On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Halifax, Nova Scotia’s harbor. One of the ships, the Mont-Blanc, carrying munitions en route to Europe, caught fire and, shortly after 9 o’clock local time, the cargo exploded, laying waste to the city and surrounding communities, killing (officially) two thousand and injuring nearly 10,000 more, in what’sContinue reading “The Coldest December”
Author Archives: Allyn Gibson
The Wilde Wedding
You buy a movie at Dollar Tree, you shouldn’t have high expectations. That movie? 2017’s The Wilde Wedding. Retired movie star Eve Wilde (Glenn Close) is getting married (her fourth trip down the aisle) to British novelist Harold (Patrick Stewart), and among the guests is Eve’s actor ex-husband (first), Lawrence Darling (John Malkovich), with whomContinue reading “The Wilde Wedding”
Does Charlie Brown Have a Secret Cousin?
Sunday night I watched Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don’t Come Back!!) and its follow-up animated special, What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown. Given the subject matter and the time (Veterans Day weekend), it seemed appropriate. In the movie and the special, Charlie Brown and three of his friends (Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie) travelContinue reading “Does Charlie Brown Have a Secret Cousin?”
Scenes from the Nationals World Series Parade
Washington DC shut down yesterday for the Washington Nationals’ World Series parade down Constitution Avenue. One month ago I was in the hospital, in the Intensive care ward. I thought there was a real chance I was going to be mostly blind for the rest of my life. Yesterday, I was at the a WorldContinue reading “Scenes from the Nationals World Series Parade”
A Gatsby Party
Since it’s a rainy, gross morning in Pennsylvania, I’ve spent the morning going through photographs on my phone, culling them. And that brings me to this photo. This is a painting that hung in my room in the intensive care ward at St. Joseph’s earlier this month. It’s an autumn painting, a blanket of leavesContinue reading “A Gatsby Party”
Washington’s Other Baseball Team, the Grays
Last night, the Washington Nationals played in the franchise’s first World Series game — and Washington, DC’s first World Series game since 1933. The Nationals lost to the Astros, 4-1, and now have a 2-1 lead in the best of 7 series. In the last few days, Washington media outlets have taken pains to noteContinue reading “Washington’s Other Baseball Team, the Grays”
Finish the Fight
The World Series begins tonight — the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros. On Friday, Game 3, the World Series returns to the nation’s capital for the first time in eighty-six years. Charlie Brown and Sally know what’s up. So does my collection of plush Doctors. And, despite the presence of three Doctors, none ofContinue reading “Finish the Fight”
Saving Minor League Baseball: A Manifesto and a Crusade
Last week Baseball America broke the news that MLB is proposing a radical reconfiguration of the minor leagues, eliminating the lower levels of the minors (Short Season and down), replacing them with a quasi-independent league for undrafted players or encouraging contracted teams to reform as college summer wooden bat teams, and realigning the leagues, classifications (ie,Continue reading “Saving Minor League Baseball: A Manifesto and a Crusade”
After the Storm
We had some powerful rain and wind, which put a crimp in my need to go to the grocery store; I didn’t want to go out in the rain. After the rain, however, there were fantastic clouds. I settled on making chili for dinner. Seemed appropriate.
Building the LEGO National Cathedral
Earlier this year, the Washington National Cathedral announced plans to build a replica of the cathedral in LEGO in order to raise funds for the repair of the cathedral due to damage from the 2011 earthquake. I bought some bricks online early on, which went into construction of the Bethlehem Chapel, but I wanted toContinue reading “Building the LEGO National Cathedral”