Monthly Archives: November 2014
Three Countries, Six More Churches
Last Sunday’s post,”Five Countries, Five Churches” got a fair amount of appreciation, and I thought since it is Sunday I might once again post a photo essay of sorts of some of the churches we visited on our travels in Europe this past summer. We’ll start with the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, located on Trafalgar […]
A Walk in Old Brasov
It was the sign on the hill that got me chuckling. I’ve never been to Hollywood, but I have seen the iconic sign in movies, print and television (and yes I know it was originally a real estate ad). So when I saw the sign for Brasov I had to wonder what image the Romanian […]
Black Friday
Today, if you didn’t already know, is the day after the American Thanksgiving holiday, which for the past 50 years or so has been referred to as Black Friday. It is an orgy of consumerism, a shopping frenzy with supposedly lower prices and longer store hours and chaos in shopping malls across the USA. It […]
Mystery of the Missing Pigs
Every family has certain traditions that have developed over the years. Frequently they are small, sometimes silly, things that don’t mean much but are fun to have. In our family one of those rituals involves having your picture taken with the pigs in Lippstadt, Germany, my wife’s ancestral home. The pigs in question are public […]
Freak Show!
It was our last day in Europe and we were just strolling along the banks of the Thames River in London. After 30 days of travel the idea of a museum or other such attraction was less than appealing; we were too tired really to do anything that would require engaging our brains. However, I […]
A Canadian National Treasure
The once rich baritone voice is a little thinner now as time has taken its toll. Some of the notes have gone wherever it is notes go when you age. The memory is no longer perfect, which means sometimes the lyrics aren’t quite right. But it is still the same voice and these are still […]
Five Countries, Five Churches
It’s Sunday, a day of rest and worship, and I thought today I would let the pictures tell the story. On our trip to Europe in July we visited a number of churches, some to worship in, others as tourist and cultural attractions. Today one church from each of those countries. We’ll start with St. […]
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
In shopping malls across North American the excitement has almost peaked: Santa Claus is coming! Indeed, many communities celebrate with a Santa Claus parade, held now about three weeks earlier than when I was a child. With no young children in the household I think I will find something else to do that doesn’t involve […]
Steve Bell’s Pilgrimage – III
“We tried to get him music lessons and it just didn’t work” – Alf Bell, father of Canadian musician Steve Bell; from the documentary film Burning Ember: The Steve Bell Journey. How would you feel if video cameras followed you around for a year recording your life story? What would they show? Would you be […]
Steve Bell’s Pilgrimage II
How do you encapsulate a 25 year career? How do you celebrate a quarter of a century in music? In Steve Bell’s case it was a surprise gift, a CD of his songs recorded by some of his musical friends. He liked the gift so much he included it in his latest album, Pilgrimage, a […]
random thoughts from lorne 
Recent Comments