A Church Excursion

My sister asked me if I was interested in going to church, since it was Palm Sunday. “Well, I’m not going to burst into flame when I walk through the doors,” I replied It was a “contemporary” service, which I was unfamiliar with and was deeply strange to me. No familiar hymns, not much inContinue reading “A Church Excursion”

A Day of Baseball in Harrisburg

The Harrisburg Senators began their 2019 campaign on Thursday with an 8-4 victory over the Bowie Baysox. Friday night’s game was rained out and rescheduled for Saturday doubleheader. I had a ticket for Saturday’s night, one I bought the day individual tickets went on sale early in March. Now I was getting two games forContinue reading “A Day of Baseball in Harrisburg”

A Notable Relation and the Land of Pleasant Living

Yesterday I learned a cousin designed Mr. Boh, the one-eyed, mustachioed mascot of National Bohemian Beer, better known in the Baltimore area as Natty Boh. His name was Donald Fenhagen. He was the PR director for the National Brewing Company and, in addition to Mr. Boh, he was part of the team that came upContinue reading “A Notable Relation and the Land of Pleasant Living”

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

The 2019 baseball season has begun. The hapless Orioles have a winning record for the first time in a year, the Nationals and Cubs stumbled out of the starting gate, and the defending National League East champion Atlanta Braves are winless. Baseball is a long grind, a team is never as good as they lookContinue reading “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”

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!”