Finding a Distant Relation

Spring has been oddly slow to arrive this year. The first nice weekend of the spring, I went to Lynchburg and saw Carbon Leaf. The second nice weekend of the spring, I went to Cecil County and poked around cemeteries. This was the third nice weekend of the spring, and on Saturday I drove downContinue reading “Finding a Distant Relation”

Exploring Cemeteries in Cecil County

On April 14, 2018 I went to Cecil County and explored four cemeteries, looking for graves I knew about and graves I didn’t. I had been planning this for about two months, and you never know what you’ll find until you go and look. The roots of my dad’s family come from what I jokinglyContinue reading “Exploring Cemeteries in Cecil County”

Plans for a Cecil County Outing

Tomorrow is a big day. In addition to Cecil Con, a small comic book convention in North East, Maryland, I’m going to visit four cemeteries in the area. My dad’s side of the family comes from what I call “the borderlands of Maryland and Pennsylvania”; there are Gibsons and Browns and Reynolds and Russells thatContinue reading “Plans for a Cecil County Outing”

Cheese and Onions Experimentation

Of late I have been experimenting with cheese and onions sandwiches. I mentioned back in March that, because of George Harrison’s 75th birthday, I rewatched Eric Idle’s The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash. Harrison was a huge fan of Idle’s satire of the Beatles, and he even had a cameo as a reporter coveringContinue reading “Cheese and Onions Experimentation”

Projects In Progress

Lately, I’ve been working on a couple of projects. In the fall, I colorized a photograph of Swampoodle Grounds, Washington, DC’s baseball park of the 1880s. I liked working on that, and now I’m working on colorizing another old baseball photograph, this time of Babe Ruth and (future president) George H.W. Bush. The photograph wasContinue reading “Projects In Progress”

The Things You Find in Your Photo Collection

As some people know, I like to visit cemeteries. And when I visit cemeteries, I tend to take pictures of headstones and the cemetery itself, even if I have no familial reason to. I’ve visited Dallastown’s cemeteries many times, I’ve taken many photos, and I’m related to absolutely no one. I have a particular fondnessContinue reading “The Things You Find in Your Photo Collection”

Conversations I Have With Myself

This is a real conversation I had with myself recently: “Farpoint is this weekend! Maybe I’ll go to Andy Nelson’s and get some BBQ for dinner.” “You freaking moron. You drive past Andy Nelson’s every single day when you go to work. You can stop anytime you want after work. You don’t.” “Oh. Yes. You’reContinue reading “Conversations I Have With Myself”

My Grand Fenwickian Heritage

In the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau will be asking people to write in their ethnic background. I have decided that I will report that my ancestors come from Grand Fenwick, an independent, English-speaking principality somewhere in central Europe. If I need to name a second country, I will name Ruritania. Grand Fenwick, of course,Continue reading “My Grand Fenwickian Heritage”