Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 156 entries, all of them here in full.
December 28, 2016 · 170 words
Stick to the Ribs
Got any leftover ribs from your beef roast? Here’s something to do with them. Slather them with mustard. Then cover them with bread crumbs. Then put them in the broiler, turning as necessary, until they’re brown and crispy and sizzling. Eat them with your fingers, as your caveman ancestors did. I got this from Vincent
Read entry →December 27, 2016 · 547 words
That Warehouse, Looming
So I’m reading along in this novel, and I come to the scene where the protagonist, desperate to find the answers to his questions, decides to go into the abandoned warehouse alone, knowing that the bad guy is there with all his minions. Or maybe it’s not a warehouse, but the bad guy’s manor house. […]
Read entry →December 25, 2016 · 206 words
Filling and Fulfilling
So here’s a shot of last night’s roast beast, fresh from the oven. I splurged on a USDA Prime rib roast, the price of which quite startled me. I sprinkled it with Indonesian white pepper, garlic, and allspice (the Finnish housewife’s best friend), and then dusted it with flour before tossing it in the oven. […]
Read entry →December 21, 2016 · 268 words
Carols
This is the time of year for caroling. But what do we actually know about carols? For one thing, carol services are very recent. They were invented in 1880 by Edward White Benson, the Bishop of Truro. And what do we know about him? He later became Archbishop of Canterbury and his whole family had […]
Read entry →December 20, 2016 · 233 words
Holidays Abroad
Travel is broadening, and this is particularly true if you eat the food. And Christmas is a time for food, right? A few years ago I was in Singapore and was surprised to discover that Spongebob was an important part of the Christmas holiday. Now I find out that in Japan, Christmas is celebrated with Kurisumasu [&hellip
Read entry →December 17, 2016 · 1,654 words
Remains of War
Here is Beach White 1 on the island of Peleliu, where a horrifically bloody, grinding and mostly unnecessary battle was fought in late 1944. In the foreground you can see the treads of a Sherman tank, still at the waterline 70-odd years later. In the middle ground is a weed-filled lagoon across which Chesty Puller’s [&
Read entry →December 15, 2016 · 62 words
Wild Cards World
For all you Wild Cards fanciers out there, there are many treats in store (besides a book trailer in Spanish, that is). The Wild Cards website is now available for your browsing pleasure, featuring videos, author and character bios, interviews, and a blog with new posts appearing on a regular schedule. Plus book traile
Read entry →December 14, 2016 · 113 words
Health Update
Kathy had her hip replacement on Monday, and it went extremely well. She’s been through it all before, and is managing her recovery splendidly. When you’re prepping for surgery, and afterwards in recovery, the nurses are forever asking you for your name and date of birth, presumably so they can determine if your mental
Read entry →December 7, 2016 · 70 words
Lower Caves
So everyone got gloves and helmets with lights (batteries not provided). And then there was a certain amount of hanging around on ropes. And negotiating some rather complicated ladders and scaffolding. There was also a bit of belly-crawling, and squeezing through tight places generally. Plus maneuvering over wet and/or
Read entry →December 4, 2016 · 117 words
The New Calendar
As in the past, we’ve put together a new 2017 calendar featuring photos taken during the latest travels, so that we can share our experience with our friends. Because everywhere I’ve been this year had to do with boats and/or the ocean, there’s the focus of the calendar. You’ve already seen a number of photos on [&hell
Read entry →December 4, 2016 · 571 words
Reefs
I seem unable to stay away from coral reefs these days. Never mind that the Capitan Reef hasn’t been an actual reef for 125,000,000 years, and that the Delaware Sea dried up at the end of the Permian, Capitan still has that reef magic. And, like coral reefs throughout the world, it has caves and […]
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