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”
Author Archives: Allyn Gibson
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”
Anne of Green Gables, in Gaelic
Saturday morning, while browsing Facebook, I found an interested an unexpected article — Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables is being translated into Scots Gaelic. The Canadian dialect of Gaelic was spoken on Prince Edward Island, though in declining numbers, at the time Montgomery’s novels were set, and I did not know that MontgomeryContinue reading “Anne of Green Gables, in Gaelic”
Funko’s Teddy Roosevelt POP! Figure
Last week, I bought Funko POP! figure — Teddy, one of the Washington Nationals’ racing presidents. This was only the second Funko POP! figure I’ve ever bought. The first time I would have written about these stylized figures would have been in August 2010, specifically for figures of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and The Joker,Continue reading “Funko’s Teddy Roosevelt POP! Figure”
A Nice Evening for Baseball
Tuesday night after work I went to a college baseball game. The Baltimore Redbirds, the team in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, I followed for the last three seasons folded after last season, but the same field the Redbirds used, Carlo Crispino Stadium at Calvert Hall High School in Towson, is used for teamsContinue reading “A Nice Evening for Baseball”
As Seen in Target
Last night after work I stopped by the nearby Target. I needed a new pair of shoes — the soles to the pair I bought when Payless went into liquidation had already worn through to the insole — and Target was convenient. Fortunately, I found a pair I liked. I also found some camping-themed storyContinue reading “As Seen in Target”
Pickles, Pickles, Everywhere Pickles
Early in May, a friend of mine posted on Facebook a link to an article he’d found: “People are losing it over Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwiches.” The concept didn’t just turn his stomach. It seemed to offend his sense of the very nature of the universe. I wasn’t bothered at all, because I knewContinue reading “Pickles, Pickles, Everywhere Pickles”
Making Cecil County Plans
The weather is looking good for the Fair Hill Scottish Games this weekend; Accuweather currently has a sunny and lightly breezy day with a high of 75 and a minuscule chance of late afternoon thunderstorms. When I was in Virginia a month ago, my mom asked me when I was going to a Celtic festivalContinue reading “Making Cecil County Plans”