Category: Uncategorized
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On Wisconsin
29 July – 2 August 2025 The coincidence of birthdays in July—my brother-in-law Reed “Chad” Andrew turned 91 on the 13th and nephew Rob Andrew 58 on the 25th—brought me back to Wisconsin once again this year and a most welcome reunion with family, some very fine brunches, a return to the still astonishing Milwaukee…
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July so far: Good Trouble in the Summertime
22 July 2025 I’m was up this morning far earlier than accustomed for this retiree, as Levi Ellis and his painting crew arrived at 8 am to restore my shower and apse ceilings and our big deck to their original pristine state. And it’s unusually cool for mid-July in New Hampshire, a welcome reprieve from…
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What to Us Now is the Fourth of July?
2 July 2025 The proximity of Independence Day and recently hearing filmmaker Ken Burns speak of his upcoming series on the American Revolution have together sent me back to re-reading “the unanimous declaration of the thirteen united States of America.” Several statements against “the present King of Great Britain” stand uncomfortably out, beginning with the…
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Respite
27 June 2025 Walking out of the Portsmouth Public Library last Tuesday was like walking into an oven, and since then, the 103o my GTI registered there in the parking lot has been confirmed as a record-breaker for the port town where proximity to the cold Atlantic waters generally means cooler-than-inland temperatures. Not so this…
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Memorial Days
4 June 2025 On this year’s designated Memorial Day, I rode my bike for the first time in I’m sure at least a year, enjoyed myself, and celebrated the fact that I did not fall off. The next day, I spoke with my former acting teacher, Pete, just after his 80th birthday, and he thanked…
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Folly Beach
4-9 May 2025 With a name referencing the 17th-century meaning of “folly” (densely packed with trees and undergrowth), Folly Island’s first official mention is a land grant document from King William III to one William Rivers, dated 9 September 1696. The island was home to members of the Bohicket tribe until the increasing number of…
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Ft. Sumter
7 May 2025 On Wednesday morning we took advantage of the Hampton Inn parking policy that allowed us to leave our car in the hotel garage until we left the Holy City for Folly Beach later in the day. After breakfast on the patio, we walked the short distance from Meeting Street down Calhoun to…
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Magnolia Plantation
6 May 2025 On our second full day in Charleston, we set out for Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, a 30-minute drive northwest from the Charleston Visitors Center to the 390 acres of the original 1,872 along the Ashley River. One of the oldest in the South, the plantation dates to 1679, when Thomas and Ann…
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Low Country Visit/Charleston
4-5 May 2025 Gosh, the Uber driver who returned me to the Charleston Airport last Friday, born in Dubai to Pakistani parents, is a well-educated former business analyst and a naturalized citizen who believes that America is the land of opportunity. Despite losing his desk job and subsequently maintaining a brutal driving schedule five days…
Georgeann Murphy 