History
What a World This Would Be
While today’s frightening explosion at Hoover Dam appears to be under control, the incident brought to mind a petty but recognizable tale from American history and politics, something I learned this summer while spending time at the home, the library,…
The Humble Architects of an Unseen Power
Pulling out of the airport in Cedar Rapids, out into the back roads and side roads and major roads of Iowa, the first word that comes to mind isn’t what you might think. It’s not cows. Or corn. It’s not…
Why Good People Don’t Run for Office
When I was preparing to leave for Iowa, a couple of people made a point of saying that the Midwest seems oddly pale compared to Switzerland, compared to Austria, compared to whatever, fill-in-the-blank with some other beautiful place you’ve gone…
Mississippi River Drive
In less than three full days, I drove more than 1,000 miles (1,038 to be exact) between Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and (briefly) Wisconsin. The original goal was to visit some old familiar sites from my childhood, stop by the hospital…
Entering the Land of Lincoln
Looking east out of my Airbnb in Davenport, across the Mississippi River, you could see the State of Illinois, a part of the nation fully immersed in its recognition of Abraham Lincoln, so I made my pilgrimage to the American…
The Fable of a Post-Roe World
There’s an old story I learned as a child. It wasn’t particularly religious, even though I lived in a conservative Christian home, but it was born somewhere in Greek history, somewhere among the pages of Aesop’s Fables, a story we…
But Sometimes, You Just Want to Come Home
We went high. We went low. St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Towers and Catacombs. Saw Vienna’s Collection of Old Musical Instruments. Wandered a graveyard until our feet hurt. Paused for a little while inside the Library of Austria. But you know that…
This Unexpected Assault on Her Hearing
Some of you know. Others maybe not so much. A little more than three years ago, we booked flights and made plans to visit Switzerland and Austria. In essence, this trip we’ve been on over the past couple of weeks…
Konzerte im Mozarthaus
You don’t have to love classical music to appreciate names like Mozart, Bach, Haydn, or Mendelssohn, to appreciate that they were the artists of their day, or to appreciate that this evening, we walked through the early rains of downtown…
Temporary European Assimilation (TEA)
We beat the rain again, passing through several of the most beautiful and historic small towns this country has to offer. But, uh, I also bought a particular kind of hat. Let’s just say we’re too far north of Italy…
