Author Archives: Lorne Anderson
The Cycle of Life
One year ago today my mother had her favorite pizza as her birthday meal. We had a family gathering in the palliative care unit of Ottawa’s Bruyère Hospital. We didn’t know it would be her last meal. We knew she wouldn’t be with us much longer, but her spirits were good and she loved the food. […]
Most Valuable Sculpture
What does it say about the internet (and our society) that every reference I can find for this piece mentions it is the most valuable sculpture in Offenburg? Does it have no other significance? I would have thought that content or artistic merit would be more important. But obviously I am wrong. (And admittedly I […]
Harvest Time
A thousand kilos of grapes picked seems to me like a good morning’s work. Mind you, I didn’t do it alone. When you have friends who own a vineyard you can expect to be pressed into service at certain times. Until this year I had never been in Germany for the harvest. Yesterday’s total was […]
More Signs of the Times
Took the train the other day. Not an uncommon experience in a country with commuter rail, but I work from home so I don’t do it that often. I noticed once more how much times have changed. The use of masks is still mandatory on the trains themselves. But I hadn’t realized you are now […]
What Is This?
When I look online I can see a plate on the base that I presume tells the name of this sculpture, but I must confess I missed it. So I have no idea what this work is called, nor do I know its significance. This colorful piece is found on the grounds of the Tinguely […]
Saturday Morning Rant
I feel somehow I should rant about something this morning, express some anger. Problem is, I’m not angry at anyone or anything today. Or at least not enough to write about it. So I thought instead to share this post from five years ago. Hopefully it will allow me (and you) to get those inner […]
The Witch’s Fountain
I couldn’t puzzle out the meaning of the inscription on this fountain in the southern German town of Waldkirch, but from the figures I can deduce there is a supernatural element. The character on the left is definitely a witch. Witchcraft is a central theme throughout the Black Forest. The Grimm Brothers collected their fairy […]
That Unending War
I am reading a book about the First World War that brought some memories of a trip to Belgium in 2014 and this post from September of that year. A century later, it haunts them still. The last Canadian veteran of the First World War died in 2010, and I would imagine that is pretty […]
Degenerate Art?
You’ve probably said it yourself. “I may not know much about Art, but I know what I like.” I don’t spend much time in art galleries. I come away feeling I haven’t gotten as much out of them as I should. Do you ever feel that way? As if the art experts are part of […]
Welcome To September
The conventions are over, and now the US presidential election campaign begins in earnest. The 2020 campaign will be like none other before it, coming as it does in the midst of a global pandemic. Americans are faced with a clear choice. Mind you, that’s what commentators say every four years – and somehow things […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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