Exploring Mt. Carmel Cemetery

Late last year I had a dream that I found the grave of Captain Thomas Feenhagen, my great-great-great-grandfather. Feenhagen, the father of my my great-great-grandmother Susan and grandfather of my great-grandfather Allyn Gardner, was a sea captain. He commanded a merchant ship, the bark Seneca, in the 1850s and 1860s. From what little I’ve beenContinue reading “Exploring Mt. Carmel Cemetery”

The Problem of Susan

A few weeks ago, Dark Horse Comics published an adaptation by P. Craig Russell of Neil Gaiman’s Narnia short story, “The Problem of Susan.” While I’ve read Gaiman’s short story a half dozen times over the years, between work and life and the flu I didn’t have the opportunity to give the graphic novel aContinue reading “The Problem of Susan”

Stuck in the Middle with You

Sesame Street is coming to an envelope near you; the Postal Service has announced a series of Sesame Street stamps, featuring most of your favorite Muppets. I say “most”; Sherlock Hemlock is nowhere to be found. To promote the stamps, the Sesame Street Twitter account asked this important question yesterday: We’re re-enacting Cast Away, butContinue reading “Stuck in the Middle with You”

Barsoom Attacked!

Barsoom! The word — Edgar Rice Burroughs’ name for Mars in his John Carter novels — carries this magical, mystical feel. It conjures visions of floating cities and fantastical science, of barren deserts and the alien tribes that dwell there, of ancient civilizations and epic battles of might and magic, and through it all, theContinue reading “Barsoom Attacked!”

The Scarlet Rose

A few months ago, I wrote about The Dark Lady, the first book in Alesandro Gatti’s young adult mystery series, Sherlock, Lupin, and I, about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Arsène Lupin, and Irene Adler when they were children. I enjoyed it — it was more fun and inspired than I expected — and IContinue reading “The Scarlet Rose”