The Life in My Years

An anthology of life

The New Colossus By Emma Lazarus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,With conquering limbs astride from land to land;Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall standA mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her nameMother of Exiles. From her beacon-handGlows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes commandThe air-bridged harbor that …

Continue reading

What does one do when one goes to New York? Well, one visits the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. One goes to one of the many museums and stares at paintings while stroking one’s own chin in thoughtful contemplation, while making laconic comments about the artist’s motivation (extra pretension points if the chin sports …

Continue reading

An eight day trip to New York City in four posts. Note: I hadn’t originally meant for this to be the first in the series of four, but the timing of the anniversary compelled me to change my original idea. The 9/11 Memorial and MuseumWhy are we drawn to the places that break our hearts, …

Continue reading

With sincere apologies to Christmas, Thanksgiving, May Day and all the other days of note, I think that Independence Day is the most important of the American holidays. It isn’t about the fireworks (we don’t have a local display anyway), or the flags, the patriotic music, or the hotdogs and apple pie. Hold on. Let’s …

Continue reading

. . . despite having so many reasons not to. Where to start? Where to start? Okay, let’s begin with FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) corruption. Taylor Sheridan could probably write a ten season drama series based on FIFA corruption and still feed another decade’s worth into the shredder. The corruption was always a …

Continue reading

After my brief bathroom stop at Bordertown, which is not a town at all but a tacky first taste – last gasp casino just over the Nevada state line I’m driving past Cold Springs. It took only a few minutes of strolling around the Bordertown casino for the stink of a stale ashtray to cling …

Continue reading

You walk in reverence, overwhelmed by the sheer number of white markers that shine bright in the midday sun. At Arlington the gravestones go on and on until they disappear over a short rise and continue on, unseen. On a sweltering July day in Gettysburg they march in lines from the bright unrelenting sun, to …

Continue reading

How do you render over 8000 road miles down to a small handful of photos? That’s the challenge presented by Ann-Christine. To describe a trip in 5 to 10 images. May 2021. COVID was just barely loosening its grip, enough that people were starting to come out of hibernation. My daughter and her two children …

Continue reading

In Washington Square Park the street bound are unfurling from their makeshift bedding, rubbing beards, stretching and shielding the morning sun from their eyes. Dogs are fetching balls on the green and in the shadow of St. Peter and Paul Church the Chinese matrons in colorful garb are practicing their Tai Chi. At venerable Original …

Continue reading

Banner photo: A Chinatown shop displays horses in celebration. My San Francisco is a series of posts that describes my own personal relationship with The City. My San Francisco pieces might be photo essays; they might be life stories, or they could be commentaries. Today begins the Year of the Horse. I celebrate each Lunar …

Continue reading