincoffee

LeVar Burton, better known as Geordi LaForge of Star Trek TNG, reads The Night before Christmas.  Burton used to host a program called Reading Rainbow for children.  Here he reads a favorite in excellent style. Merry Christmas, one and all! And … Continue reading →

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Posted on December 21, 2016 by smellincoffee

…at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Sunday  I went once again to view “A Christmas Carol” at the festival, delighting as usual in the music and the actors’ playful interaction with the audience.  After the big finale — Scrooge delighting in … Continue reading →

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Columbine

Posted on November 29, 2016 by smellincoffee

Columbine© 2009 Dave Cullen417 pages Columbine. I remember it, of course.  I was in eighth grade when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold turned their high school into a bloody spectacle. That day on April 20th, 1999, is always referred to … Continue reading →

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TW on the Road: Mountain climbing in Alabama?

Posted on November 26, 2016 by smellincoffee

Three and a half hours north of me, and perhaps an hour or so east of Birmingham, lies Talledaga National Forest and Cheaha National Park.  The above shot is of Pulpit Rock, the apex of the park’s most challenging trail. … Continue reading →

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Love > Despair

Posted on November 8, 2016 by smellincoffee

Since 2007 I have found Playing for Change — an organization that brings people from around the world together to make music together, their different instruments and instruments blending together beautifully — a glorious beacon of joy,  hope, and goodness. … Continue reading →

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Shots from Alabama hill country

Posted on October 30, 2016 by smellincoffee

My return from New Mexico has left me feeling slightly guilty that there’s so much of Alabama I haven’t seen.   To start setting things to right, yesterday I traveled several hours north to Winston County, where can be found … Continue reading →

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Week of Enchantment: Santa Fe, the City Beautiful

Posted on October 29, 2016 by smellincoffee

I headed for Santa Fe in the early dawn, driving even as the sun rose.  I’d been assured that the capital’s traffic was nothing like Albuquerque’s, and found this to be the case. It didn’t want for cars, but the … Continue reading →

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Week of Enchantment: The Garden of Eden is Missing its Critters

Posted on October 27, 2016 by smellincoffee

From here  I moved to the attached Gardens, one of the most beautiful, romantic, and sometimes weirdest spots in New Mexico.  Beauty first:  Moorish gardens open the area,  ending in a tree-lined walkway that is utterly  peaceful This goes around … Continue reading →

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