Irie (EYE-ree)—to be at total peace with your current state of being. The way you feel when you have no worries. (Jamaican)
The small-town paraders and bystanders were more than irie long before the procession began just before noon. This is a big deal in Christiansted. Everyone knows this isn’t the right day, but we’re [...]
A mile south of our camp, we found a fallen sign next to a broken road leading uphill and west: Scenic Route. Our now-crumpled map, provided free at the airport days earlier by hopeful advertisers, echoed the invitation: Scenic Route. Our eyes met, questioned, then agreed. A right turn, and we were adventure-borne.
In minutes the [...]
St. Croix architecture–Christiansted
Christiansted, at 3,000, the larger of St. Croix’s two towns, is just what one would expect a Caribbean tourist town to be: shops, restaurants, water sports, bars, and realtors. When cruise ships dock at St. Croix’s only non-industrial, deep-water port in Frederiksted, passengers are almost always immediately taxied or bused to the more [...]
Fort Frederik
Cooled by early morning trade winds, we sunblocked, took an early morning walk on our condo’s north shore beach, then drove west through St. Croix’s rain forest (left-lane driving is significantly less stressful in daylight) to Frederiksted, population 830, the smaller of the island’s two towns. Built around Fort Frederik in the mid-18th century, [...]
It took us eleven hours to connect from SFO to STX.
SFO—We will be gone eight days.
Tip #1: After checking to make certain that the shuttle schedule meshes with your flight plans, stay overnight at lodging near the airport if you have a 6:30 a.m. flight.
Tip #2: Choose a motel (we picked Red Roof Inn) that [...]
Less than a mile from the Pacific, unmanned and open to all, the Sea Ranch Chapel appears to be protected by its own beauty, for vandals neither spray-can nor gouge it. A non-denominational sanctuary for prayer, meditation, and spiritual renewal, it is an architectural wave on a sea of grass just off California’s Route 1, [...]
In his 1905 book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, German economist and sociologist Max Weber theorized that capitalism’s ascendancy owed much to Protestantism’s emphasis on hard work and worldly success. Whether or not Weber was actually right, the term he coined, “Protestant ethic,” has, to many, become accepted as part of our [...]
Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody
On November 15, America’s military gave a woman four stars for the first time. The Army promoted Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, 55, to four-star rank. Breaking the brass ceiling, she will take over as commanding general, U.S. Army Materiel Command, Fort Belvoir, Va.
“I recognize that with this selection, some will view [...]
The Cleveland Museum of Art is in the midst of a massive renovation, so only a fraction of the collection is currently on display.
But there is still much to see. The Arms and Armor Room is magnificent. Its many artifacts illustrate the armorer’s craftsmanship, art, and weapons development, as well as the pomp and ego [...]
I like Blue Highways and off-the-trail attractions.
I was in Cleveland.
So I examined exhibits for two hours, the only visitor at the Dittrick Museum of Medical History.
19th Century autopsy
Located on the third floor of the Allen Memorial Medical Library at Case Western Reserve University, the Dittrick is small, but immensely informative. Medical instruments (photo below), a [...]
