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
Strictly personal
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
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
Family histories, unwanted surprises, and don’t call me Meredith
History has dark corners. I think most are aware of this, even if they choose to ignore it. Ignorance is always easier. Family histories are particularly tricky. This is because the narrative is controlled, handed down generation to generation, until it becomes a specialized truth. And some things are just flat ignored, falling in the … Continue reading Family histories, unwanted surprises, and don’t call me Meredith
Still thankful for our big, beautiful (and growing) monster
We created a monster. It’s called “The Big Dinner.” Now, what came to be known as “The Big Dinner” didn’t start out that way. Not by a longshot. Eight years ago when this snowball was put in motion by my spouse, her sister and her oldest brother it was relatively small. You couldn’t exactly call … Continue reading Still thankful for our big, beautiful (and growing) monster
My college years, Brett Kavanaugh, beer, misbehavior and ‘Animal House’
This is about men. This is about Brett Kavanaugh. This is about beer. This is about judgment, or a lack of it. This is about temperament. This is about honesty. This is about privilege and college and the moral compass or gyroscope that keeps polite society functional. This is about different times in our history, … Continue reading My college years, Brett Kavanaugh, beer, misbehavior and ‘Animal House’
On the nose
My glasses didn't break, something of a shock because my nose was very definitely broken, not to mention gouged, gashed and gushing. I looked like Rocky Balboa after about seven rounds with Apollo Creed. And yet, the slim wire-framed glasses remained intact, unbent and unmoved -- as if what occurred directly below it by fractions … Continue reading On the nose
Wanted: A gathering of Burlington newspaper people
Sunday afternoon we said goodbye to one-time newspaper colleague and lifetime friend Don Bolden, who died Aug. 2, 2018 at age 85 after an eight-month fight with cancer. I made the short drive from my house in Burlington to First Baptist Church in downtown just a few miles away. Others traveled far greater distances to … Continue reading Wanted: A gathering of Burlington newspaper people
Madison's Avenue 