Central Asia Ten hours to Istanbul and another four put me in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, yesterday in the middle of a sultry night. The plan is to see some of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and go trekking for ten days in Tajikistan before returning. These places are the crossroads of the world, famous and ancient trading routes […]

It’s June already and we are in the throes of the D.C. guiding season. It’s that time when you can barely remember one group from the next nor what you said or to whom you said it. This is my ninth year and and for the first time, I have had eighth-graders inform me with […]

Last evening, the beginning of Memorial Day weekend, I found myself at Arlington National Cemetery touring with 8th-graders from Ohio. It was 6pm sharp, we were at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and the changing of the guard was underway. It being the day that it was, a sentinel was in charge rather than a […]

Busy Day in Fairfax The news and Facebook, of course, were awash with stories of yesterday’s unusual spate of multiple-alarm fires in the western part of the County, including a couple of rows of town homes, a large apartment building and a bank. Those back porches ablaze are reminiscent of Boston. I left the active […]

It’s Now or Never Many folks visiting the Cathedral these past few years, and even some working there, have lamented the “disneyization” of the place. First they started charging to enter. Then they locked the doors to ensure no one was sneaking in to God’s great house free. Next came the multiple gift shops, some […]

Blah, Blah, Blah Everybody knows one. That guy or gal itching to bend your ear. So eager to talk they would chat with a corpse if no one else was around. I once worked with someone who was so verbose that if she cornered you it was known as being “pinned down under heavy fire.” […]

And the Laugh’s on Zuckerberg Well, the Fall guiding season is in full swing in our Nation’s Capitol with adults here to see the sights and visiting eighth-grade students here to prevent them from doing it. Just kidding. Sort of. I have guided adult mid-westerners on a retirement getaway, perhaps even from the grand children, […]

He Came From The Desert The man called “Bruno” died Sunday, age 80, apparently with, as they say, “his boots on.” As chief of the Phoenix fire department and afterwards, he was a constant professional presence, lecturing to the four corners of the world. He spoke the gospel according to Alan and he amassed legions […]

“Lone Wolf, Anti-Social, God Complex” Paddock, who killed 58 and wounded nearly 500 in Vegas last weekend, apparently left no clear indication of the reason for his rampage. The FBI and others are investigating every aspect of his life and so far no motive has emerged. Perhaps one never will. According to the Bureau of […]