I'm not the best photographer but like most in the digital age I take a lot of pictures. My spouse would argue that I take far too many. A fair point, but I also know it's how we keep our memories alive. So with that in mind, I put together a few photos I liked … Continue reading Updated: My year in photos. 2018 had a lot of great moments
Month: December 2018
Christmas in Danbury, where time stands still
I wrote this in 2003 when I was with the Jacksonville Daily News. Still little has changed in Danbury in terms of appearance. There are some tweaks here and there. And the downtown area, what there is of it, was revamped across from the courthouse into a fantastic Arts Place. Over time it took the … Continue reading Christmas in Danbury, where time stands still
Another Festivus miracle! There will be no airing of grievances . . . today
Today -- that's Dec. 23 according to Seinfeldian lore -- is Festivus. It's a completely goofy pre-Christmas celebration / holiday that wasn't exactly fictional even when it was first widely introduced in a season nine episode of the long-running 1990s TV situation comedy "Seinfeld." Yes, Festivus, motto "A Festivus for the rest of us," existed … Continue reading Another Festivus miracle! There will be no airing of grievances . . . today
The lessons and healing from the Pan-Am 103 bombing continue after 30 years
EDITOR'S NOTE: Today (December 21, 2018) is the 30-year anniversary of the bombing of Pan-Am Flight 103 -- a singular event in global history and a major tragedy for hundreds of families, the village of Lockerbie Scotland where the mid-air explosion occurred and Syracuse University where 35 students perished. My wife, Roselee Papandrea Taylor, was … Continue reading The lessons and healing from the Pan-Am 103 bombing continue after 30 years
UPDATED AGAIN: Here today, gone tomorrow: The coaching carousel spins
UPDATED TO ADD LINK to interview with new James Madison coach Curt Cignetti by Adam Smith of the Burlington Times-News and the breaking news Sunday night that Elon is going to announce its new coach on Monday. Monday I added the news that defensive coordinator Tony Trisciani is the new head football coach at Elon. … Continue reading UPDATED AGAIN: Here today, gone tomorrow: The coaching carousel spins
The curious case of Joe Golombek is neither myth, nor hoax
Let me begin by stating that this isn't one of those "Sidd Finch" stories. It's not April 1, either. But the strange tale of a former Elon football player from the 1930s and '40s named Joe Golombek could very easily be dismissed as myth, hoax or both. His story is a bizarre one that took … Continue reading The curious case of Joe Golombek is neither myth, nor hoax
Something cooking in the Village
Last week, to use a phrase coined by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, the It Takes a Village Project at Elon University, "kicked it up a notch." That's why on a Wednesday night in December several hundred Alamance County students who are part of a tutoring program at Elon found themselves making soup, cornbread and chocolate … Continue reading Something cooking in the Village
Keeping a successful used bookstore in downtown Burlington
I got a message last week from Bennett Harris, the owner of Steam Junction, downtown Burlington's maker space. He was letting me know that Shawna Gentert, our colleague on the Burlington Downtown Corporation Board of Directors and owner with her husband Herb of Persnickety Books, would be leaving the area soon. The family is returning … Continue reading Keeping a successful used bookstore in downtown Burlington
Let there be lights: My spouse’s journey to becoming Clark Griswold
The other night I was watching the now iconic holiday movie, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." Somewhere between the time the always wacky Griswold family obtains a Christmas tree only Paul Bunyan could use but before clueless Uncle Louis fries the ginormous evergreen with his cigar, the film's perpetually befuddled and clumsy hero Clark W. Griswold … Continue reading Let there be lights: My spouse’s journey to becoming Clark Griswold
Madison's Avenue 