justpaperskater and I exchange stories by giving each other a word which is the seed for the next correspondence. This is my response to her choice of “Asians.” *** I was about 12 when I first visited a “Chinatown.” It… Read More ›
Travel
Old Hotels: The Oxford in Denver
I love staying in historic hotels, so on a trip to Denver this week, and dinner plans with friends in LoDo, I chose the Oxford Hotel to stay in. I didn’t know anything about it, except it was near where… Read More ›
A walk with my dog
I’m lucky enough to own a “camp”. In the New England area, as well as parts of the Mid West, families often own “camps”. It’s usually a bare bones type of cabin, usually near a lake. Often the camps don’t… Read More ›
The Colors of Istanbul
In my (probably) final post about Istanbul, I thought I would share some pictures that give you a sense of the color. Mind you, since my trip was very short, I spent most of my time in the ‘touristy’ area… Read More ›
Pictures of the Unusual – May 2012
Strange or interesting things I’ve seen lately: You often see these racks at hotels. They are full of colorful brochures on local activities. I found this in a small airport that is used by general aviation pilots. Some of the… Read More ›
“Have a seat” says the sculptor
Paris has more interesting outdoor statues than anyplace else I know. We aren’t talking statues that were more put up recently to be “different”, we’re talking statues that were put up over history that stop you in your flaneur tracks…. Read More ›
The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
Another place I was able to visit during my too-short Skeptours trip to Istanbul visit was the Hagia Sophia. I’ve wanted to see this architectural and historical wonder for decades. There has been a church on this site since 360 CE,… Read More ›
The Sultanahment “Blue” Mosque in Istanbul
When you visit a place that has a couple thousand years of history, but you have only two days, you tend to visit the more famous sites, which unfortunately also tend to be the most crowded sites as well. My… Read More ›
The Lamp of Life: Darwin as Art
Hidden away on a side staircase very few people use is a beautiful lamp that shows the diversity of life. I have visited the Natural History Museum whenever I am in Paris, but I had never gone down this staircase… Read More ›
Ban Porn? Are there enough fig trees in the world to cover it all?
One of the more amusing promises from the recent crop of Republicans vying for nomination has been a promise to “ban porn”. A definition of what exactly qualifies as “porn” has been missing. This leaves the average person with vague… Read More ›
Two Different Girls 