His spare leg slung over his shoulder, Denny saunters into the gym.  He flashes his 100-watt smile at my husband Bart and me, as we chat idly beside an exercise bike -- just a couple of 50-somethings hoping to work off the effects of desk jobs, stress, and our love for/… Read full post »

(The painting above, "La Belle Angele" was painted by Gauguin as a thank-you to a Pont-Aven innkeeper and his wife who extended him credit at their cafe.  The couple didn't like it -- they thought the portrait didn't look like Angele, and/… Read full post »

Tuesday morning is Market Day in Pont-Aven.  As usual, the day starts out clear and sunny, but soon the drizzle begins.  My sister-in-law and broth/… Read full post »

Les lavandieres de Pont-Aven, by Paul Gauguin

 (First installment in a series of photo essays about our visit to Pont-Aven, a small village in Brittany, France.)  

My brother-in-law Ken emailed us that one of his colleagues at the university o… Read full post »

 Tonight’s news of the death of Walter Cronkite reminds me of one of my favorite stories about my dad, who was close to the same age as Cronkite and who passed away at the age of 91 last December.

My father was an educated man, an admiralty lawyer… Read full post »

When I drive down Germantown Ave in Philadelphia to pick up the carpool at my son’s Quaker School, I pass through busy urban stop-and-go traffic, through the upscale Chestnut Hill section and the artsy multi-culti Mt. Airy into Germantown.

In Germantown,… Read full post »

As some of you know from my past posts on the subject, for the past few months, I’ve been teaching the Middle School class at Quaker Sunday School.  (We call it First Day School, since traditionally Quakers don’t use the Roman names of the days of t/… Read full post »

Affirmative Action Bake Sale

If you missed the LIVE discussion, please go to RonP01's blog to read it.

In April of 1939, a grief-stricken Norwegian immigrant, demonstrating a family tendency toward sudden bursts of extravagance, plunked down the princely sum of $250 to buy a cemetery plot for his wife Laura, who had just passed away unexpectedly, leaving him and his two young sons… Read full post »

(A Somewhat-Related Digression From the Open Dialogue on Race)

The Open Dialogue on Race continues with a new post on Joy-Ann Reid's blog at:

http://open.salon.com/blog/joy-ann_reid/2009… Read full post »

Open Dialogue on Race Part V

HAS BEEN POSTED!!!!

on RonP01's blog

http://open.salon.com/blog/ronp01/2009/05/25/racism_and_classism_open_dialogue_on_race_part_v#

The hypothesis will be "Classism has/will replace Racism as the dominant social issue in America."

Catch up on the OPEN DIALOGUE ON RACE:

P… Read full post »

An Open Dialogue on Race II

 Note: This post is a response to a recent post by RonP01, who suggested we open a dialogue on Open Salon on the subject of race.  You can view RonP01's post here:

http://open.salon.com/blog/ronp01/2009/05/12/buchanan_cheney_and_limbaugh_attack_coli… Read full post »

 Just about this time last year we took a beautiful walk with some friends in Ricketts Glen State Park in Pennsylvania.  We discovered that many Pennsylvanians don't even know about this amazing natural asset, just a few hours from Philadelphia. 

Ricketts Glen is h… Read full post »

If I’d only known then what I know now – would I have been so idealistic?

I’d thought I was educated. But until that moment, I had no idea that torture still took place in the world.

It was in the early 1980s.  I was watching a segment on/… Read full post »

Or,

You Never Know What Your Dog Might Find in Your Own Yard

Or,

What Blows Around Comes Around: A Mystery

Just when I thought nothing else could go wrong, I woke up on Monday morning, took one look at my normally happy-all-the-time little… Read full post »

Last week I attended “Cezanne and Beyond” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  I have been thinking about it ever since.  It is only now that I’m beginning to see the deeper message of this exhibition – That in opening our eyes to see/… Read full post »

 OS friends,

In honor of Easter, Passover and Spring, I thought you might enjoy watching eggs hatch. 

Check out the live webcam of red-tailed hawks nesting on a ledge overlooking the busy traffic in front of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.  I've included the link so… Read full post »

OS friends, This letter leads up to a veritable Pandora's Box of a question.  I know my OS friends to be thoughtful people with many creative ideas.  Maybe you can help me answer the middle schoolers' difficult question.

Dear Parents of Middle Schoolers in My First Sunday S… Read full post »

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I went through my favorite art books to offer you a few romantic images from great art of the world. Warning or maybe advertisement:  Some of these images are a little adult.  Who says art history is boring?

Persian Fresco at Isfahan,… Read full post »

 

 

 

 

 

 … Read full post »

           Recently Liz Emrich posted about her son’s diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome.  Other Osers, including Elizabeth McDonald, have also posted about their experiences with Asperger's.

    … Read full post »

This week, I found this photo on Facebook.  It’s like something out of a romantic Hollywood movie, two young lovers in front of the Trevi Fountain.  In Rome, no less.

Except that’s my son there!

My husband and I paid for that trip!

 … Read full post »