Are You Going to Dallastown Fair?

Apologies to Simon and Garfunkel. This week marks the annual Dallastown Fair. Having nothing to do last night, after eating dinner, I walked into town and went to the fair. It was every bit as unenthralling as I remembered. A midway of carnival rides and games. Food stands by local restaurants and churches. Farm equipment.Continue reading “Are You Going to Dallastown Fair?”

Baseball Night in Aberdeen

Yesterday morning I decided I wanted to go to a baseball game. I’d not been to one in three weeks, work had been overwhelming, and my soul was missing green fields, blue skies, the crack of the bat, the smell of grilling meats. But Harrisburg (first choice) was out of town, York (second choice) wasContinue reading “Baseball Night in Aberdeen”

The Cathedral of Fear

If the first book in Alessandro Gatti’s Sherlock, Lupin & Me series, The Dark Lady was the secret origin (ie., how they met) of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler, and Arsène Lupin as teenagers, the next two (The Soprano’s Last Song and The Mystery of the Scarlet Rose) are in the main SherlockContinue reading “The Cathedral of Fear”

Two New Star Trek Trailers

Over the weekend at San Diego Comic Con, two new Star Trek trailers debuted. While I’ve worked in the comics industry for over twelve years, I’ve not had the pleasure — or misfortune — of attending San Diego. First up, the trailer for Star Trek: Picard, the CBS All Access series about Jean-Luc Picard, withContinue reading “Two New Star Trek Trailers”

The Washington That Never Was

While looking through the Library of Congress’ website yesterday, I found this vintage 1852 image of Washington, DC, done by the same company that did the map of Baltimore of 1868. “Oh, wow,” I said. “This is cool. There’s the Smithsonian Castle, designed by James Renwick. There’s Trinity Episcopal, also designed by Renwick. There’s theContinue reading “The Washington That Never Was”

Exploring an Old Baltimore Map

Yesterday afternoon, Howard Weinstein shared an interesting find on Facebook, E. Sachse, & Co.’s 1868 map of Baltimore City. Weinstein is writing an historical novel set in Baltimore about a decade later, and he said it would be helpful in his research, and perhaps to others as well. I had ancestors in Baltimore in 1868Continue reading “Exploring an Old Baltimore Map”

Boldly Going Where No Beagle Has Gone Before

A couple of weeks ago Facebook showed me an ad. Usually I ignore ads on Facebook, but this one caught my attention. A Snoopy t-shirt commemorating the Apollo 11 landing! Fifty years ago come Saturday! The shirt is, naturally, unlicensed and unofficial. The Charles Schulz estate is receiving nothing from this shirt. And Snoopy, frankly,Continue reading “Boldly Going Where No Beagle Has Gone Before”

One Night at Camden Yards

Meet Dave. Dave is an usher at Camden Yards. Dave was not the usher for my section when I attended Saturday night’s Orioles/Indians game — that was John, of whom I have no pictures — but I saw Dave several times during the game, as he left his water bottle near the handicapped seating inContinue reading “One Night at Camden Yards”