There was some discussion around the Patio about how to handle the second Dia de la Muertos. As you now, holidays that last longer than a single day present unique challenges. The ‘Day of the Dead” is one of our imported holidays. This one has its roots in Mexico and is a blend of Meso-american […]

So, if the American Melting Pot got melted and no longer works, it may be time to start wondering about what is coming next. We will be returning to The Grand Tour of Europe as a means of comparing and contrasting our befuddling times with those that have come before. It is a curious thing. […]

If this were a just and ordered world, there would have been a serious discussion in these pages a few days ago about the bold plan conceived by VADM Bud Zumwalt and supported by Rex in late 1968 to bring the riverine war to the enemy. To do so, Bud dispatched small, heavily-armed and lighted-armored […]

01 December 2001 Treatments There was a time in the not-too-distant past when we were concerned about screenplays. It came up again suddenly as we talked about the Grand Tours of other Generations. In many respects, the dramatic transformation of entertainment and news is startling but hardly new. It is something that has happened before. […]

I’ve read several articles over the past few weeks that talk about Israel’s rage at the attack on October 7th, each of them insisting that Israel must contain its rage, that the rage will not solve any problem, it will only make it worse. Israel’s actions are, either explicitly or implicitly labeled as unreasonable, as […]

01 April 2001 This was written on a day of some minor significance. It was April Fools, first of that month, and we were getting ready for summer. Not quite the same this morning. Back then, the cherry blossoms were coming out around the Tidal Basin, across the placid Potomac from the grand old wreck […]

April 2, 1903   Hotel “Cecil” Thursday evening   We hired a two-wheel carriage for 3 horses to attend to our business., secure staterooms, call at the store, Ludgate Circle, Cooks, Post Office, Cable home, sightseeing, and at this hotel- we have a fine large room, to brass beds and meals outside one each for […]

1903, Part I: Pennsylvania to London onboard the good ship SS Mesaba Editor’s Note: These words, composed of digits harvested in the 21st Century, reflect the private thoughts of the owner of a general merchandise shop in SE Pennsylvania just around the turn of a previous century. He writes in small notebooks with crimson leather […]

Discussion. We rose on The Patio to some bad news. A fellow up in Maine took out more than twenty other citizens for some reason known best to himself. We know more about him than other recent malcontents because he is suitable for framing as part of everything that is at issue in our social […]

(Detroit’s Ford Rotunda building was more than a brick-and-mortar structure. To the residents and visitors of Motor City, it was a symbol of Detroit’s economic vitality, cultural significance, and shared community memories). We warned you, Gentle Readers, that the Grand Tour of 1903 was going to visit you again. We had a part in saving […]